iiiiii 


tihmxy  of  ^he  'theological  ^emmar;p 

PRINCETON  •  NEW  JERSEY 


From  the  Library  of 
Prof.  Benjamin  Breckenridge  Warfield 


B52625 


THE   MESSAGES 


SEVEN  CHURCHES  OF  ASIA 


BEING 


The  Inaugural  of  the  Enthroned  King 
A  Beacon  on  Oriental  Shores 


BY 

REV.   THOMAS  MURPHY,   D.D.,   LL.D. 


PHILADELPHIA 

PRESBYTERIAN   BOARD   OF   PUBLICATION 

AND    SABBATH-SCHOOL  WORK 

1895 


COPYRIGHT,   1895,   BY 

THE  TRUSTEES  OF  THE 

PRESBYTERIAN  BOARD  OF  PUBLICATION 
AND   SABBATH-SCHOOL   WORK. 

ALL  RIGHTS  RESERVED. 


PREFATORY  NOTE, 


It  is  with  pleasure  that  I  comply  with  the  request  of  my  life- 
long friend,  the  Rev.  Thomas  Murphy,  D.  D.,  LL.D.,  to  prepare 
a  brief  Prefatory  Note  to  his  treatise  on  The  Messages  to  the 
Seven  Churches  op  Asia.  To  the  preparation  of  that  work, 
which  I  have  read  with  great  interest  and  profit,  my  friend  has 
devoted  many  years  of  devout  and  studious  labor.  I  heartily 
commend  it  to  the  careful  study  of  the  ministers  and  members 
of  the  Church  of  Christ. 

While  I  do  not  agree  with  all  the  positions  and  conclusions 
of  the  author,  I  cannot  but  recognize  that  he  has  a  right  to  be 
heard  by  the  Church  on  a  subject  for  the  study  of  which  he  has 
been  singularly  equipped  by  education  and  grace,  and  to  which 
he  has  given  many  years  of  prayerful  and  laborious  attention. 
I  am  glad  to  say  that  the  differences  of  opinion  between  us  do 
not  relate  to  matters  that  can  be  regarded  as  essential. 

The  Epistles  to  the  Seven  Churches  are  not  receiving  that 
attention  from  students  of  the  Sacred  Scriptures  to  which  they 
are  entitled — in  view  of  the  transcendent  dignity  of  their 
Author,  the  circumstances  under  which  they  were  given,  and 
the  objects  manifestly  contemplated  in  tlieir  revelation.  They 
come  to  us  directly  from  the  heart  and  mind  of  Jesus ;  they 
are  the  only  direct  utterances  of  our  ascended  and  enthroned 
Lord  to  His  servants  bereaved  of  His  visible  presence ;  they 
were  given  at  one  of  the  most  critical  periods  in  the  history 
of  the  Church — the  first  contact  of  the  gospel  with  the  Gentile 
world ;  they  were  designed  not  merely  for  the  instruction  of  the 
Seven  Churches  to  which  they  were  immediately  addressed, 
but  for  the  warning  and  comfort  of  the  entire  Church   militant 


iv  PKEFATORY  NOTE. 

in  all  lands  and  throughout  all  ages  until  Christ  shall  come 
again  to  earth  in  glory.  All  these  points  Dr.  Murphy  has 
seized  upon  and  elaborated  with  singular  power.  He  has  well 
styled  these  Messages  "  The  Inaugural  of  the  Enthroned  King 
— A  Beacon  on  the  Oriental  Shores." 

The  plan  of  the  treatise  is  peculiar.  It  cannot  be  set  forth 
in  a  brief  prefatory  note ;  nor  is  it  necessary  that  it  should  be, 
since  that  work  has  been  well  performed  in  the  Introductory 
chapter.  A  careful  study  of  that  chapter  is  essential  to  a  due 
appreciation  of  the  book. 

With  the  earnest  prayer  that  this  crowning  work  of  my  beloved 
friend  may  redound  to  the  glory  of  Christ  in  the  increased  knowl- 
edge and  spirituality  of  the  Church  to  which  His  messages  were 
sent,  I  again  commend  that  work  to  the  prayerful  and  studious 
attention  of  my  brethren. 

E.  R.  CRAVEN. 


CONTENTS. 


INTRODUCTION. 

PAGES 

Beacon  of  the  Ages — First  Contact  of  Christianity  with  Paganism — Striking 
Peculiarities  of  the  Passage— General  Plan  of  the  Messages — Princi- 
ples of  Interpretation — Plan  of  the  Book 1-8 


CHAPTER  I. 

HISTORIC  LAND. 

General  View — Influence  on  World's  History— Location  and  Extent  of 
Country — Country  Described — Surface  and  Contour — Mountains — Val- 
leys, Plains  and  Table-lands,  Rivers — Climate — Productions,  Forests, 
and  Mines — Cities — Koads — People — Peculiarities  of  the  Country — 
History — Great  Events — Great  M»n — Celebrated  Objects— Gracious  Pro- 
vidences Involved 9-38 

CHAPTER    II. 

CHRISTIANITY'S    FIRST    ENCOUNTER   WITH    PAGANISM. 

Great  Religious  Movement  in  Asia  Minor — Enterprise  Peculiar  and  for  Pe- 
culiar End — Original  Religions  of  the  Land — Ante-Pauline  Movements 
— Special  Work  in  the  Several  Cities — Paul's  Greatest  Work — John's 
Connection  with  the  Work — Glimpses  of  Timothy's  Work — Rapidity  of 
Church's  Growth — Strength  of  the  Church  in  Numbers — Strength  of 
the  Church  in  Religion 39-61 

CHAPTER  III. 

MESSAGES  FROM  HEAVEN. 

Careful  Study  Needed — Unique  Portion  of  Scripture — Many  Books  on — Its 
Importance  in  God's  Esteem — Location  of  Messages  in  Apocalypse — 
When  Written— Places  and  Destination  of  Writing—"  Holy  Theologian  " 
— Poem  on  Death  of  John 62-81 

V 


VI  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER   IV. 

MESSAGES,  SYMBOLS,   SYSTEM,   SEVEN. 

PAGES 

Messages  from  Heaven — Intended  for  All  Times  and  Places — Great  Number 
of  Symbols — Design  of  Symbols— Novelty  of  Symbols — Symbols  taken 
from  Local  Objects— Old  Testament  Allusions — Symmetry  of  the  Messages 
— Seven  Elements  in  Each  Message — Gradation  in  the  Promises — Design 
of  the  Symmetry — Seven — Meaning  of  the  Number  Seven  ....    82-103 

CHAPTER  V. 

STAR-ANGELS 

Subject  of  the  Chapter — Principles  Guiding  Our  Investigations — Views  of 
Others  to  be  Studied — Various  Theories — True  Theory — First  Process  of 
Reasoning :  Stars  as  Lights,  Angels  as  Spiritual  Authority — Second 
Process  of  Reasoning — Third  Process  of  Reasoning — Sum  of  Whole 
Argument — Dignity  of  Ministerial  Office — Church,  Special  Care  as  to  its 
Ministry 104-122 

CHAPTER  VI. 

BEACON  ON  THE  SHORES. 

Every  Part  of  Scripture  a  Special  Purpose — This  Purpose  should  be  Dis- 
covered— How  to  be  Discovered — Purpose  of  the  Messages — Historical 
Design — -Prophetical  Design — Chiefly  a  Beacon — First  Experiment  of 
Christianity  with  the  Pagan  World  Constituted  the  Beacon — Proconsu- 
lar Asia  a  Suitable  Coimtry  for  the  Experiment — All  Forms  of  Church 
Life  Exemplified — Various  Classes  Encountered— Life  Pictures — Minute 
Phases  of  Church  Experience — Spirit  Recorded  the  Experiment  in  a 
Special  Manner — Beacon  to  be  Made  Conspicuous — Lessons  of  the 
Beacon 123-144 


CHAPTER  VII. 

LIGHT   OF    ASIA. 

Ephesus  the  Greatest  Emporium  of  Proper  Asia — Where  and  What — 
Amount  of  its  Population — Its  Commerce — Influence  on  Other  Lands — 
Famed  for  Worship  of  Diana — Her  Great  Temple— Great  Treasury — 
Shrine-maniifacture  — Large  Revenue — Crowds  Attracted — Right  of 
Asylum — World's  Fair — Memorable  Things  Concerning  Ephesus — 
Seven  Sleepers  of  Ephesus — Epistle  to  Ephesians — Councils  of  Ephesus 
— Why  Dwell  so  Long  on  this  City 147-170 


CONTENTS.  vii 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

HOME  OF  THE  HOLY  THEOLOGIAN. 

PAGES 

Planting  the  Chnrch— Its  Mission — Central  Point— Evil  Results  of  Leaving 
First  Love — Attribute  Here  Used— Commendations — Counsel  from  God 
— Menace — Present  Desolations— The  Conquerors— Tree  of  Life  .    .  171-198 

CHAPTER   IX. 

QUEEN  OF  THE  LEVANT. 

"The  Devil  shall  Cast  Some  of  You  into  Prison" — Notable  City — City  and 
Church — Location — City  in  Ancient  Times — History — Planting  of  its 
Church — Central  Point — Title  of  Son  of  Man — Poverty,  Works,  and 
Sufferings — Riches — Blasphemy  of  the  Jews — Polycarp — "Ten  Days' 
Tribulation  " — Encouragements — Fidelity  and  Reward — Conquest  and 
Safety — Smyrna  as  it  is  Now — Inhabitants — Warning  of  the  Beacon  201-238 

CHAPTER  X. 

OXFORD  OF  THE  ORIENT. 

Celebrated  City — City  as  a  Royal  Residence — Ji)sculapius — Satan's  Seat — 
Great  Library ;  Parchment — 'Planting  of  its  Church — Titles  of  Son  of 
Man — Trials  and  Steadfastness — Antipas — Balaam — Nicolaitans — Idol- 
meats  and  Fornication — Admonished  to  Repent — Fighting  with  Sword 
of  His  Mouth — Overcome  What  ? — Hidden  Manna,  White  Stone,  and 
New  Name 241-284 

CHAPTER   XI. 

THE    WHITE   CASTLE. 

Thyatira — History  of  City  and  Church — Apollo  its  Deity — Titles  of  Christ 
— Commendations — Central  Point — Jezebel — Punishment  Threatened — 
Seductions — Rewarded  according  to  Works — Promise  to  Particular 
Church — Admonition — "  Depths  of  Satan  " — Overcoming — Power  over 
the  Nations— Morning  Star  .    .   '. 287-326 

CHAPTER    XII. 

GOLDEN    SANDS. 

Peculiarities  of  the  Church— Location — City  as  it  Was— Its  History — Golden 
Sands — Crcesus — Objects  of  Peculiar  Interest— Deity  of  the  City — City 
as  it  Is — Planting  and  History  of  its  Church — Name  of  Son  of  God — 
Central  Point — Censure — "Few  Names  even  in  Sardis" — Approbation — 
Threatening — Overcome  What  ? — Promises—"  Not  blot  out  Name  out  of 
Book  of  Life"—"  Confess  their  Names  "— "  Walk  with  Me  in  White  "  329-368 


viil  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

CITY  OF  GOD. 

PAGES 

Character  of  the  Message — Location  of  the  City — Land  of  Earthquakes — City 
Then — History — Jewish  Colony — Deity  of  the  City — Origin  and  State 
of  the  Church — Name  of  Son  of  Man — Central  Point — Approbation — 
Promises  to  the  Church — Counsel — General  Promises — City  Now— Place 
in  the  Beacon 371-416 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE  WRETCHED   ONE. 

Message— Location — Laodicea  Then — History — Deity  of  the  City — Planting 
of  the  Church — Title  of  Son  of  Man — Rebuke — Central  Point — Coun- 
sels— Warning — The  Overcoming — Local  Promise — General  Promise — 
City  Now — Place  in  the  Beacon 419-471 

CHAPTER  XV. 

KING  OF  KINGS  AND  LORD  OF  LORDS. 

Titles  of  Christ  Classified — Right  to  Mediatorial  Throne — First  and  Last — 
Son  of  God — Key  of  David — Holdeth  Stars  in  Right  Hand — Sword 
with  Two  Edges — Eyes  like  Flame  of  Fire — Hath  Seven  Spirits  of  God — 
Holy  and  True— Amen— Faithful  and  True 472-485 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

CELESTIAL  WATCHER. 

Watcher — Providence  Influences  All  Events — Knowledge  of  All  Things — 
Place  in  the  Beacon— Be  Cheered  ! 486-498 

CHAPTER    XVII. 

DARK  SPOTS. 

All  but  Two  Rebuked — Devil,  Ape  of  God — Errors  Generally  Perverted 
Truth? — Errors  in  Doctrine  and  Practice  Go  Together — Danger  of  Affili- 
ating with  Sin — Opposition  Good  for  a  Church — Aims  after  Perfection — 
Loss  of  First  Love — Progress  Downward  of  Sin — Worldliness — Undue 
Love  of  Riches — Pride — Sensuality — Warnings  Needed  at  Present  Time — 
Depraving  Influence  of  the  Flesh — Lascivious  Influence  of  Paganism — 
Balaam  Infamous — Nicolaitans  Worst  of  All — Antinomianisra  Always 
Appearing — Hypocrisy,  Great  Evil  of — Lukewarm  Indifierence  Now 
Reigning — Evils  of  Present  Day 499-520 


CONTENTS.  ix 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

FRUITS  OF  THE   SPIRIT. 

PAGES 

God  Praises  Before  He  Blames — All  Analyzed — Care  of  First  Love — Appre- 
ciating Advantages — Improving  Advantages — Working  for  Christ — 
Enthusiasm — Continuance  in  Well-doing — Humility — Patience — Intoler- 
ance of  Evil — Suffering  for  Christ's  Sake — Brotherly  Love  —Steadfast- 
ness in  the  Faith — Guarding  Against  False  Teachers — Growth  in  Grace 
—Loyalty  to  Christ 521-542 

CHAPTER   XIX. 

COUNSELLOR. 

Counsels  Classified — Counsels  of  a  Friend — Adapted  to  the  Conflicts — Repent 
— Be  Watchful — Shim  Temptation — Guard  the  Truth — Improve  Advan- 
tages— Strive  to  be  Perfect— Have  No  Fear  for  Future  of  the  Church — 
Go  Directly  to  Christ  in  All  Trials— Persevere  to  the  End — Be  Ear- 
nest      543  560 

CHAPTER  XX. 

WORDS  OF  DOOM. 

Punishing,  God's  Strange  Work — Punishment  According  to  Guilt — Punish- 
ment Corresponds  with  Nature  of  the  Guilt — Privileges  Neglected  are 
Taken  Away — The  Persistently  Impenitent  Abandoned — Punishment  is 
Inflicted  by  God's  Mouth — As  a  Thief  in  the  Night — Proud  Sinners 
Humbled- Certain  Sins  Punished  in  this  World — Sin  Against  the  Holy 
Ghost 561-580 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

CORDS  OF  LOVE,  OR  PROMISES. 

Two  Promises  to  Each  Message — Promises  All  Divine — Promises  of  the  Mes- 
sages Expanded  in  the  Body  of  the  Apocalypse — Promises  given  in  Sym- 
bolic Language — Promises  given  in  Form  of  Rewards — Promises  Corre- 
spond with  Character  of  Church — Promises  are  in  Progressive  Degrees — 
First  Degree  (Ephesus),  Immortality — Second  Degree  (Smyrna),  Not 
Hurt  of  Second  Death — Third  Degree  (Pergamos),  Everlasting  Friend- 
ship of  Christ — Fourth  Degree  (Thyatira),  Power  over  the  Nations — 
Fifth  Degree  (Sardis),  Trophies  of  his  Mediatorial  Achievement — Sixth 
Degree  (Philadelphia),  Pillars  in  God's  Temple — Seventh  Degree 
(Laodicea),  Seat  in  God's  Throne — The  Morning  Star 581-609 


X  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER    XXII. 

MORTAL  ATTENTION    SUMMONED,    OR    CHARGE  TO    GIVE    EARNEST    HEED, 

PAGES 

"  He  that  hath  an  Ear,  let  him  hear  what  the  Spii'it  saith  to  the  Churches  " — 
God's  Estimate  of  the  Message— Always  highly  Esteemed  by  Eminent 
Believers — Esteemed  from  Peculiar  Form  and  Langunge — God's  Call  to 
Heed  It — Structure  Shows  its  Importance — The  Appeal  is  from  the  Holy 
Ghost — Charge  Sent  Down  from  God's  Throne — Because  of  Existing 
Spiritual  Evils— What  is  to  be  Done? — God's  Ordained  Remedy — Sadly 
Ignored — Eff(?ct,  if  the  Church  Heeded — Present  an  Era  for  Testing  It — 
Heed  This,  and  Not  Human  Contrivances — Transcendent  Importance  of 
the  Messages 610-628 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

KEY-NOTE  OF   THE    APOCALYPSE. 

"  Behold  He  Cometh  !" — Fundamental  Thouglit  of  the  Apocalypse — Great 
Stress  on,  in  Bible — What  Event  Specially  Intimated — First,  Pentecost — 
Second,  Providential  Visitation — Third,  Death — Fourth,  Destruction 
of  Jerusalem — Fifth,  Conversion  of  World — Sixth,  The  Judgment — 
In  Full,  Totality  of  Events  in  the  Kingdom  from  Pentecost  to  the  Judgment — 
Special  Connection  with  the  Messages — Events  of  the  Ages,  Footsteps 
of  God's  Coming — Crisis  of  His  Coming — When  AVill  It  Be? — "Come 
Quickly" — Precursory  Movements — Design  of  His  Coming  Again — 
Scenes  of  the  Great  Day — Results  of  That  Day — Ascend  the  Watch-tower 
—Be  Ready 629-660 


THE 

Inaugural  of  the  Enthroned  King. 


INTEODUOTIO]^. 


In  the  divine  plan  of  revelation,  whether  considered  as  the  wliole 
vohime  of  Scripture  or  the  Apocalypse  alone,  what  is  the  special 
purpose  of  the  messages  to  the  seven  churches  ?  Wliat  vvant  do  they 
snpply?  What  niche  do  they  fill?  Should  they  be  left  out  of  the 
volume,  what  loss  would  there  be?  Such  was  the  thought  that 
gave  rise  to  the  present  volume.  Apparently,  the  epistles  are  no 
integral  part  of  the  book  of  Revelation,  and  yet  they  stand  in  its  fore- 
front, as  if  they  were  needed  for  the  very  commencement  of  the 
book.  Assured  as  we  are  that  the  method  adopted  by  the  Holy 
Ghost  is,  and  must  be,  not  only  the  best,  but  absolutely  perfect,  we 
can  have  no  question  but  that  this  portion  of  his  word  must  have 
an  important  design.    What  is  it  ? 

Protracted  investigation  of  this  question  has  led  to  the  convic- 
tion that  here  we  have  made  known  to  us  the  germs  of  all  church 
life,  good  and  bad,  put  forth  under  apostolic  superintendence,  which 
germs,  fully  developed,  form  the  whole  body  of  the  Apocalypse. 
And  then,  regarding  that  church  life  in  its  influence  upon  either 
individuals  or  communities,  as  well  as  tested  by  that  first  period  of 
the  Church's  history,  the  result  is  set  up  as  a  warning  and  guiding 
beacon  for  the  people  of  God  in  all  the  subsequent  ages. 

These  seven  epistles,  the  first  messages  from  Jesus  after  his  ascen- 
sion, may  be  appropriately  regarded  as  the  Inaugural  of  the 
Enthroned  King  of  the  Church. 

A  vital  point,  if  not  the  vital  point,  in  all  our  studies  of  this  sub- 
ject is  the  fact  that  here  we  have  to  do  with  the  first  contact  of 
Christianity  ivith  what  was  virtually  unmixed  Paganism.-  Previous  to 
tliis,  the  gospel  had  been  preached  chiefly  to  Jewish  communities 
which  had  religious  ideas  and  nomenclature  and  conceptions.  But 
here  all  these  were  wanting,  and  simple  Christianity  was  for  the 
first  time  brought  face  to  face  with  simple  paganism.    It  was  a  test 

1 


2         INAUGUEAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

of  the  normal  influence  of  Christianity  upon  the  pagan  mind  before 
prejudices  had  been  awakened  or  enmities  aroused  or  worldly  inter- 
ests involved,  and  the  results  are  here  communicated  with  absolute 
truthfulness.  It  was  an  experiment  for  the  whole  world  and  for 
all  time,  so  that  its  importance  cannot  be  over-estimated. 

For  this  and  other  reasons,  this  whole  passage  contained  in  the 
first  three  chapters  of  the  Apocalypse  is  one  of  marvelous  significance 
and  importance.  "Blessed  is  he  that  readeth,  and  they  that  hear 
the  words  of  this  prophecy,  and  keep  those  things  which  are  written 
therein."  In  truth,  it  is  a  history  of  the  formative  events,  the 
principles,  and  the  influences  of  that  opening  period  when  the  gos- 
pel was  taking  root  among  mankind.  It  is  a  picture  of  the  religious 
events  of  the  time  and  of  the  great  principles  of  the  kingdom  as 
they  lay  in  the  sight  of  Jeliovah.  To  make  it  the  more  imjiressive, 
it  is  given  in  the  form  of  a  special  communication  from  the  throne 
of  God.  Moreover,  it  is  enforced  by  words  of  tlie  deepest  emphasis 
and  solemnity — "Blessed  is  he  that  readeth;"  "Behold  I  come 
quickly;"  "  He  that  hath  ears  to  hear,"  and  others  which  are  calcu- 
lated to  stir  up  the  most  sluggish  soul.  It  is  not  merely  a  history: 
it  is  also  a  prophecy,  a  warning,  a  directory  of  life  and  godliness, 
and  a  most  solemn  caution  from  our  adorable  God.  Unique  in  its 
character,  in  its  position,  in  its  form,  it  is  also  a  discriminating  rule 
of  life  for  every  soul  that  would  walk  with  God  and  that  would  be 
acknowledged  before  the  assembled  universe  at  the  last  day  as  a 
trophy  of  our  Lord's  achievement  in  saving  the  lost  world. 

In  attempting  to  set  forth  the  meaning  and  spirit  of  such  a  pas- 
sage of  the  Divine  Word,  I  cannot  but  recognize  the  great  difficulty  of 
the  undertaking.  It  would  be  affectation  to  profess  that  I  do  not  hope 
to  present  some  of  its  points  in  a  light  not  hithei-to  discovered,  and 
which  will  impart  to  them  a  fresh  interest.  It  seems  necessary  for 
me,  therefore,  to  indulge  in  a  preface  more  full  than  is  customary — 
to  make  it,  in  fact,  a  sort  of  introduction,  explanatory  of  my  plan 
of  treating  the  subject,  with  the  relations  of  its  parts  to  each  other. 

The  passage  abounds  in  striking  peculiarities.  On  its  very  surface 
we  discern  by  a  simple  glance  eight  or  ten  series  according  to  whicli 
its  various  elements  are  arranged  in  beautiful  and  significant  order. 
There  are  seven  cities,  with  each  its  church ;  these  cities  are  intro- 
duced according  to  the  order  of  a  rude  geogra])hic  circle;  in  the 
message  to  each  city  there  are  seven  elements  or  points;  these 
points  are  all  introduced  in  a  similar  order;  in  the  series  of  prom- 
ises there  is  a  progress  from  the  lowest  up  to  the  highest;  every 
message  closes  with  the  same  words ;  in  each  church  there  is  to  be 


INTRODUCTION.  3 

a  struggle  with  evil  and  a  triumph  to  the  people  of  God.  Such  order- 
liness is  not  mere  chance.  It  does  not  simply  happen  to  be  so.  There 
is  a  purpose  in  it.  It  is  significant.  A  wisdom  that  never  errs  and  a 
goodness  that  has  no  limit  so  ordered  it  for  the  glory  of  our  Lord, 
the  prosperity  of  his  Church,  and  the  welfare  of  his  blood-bought 
followers. 

Although,  in  the  course  of  my  work,  probably  every  verse  and 
phrase  is  more  or  less  fully  explained,  yet  it  is  not  intended  as  a 
commentary,  but  as  an  analysis  of  the  whole  passage,  with  investi- 
gations of  the  purpose  of  the  Holy  Ghost  in  the  momentous  truths 
which  are  presented  in  such  remarkable  form  as  the  sacred  volume 
draws  to  a  close— such  analysis  as  may  bring  out  distinctly  God's 
providential  purposes  concerning  his  newly-founded  kingdom.  This 
divine  plan  will  lead  us  into  three  distinct  lines  of  investigation,  or 
separate  the  general  subject  into  three  divisions :  First,  the  inn-pose 
of  God  in  sending  down  such  a  communication  to  his  people— the 
I'citionale  of  the  messages  and  the  condition  of  the  people  to  whom 
they  were  sent.  This  will  involve  the  questions.  What  was  the 
country?  How  and  when  were  the  respective  churches  planted? 
What  is  the  nature  of  the  messages?  Why  are  such  and  so  many 
symbols  used?  What  is  meant  by  the  angels  of  the  churches? 
What  is  the  precise  purpose  of  the  whole?  Second,  a  detailed  de- 
scription of  the  cities  of  the  seven  churches,  of  the  influences  aris- 
ing therefrom,  of  the  messages  sent  to  each,  of  the  peculiarities  of 
the  churcli  life  involved,  and  of  the  special  objects  contemplated  by 
each  of  the  seven  messages.  Third,  it  being  found  that  in  each  of 
the  messages  there  are  seven  points  or  elements  which  are  precisely 
similar  in  all,  these  seven  points  are  collected  into  one  body,  ana- 
lyzed, and  classified,  each  element  or  seven  elements  into  a  chapter 
by  itself,  and  as  such  studied  out  in  all  its  principles,  duties,  and 
privileges,  so  as  to  form  a  body  of  important  instruction  on  that 
particular  subject. 

It  is  manifest  that  a  passage  of  Scripture  so  peculiar,  so  systematic, 
so  significant,  and  so  evidently  intended  for  a  purpose  of  extraor- 
dinary importance  must  involve  principles  of  interpretation  which 
are  themselves  extraordinary.  Princii)les  or  rules  must  guide  us  in 
our  search  for  the  meaning  of  a  passage  on  which  the  Holy  Spirit 
evidently  laid  so  much  stress.  The  subject  is  too  important  for  us 
to  rest  upon  mere  conjectures.  We  must  follow  principles  of  inves- 
tigation, and  these  must  be  wrought  out  of  the  substance  of  the  pas- 
sage itself.  They  must  bear  their  evidence  of  genuineness  with  them. 
After  long  and  patient  investigation  of  the  passage  in  its  relations 


4        INAUGUEAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

and  connections,  the  following  list  of  princiiiles  has  revealed  itself 
so  clearly  that  I  cannot  but  accept  its  guidance.  These  principles 
constitute  the  key  by  which  at  every  point  I  have  striven  to  unlock 
the  meaning  of  this  significant  portion  of  Scripture.  Of  these  twen- 
ty-one principles,  six — viz.  2,  5,  8,  12,  15,  and  16 — are  so  obvious  that 
they  have  been  recognized  and  used  by  all  interpreters.  The  re- 
maining fifteen  are  the  result  of  the  long-protracted  study  which  I 
have  given  to  the  subject. 

1.  This  passage  is  so  unique  that  in  its  interpretation  we  can 
obtain  but  little  aid  from  other  portions  of  Scripture,  and  must 
therefore  rely  for  guidance  chiefly  upon  its  own  words. 

2.  "  Every  word,  if  rightly  viewed,  effects  a  special  purpose." 

3.  These  messages  cover  the  history  of  the  first  contact  of  un- 
mixed i^aganism  with  Christianity  under  apostolic  supervision — a 
period  of  sixty-three  years — and  the  result  is  here  set  up  as  a 
beacon  for  the  guidance  of  all  subsequent  ages. 

4.  We  have  here  all  the  germs  of  church  life,  good  and  bad, 
and  the  full  development  of  these  constitutes  the  rest  of  the 
Apocalypse;  hence  these  messages  are  placed  in  the  fore-front  of 
the  book  of  Revelation. 

5.  These  seven  churches  were  types  of  the  characteristics  of  all 
church  life,  good  and  bad. 

6.  As  the  Ten  Commandments  contain  the  substance  of  the 
W'hole  moral  law,  and  as  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount  contains  the 
substance  of  the  gospel's  practical  effects,  so  these  seven  messages 
contain  the  substance  of  the  Church's  future  destiny. 

7.  Seven  of  the  leading  deities  of  Paganism  had  each  the  metrop- 
olis of  its  worship  in  one  of  these  seven  cities;  i.e.  Diana  in 
Ephesus,  Homer  (deified)  in  Smyrna,  ^sculapius  in  Pergamos, 
Apollo  in  Thyatira,  Cybele  in  Sardis,  Bacchus  in  Philadeli^hia, 
and  Jupiter  in  Laodicea.  The  messages  are  therefore  an  attack 
ui)on  Satan  in  his  strongholds. 

8.  "Behold  he  cometh"  is  the  key  which,  in  an  important 
sense,  unlocks  the  meaning  of  the  whole  passage. 

9.  "  The  comifif/  of  Christ "  expresses  the  totality  of  the  events 
connected  with  the  kingdom  from  Pentecost  to  the  Judgment. 

10.  In  each  message  there  is  one  central  point  which  contair.s 
the  substance  of  that  message  and  around  which  everything  else 
is  grouped. 

11.  In  each  message  a  different  title  is  given  to  the  Son  of  man 
as  the  administrator  of  the  divine  kingdom,  which  title  is  adapted 


INTRODUCTION.  5 

to  tlie  condition  of  that  particular  church,  and  which  titles,  taken 
together,  express  his  full  qualifications  for  that  sublime  office. 

12.  The  messages  are  constructed  upon  precisely  the  same  plan, 
a  part  of  which  plan  is  that  in  each  of  them  there  are  seven  ele- 
ments; i.  e.  1st.  Some  title  of  the  Son  of  God;  2d.  Something  in 
the  church  rebuked;  3d.  Something  commended;  4th.  Some  coun- 
sel given;  5th.  A  threatening;  6th.  A  promise;  7th.  The  call, 
"He  that  hath  an  ear,  let  him  hear  what  the  Spirit  saith  unto 
the  churches." 

13.  Such  exact  system  is,  among  other  things,  a  prophetic  inti- 
mation of  the  definite  plan  according  to  which  God  will  conduct 
the  affairs  of  his  kingdom  throughout  the  coming  ages. 

14.  So  many  and  such  strange  symbols  are  used  because  undoubt- 
edly that  pagan  people,  receiving  the  gospel  then  for  the  first  time, 
had  no  nomenclature  for  the  expression  of  Christian  ideas,  and  so 
these  figures  had  to  be  made  use  of  for  that  purpose. 

1-5.  In  each  message  we  find  the  word  "overcometh"  with  its 
accompanying  ideas. 

16.  At  or  near  the  close  of  each  message  we  find  the  charge, 
"  He  that  hath  an  ear,  let  him  hear  what  the  Spirit  saith  to  the 
churches." 

17.  In  the  first  three  messages,  the  chief  agent  in  which  is  the 
Church,  the  "  overcometh,"  which  is  the  Church'' s  part,  comes 
last;  in  the  other  four,  the  chief  agent  in  which  is  the  Spirit, 
"  He  that  hath  an  ear,  let  him  hear  what  the  Spirit  saith  to  the 
churches,"  which  is  the  iSpirit^s  pca^f,  comes  last. 

18.  In  each  message  there  are  two  promises  with  associated 
charges— one  local,  to  that  particular  people;  the  other  general, 
for  all  people. 

]0.  In  the  list  of  promises,  taken  as  a  whole,  there  is  a  gradual 
progress  in  the  degree  of  pledged  blessedness,  beginning  with  the 
lowest,  that  to  Ephesus:  "I  will  give  to  eat  of  the  tree  of  life," 
which  is  simiDly  immortality,  up  to  the  highest,  that  to  Laodicea: 
"I  will  grant  to  sit  with  me  in  my  throne" — the  ricliest  promise 
to  the  most  tempted  people. 

20.  The  strangely  significant  promise,  "  I  will  give  him  the  morn- 
ing star,"  first  pledged  in  the  messages  and  afterward  repeated  at 
t!ie  close  of  the  Apocalypse,  is  the  divine  engagement  to  the  faith- 
ful that  Christ  would  evermore  imj^art  freshness,  novelty,  and 
brighter  and  brighter  hope  to  all  the  glories  awaiting  them. 

21.  This  whole  passage  is  the  sublime  inaugural  of  our  glorified 
Lord.    Having  purchased  his  Church  by  his  death  on  the  cross, 


6         INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

and  tlien  ascended  up  to  the  right  hand  of  the  Father  and  thence 
sent  down  the  Holy  Ghost,  who  laid  the  foundations  of  his 
Church,  composed  of  the  souls  gathered  in  during  the  first  sixty- 
three  years,  he  now  delivers  to  them  his  first  official  communica- 
tion from  on  high,  proclaiming,  "Behold,  I  am  alive  for  ever- 
more, Amen  ;   and  have  the  keys  of  hell  and  of  death." 

Such  are  the  important  principles  underlying  these  messages. 
When  applied  in  any  connection  or  at  any  point  of  the  messages, 
they  expand,  explain,  and  introduce  us  to  a  new  world  of  exalt- 
ing truth— a  world  in  which  the  footsteps  of  our  God  may  be 
seen  and  the  glorious  destiny  of  the  kingdom  anticipated. 

A  brief  explanation  of  the  way  in  which  I  have  treated  the 
subject  will  be  of  use  in  leading  to  a  better  understanding  of 
the  various  points  introduced,  and  of  their  connection  with  each 
other  and  with  the  general  subject  of  our  work. 

As  already  stated,  the  second  division  of  the  general  subject 
involves  a  detailed  account  of  the  seven  cities  in  which  the 
churches  were  located,  and  of  the  peculiarities  of  the  church 
life  which  in  each  case  arose  therefrom.  I  have  therefore  striven 
tf)  present  a  full  description  of  the  times  and  places  and  people 
to  whom  the  messages  were  sent.  I  have  studied  the  history, 
the  location,  and  the  physical  features  of  the  cities.  I  have  en- 
deavored to  describe  the  times  and  the  people  among  whom  the 
respective  churches  were  planted,  their  character,  their  institu- 
tions, their  customs,  their  modes  of  life,  their  industries,  their 
peculiarities  of  worshii),  their  culture,  the  special  events  which 
had  marked  their  annals,  their  place  in  the  progress  of  humanity, 
and  all  the  corresponding  influences  which  tended  to  give  char- 
acter to  their  church  life.  This  I  have  done  because  it  was  the 
l)lan  of  the  Holy  Ghost  in  the  Scriptures,  and  because  these 
things  explain  the  character  of  the  church,  help  to  awaken  and 
fix  attention,  increase  interest  in  the  subject,  often  impart  import- 
ant light,  give  a  better  understanding  of  the  Spirit's  intent  in 
the  things  he  communicates,  and  certainly  establish  the  whole 
more  clearly  and  permanently  in  the  memory. 

Only  the  most  careful  investigation  enables  us  to  see  how  vast 
is  the  number  of  points  of  doctrine  and  duty  which  are  contained 
in  the  passage— how  full  is  the  instruction  it  contains  concerning 
motives  and  hopes  and  principles  and  all  else  which  are  calcu- 
lated to  make  the  man  of  God  perfect  in  every  good  work.    All 


INTRODUCTION.  7 

these  I  have  endeavored  to  ascertain  and  to  explain,  not  only  in 
themselves,  but  also  in  their  various  relations  and  positions  in 
this  profound  and  suggestive  communication  from  the  throne  of 
God.  I  have  not  intentionally  omitted  one  such  point,  however 
difficult  or  unimportant  it  may  have  appeared.  In  this  way  I 
have  striven  to  make  this  work  a  thesaurus  of  the  wealth  of 
divine  instruction  sent  us  here  by  the  Lord  Jesus. 

This  purpose  of  the  work  has  led  me  to  enter  carefully  into  the 
minutiffi  of  every  point,  in  which  I  was  only  following  the  exam- 
ple of  our  Lord  in  the  passage.  I  have  never  been  satisiied  witli 
mere  general  statements  or  speculations.  On  the  contrary,  finding 
the  material  abundant  in  the  sacred  record,  in  every  instance  where 
possible,  as  succinctly  as  in  my  power,  I  have  given  particulars, 
numbers,  dates,  localities,  and  all  else  calculated  to  throw  light 
on  the  subject  and  to  clothe  it  with  life  .and  reality. 

A  rule  from  which  I  have  never  departed  is  to  treat  every 
word,  wherever  found,  as  having  been  placed  there  for  a  special 
purpose  and  as  having  a  special  significance  in  the  mind  of  that 
infinite  wisdom  from  which  it  came.  I  have  striven  against  the 
two  opposite  extremes — one,  of  making  the  work  a  dry  skeleton 
or  chronological  list  of  dates,  names,  and  j^laces;  the  other,  of 
indulging  in  mere  fancy  and  sentiment.  Against  the  former  I 
have  guarded  by  clothing  every  point  with  as  much  life  as  in  my 
l^ower;  against  the  other,  by  avoiding  simple  conjectures  and 
imaginings,  and  by  diligently  searching  for  and  embodying  all 
lacts  and  ti-aditions  (given  as  such)  of  those  early  days  where 
they  served  to  throw  light  and  life  into  the  narrative. 

As  it  has  been  a  leading  purpose  with  me  from  the  first  to 
adapt  this  work  to  pojiular  use,  I  have  seldom  cited  the  original 
Greek.  Excepting  in  a  very  few  instances,  when  indispensable 
for  explanation,  I  have  not  done  so.  To  be  understood  without 
mistake  and  without  effort  has  always  been  in  my  judgment  a 
prime  rule  of  all  composition.  It  is  certainly  better  to  use  a  cir- 
cumlocution than  a  combination  of  letters  from  the  alphabet  that 
has  no  meaning  and  that  can  but  obstruct  and  perplex  the  reader. 

Whenever  it  has  become  necessary  to  consider  the  reasons  or 
arguments  for  or  against  any  point,  I  have  given  the  I'esults,  and 
not  the  process.  To  have  done  otherwise  would  have  lengthened 
out  my  work  beyond  all  reasonable  bounds. 

For  similar  reasons,  it  would  not  comport  with  my  purposes  to 
give  the  opinions  of  others  with  their  arguments  and  investiga- 
tions, and  so  I  have  generally  given  their  views  alone.    Some- 


8        INAUGUEAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

times  I  have  had  to  wade  through  volumes  in  order  to  grasp 
some  subject,  but  have  given  only  my  own  conclusions  at  last. 
This  may  often  have  the  disadvantage  of  appearing  to  be  dog- 
matic and  self-opinioned,  but  it  could  not  be  avoided,  and  when 
understood  is  no  real  blemish. 

Out  of  gratitude  for  the  aid  they  have  given  me,  I  name  a  few 
of  the  many  authors  whom  I  have  consulted :  Arundell,  Tristram, 
Kitto,  Barnes,  Home,  Newton,  Bengel,  Cooke,  Lowman,  Neander, 
Schaff,  Butler,  Trench,  Plumptre,  Blunt,  Fausset,  Milligan,  and 
Craven,  whose  notes  in  Lange's  Commentary  are  the  most  valu- 
able of  all   I   have  seen. 

From  the  nature  of  this  work,  very  full  indices  are  indispen- 
sable. It  1;^,  in  fact,  by  aid  of  its  indices  that  it  must  be  studied. 
Three  indices  have  therefore  been  prepared  with  the  greatest  care, 
namely:  1.  A  full  table,  of  contents,  reaching  to  every  leading 
point;  2.  An  alphabetical  index  of  all  the  various  points  which 
are  treated  in  its  pages;  3.  A  scriptural  index,  which  is  in  fact 
a  kind  of  commentary,  pointing  out  every  verse  and  clause  of  the 
messages,  as  well  as  all  other  scriptural  passages  which  are  treated. 

Paramount  among  these  prefatory  explanations  I  would  place 
the  object  indicated  by  the  second  title  of  the  volume:  "Beacon 
on  the  Oriental  Shores."  This  object  I  have  never  lost  sight  of 
in  all  the  years  I  have  devoted  to  the  work.  Previous  to  the 
reception  of  these  messages  from  the  throne  of  God  even  true 
believers  had  no  adequate  knowledge  of  the  doctrines  and  duties, 
the  principles  and  obligations,  the  hopes  and  prospects  involved 
in  the  progress  of  the  gospel  which  they  had  just  received.  But 
all  these  were  brought  to  light  and  clearly  defined  through  the 
first  contact  of  Christianity  with  paganism.  They  were  thus 
germinated  and  evolved,  and  that  while  the  inspired  apostle 
John  was  still  with  the  churches  to  direct  their  work  and  pre- 
serve them  from  mistakes.  Meanwhile,  the  providence  of  God 
directed  to  their  being  placed  in  an  abiding  record,  being  raised 
up  on  high  as  a  beacon  that  could  be  seen  by  every  eye  and  read 
in  every  age.  It  was  a  beacon  which  all  could  behold  and  under- 
stand, and  from  it  learn  the  lessons  of  everlasting  truth  and  right- 
eousness. It  is  a  beacon  that  beams  out  still — beams  on  us  of  the 
present  ago,  and  demands  of  us  that  we  give  it  the  most  earnest 
heed.  Oh,  that  He  who  first  set  it  up  and  who  still  keeps  it  shin- 
ing brightly  may  also  impart  to  us  that  wisdom  from  on  high 
which  will  evermore  preserve  us  from  neglecting  its  blessed  guid- 
ance ! 


CHAPTER   I. 
THE    HISTORIC    LAND. 

1.  THE  GENEEAL  VIEW. 

We  are  assured  that  in  the  counsels  of  God  pertaining  to  his 
kingdom  in  any  country  there  is  nothing  that  is  without  a  plan 
and  purpose.  Hence,  in  studying  tlie  intei'ests  of  that  kingdom 
in  any  particular  country,  our  first  investigations  must  be  con- 
cerning the  place,  the  people,  and  the  time.  The  whole  volume 
of  history  manifests  clearly  that  there  is  an  infinitely  wise  and 
powerful  providence  presiding  over  all  human  affairs,  and  adapt- 
ing countries  to  the  people,  the  events,  and  the  purposes  which 
are  to  be  accomplished.  The  localities  of  earth  and  man  and 
the  destinies  of  man  are  so  linked  together  and  dependent  on 
each  other  as  to  prove  beyond  a  doubt  that  they  are  all  shaped 
by  the  same  infallible  skill  and  power.  There  is  a  divine  philoso- 
phy in  this  whose  wonders  are  unsearchable. 

The  land  of  the  seven  churches,  now  called  Anatolia,  was  an 
illustration  of  this.  It  was  in  accordance  with  the  divine  plan 
that  in  that  land  the  glorious  gospel  of  the  Son  of  God  should 
start  on  its  career  of  exterminating  paganism  and  redeeming  the 
lost  race  of  men,  and  out  of  that  race  forming  the  grand  and  earth- 
wide  kingdom  of  God.  That  land,  we  may  confidently  assert,  was 
the  most  suitable  of  all  lands  for  that  purpose.  This  we  claim  be- 
cause of  the  perfect  skill  and  power  of  Him  who  is  the  contriver 
of  all;  besides,  a  careful  examination  in  detail  corroborates  and 
makes  the  fact  still  more  apparent.  When  we  look  into  the 
physical  characteristics  of  the  country  and  explore  its  annals,  we 
find  that,  by  the  unerring  wisdom  of  Him  who  doeth  according 
to  the  counsel  of  his  own  will,  all  things  were  planned  so  as  to 
contribute  to  the  building  up  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ  upon  the 
ruins  of  the  empire  of  Satan— an  enterprise  the  first  great  move- 
ments of  which  were  witnessed  in  this  Asiatic  land.  There,  pre- 
pared by  the  foresight  of  Omniscience,  were  a  civilization  that 
was  capable  of  comprehending  and  improving  the  truths  which 
were  imparted — a  people  representing  the  various  tribes  of  man- 
kind, and  trained  to  the  appreciation  of  the  loftier  thoughts  of 

9 


10        INAUGUEAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

sacred  things— a  location  that  could  send  currents  of  sacred  truth 
throughout  the  nations — a  territory  around  which  rolled  the  seas 
that  swept  afar  over  earth's  brightest  shores — a  climate  and  rich- 
ness of  resources  for  human  well-being  that  attracted  the  most 
enterprising  sons  of  earth— and  a  land  of  mountains  and  streams 
capable  of  sustaining  a  population  that  could  endure  the  hard- 
ship requisite  to  maintain  the  truth  against  an  adverse  world. 

We  find,  as  we  enter  into  a  minute  investigation,  tliat  the 
country,  the  people,  and  the  times  were  all  ripe  for  the  momen- 
tous events  that  were  now  to  be  unfolded.  The  physical  character- 
istics of  tlie  land  were  such  as  would  most  effectively  contribute 
their  aid  in  working  out  tlie  great  purposes  of  God  toward  his 
Church.  The  country  stood  so  related  to  the  other  civilized  lands 
that  any  important  movement  in  it  would  inevitably  spread 
throughout  them  all.  The  people  had  been  preiDared  by  steps,  both 
intellectual  and  moral,  such  that  they  were  ready  to  welcome  and 
imj^rove  the  new  influences  which  would  change  their  whole 
prospects.  All  the  drifts  of  human  history  had  unmistakably 
tended  toward  this  point  in  which  they  culminated  just  as  cer- 
tainly as  if  God's  hand  had  been  visible  in  directing  thereto. 

We  are  to  study  these  seven  messages  as  amongst  the  most 
remarkable  of  all  the  conmiunieations  which  have  ever  come 
down  from  God  to  nian,  and  we  want  to  know  the  place  and 
the  people  who  received  them,  as  well  as  the  character  of  the 
country  which  that  people  inhabited.  But,  in  order  to  that,  we 
should  get  near  to  them  in  both  time  and  place— we  should  be 
at  home  in  that  historic  land— we  should  breathe  the  atmosphere 
of  its  valleys— we  should  climb  over  i*^s  mountains— we  should 
wander  along  its  rivers— and  we  should  be  braced  by  the  gales 
that  blow  over  its  shores.  We  should  gaze  upon  its  world-re- 
nowned wonders,  wrJeh  have  arrested  the  attention  of  all  gen- 
erations. We  should  journey  over  its  great  Roman  roads,  and 
we  should  visit  its  harbors  with  their  forests  of  masts  and  their 
weather-beaten  vessels  that  have  battled  with  a  thousand  storms. 
We  should  make  ourselves  acquainted  with  its  heterogeneous 
masses  of  people,  the  connningling  of  which  resulted  in  a  popu- 
lation of  unusual  vigor.  Then  we  should  trace  back  the  annals 
of  its  history,  and  see  how  they  were  all  shaped  by  an  omnipo- 
tent hand  for  a  bright  and  blessed  chapter  in  the  history  of  the 
race.  The  renowned  men  who  were  once  the  great  leaders  in 
their  affairs  should  be  brought  up  before  us,  and  we  should  see 
them  face  to  face. 


THE   HISTORIC  LAND.  11 

AVe  should  enter  more  deei)ly  still  into  the  realities  of  the  life 
of  that  land  and  people,  and  we  should  attain  to  sympathy  with 
its  warriors,  its  philosophers,  its  artists,  its  scholars,  and  its  sages. 
We  should  explore  the  treasures  of  its  art.  We  should  awake 
to  the  grandeur  of  its  mighty  deeds.  We  should  strive  to  appre- 
ciate the  excellency  of  its  civilization.  We  should  analyze  the 
perfections  of  its  systems  of  philosoi^hy  and  the  steps  of  its  human 
progress.  We  should  trace  the  great  currents  of  thought  which, 
originating  among  its  brightest  minds,  have  flowed  down  through 
nations  and  ages  until  they  have  reached  even  to  our  days. 

When  we  have  thus  become  acquainted  with  the  beautiful  land 
of  the  seven  churches  and  traced  its  brilliant  history,  we  shall  be 
able  to  appreciate  the  strong  language  of  one  who  has  imparted  to 
these  subjects  a  peculiar  charm :  "  There  is  not  a  harbor,  not  a 
valley,  not  a  plain  or  mountain,  not  a  brook  or  dell  of  that  classic 
soil  but  is  associated  with  memorable  names  or  exploits.  The 
native  land  of  Homer,  the  oldest  of  poets,  and  of  Herodotus, 
the  father  of  history — Ionia— has  afforded  many  a  scene  for  both. 
In  fact,  in  its  mythology  and  its  history  it  is  more  characteris- 
tically Greek  than  Greece  itself.  Not  only  were  much  of  the 
Plellenic  mythology  and  traditions  connected  with  its  romantic 
glens:  it  was  also  the  field  of  many  of  the  noblest  struggles  and 
most  brilliant  victories  of  Greece.  We  need  not  recapitulate  the 
many  bloody  fields  of  Asia  Minor  in  which  is  traced  the  final 
establishment  of  the  dominion  of  Rome  over  the  East  and  the 
internecine  struggles  which  were  the  prelude  of  Rome's  decay. 
In  this  now  almost  unknown  territory  of  ancient  Greece  three 
of  the  seven  wise  men  in  the  early  history  of  the  world  had 
their  birth.  Poetry,  history,  fable,  and  philosophy  had  each 
its  father  in  this  country.  Among  the  wonders  of  the  world  it 
boasted  its  temple  of  Ephesus,  its  mausoleum  in  Caria,  and  its 
Colossus  at  Rhodes.  The  most  wealthy  of  kings  and  the  greatest 
of  heroes  rose  in  this  region,  and  their  tumuli  remain  still  un- 
disturbed." 

When  we  shall  have  become  acquainted  with  the  land  and  its 
history,  then  shall  we  in  some  measure  understand  the  provi- 
dence which  prepared  it  as  the  scene  of  the  first  great  conflict 
of  the  gospel  with  the  universal  paganism  of  the  world.  Then 
shall  we  be  prepared  to  assert,  without  fear  of  contradiction,  that, 
next  to  Palestine,  it  is  the  most  important  land  on  earth  as  to  its 
history  and  its  influence  upon  the  highest  interests  of  mankind. 


12  INAUGUEAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 


2.    INFLUENCE  ON  THE   WOELD'S  HISTOEY. 

We  study  the  introduction  of  Christianity  in1:o  the  land  of  the 
seven  cliurehes  not  only  because  it  is  a  strangely  fascinating  study 
in  itself,  but  also  because  these  churches  sent  down  an  influence 
which  is  felt  to  this  day  in  all  the  departments  of  Christian  life. 
There  are  many  and  important  elements  of  our  Christianity  which 
had  their  origin  at  that  time.  Moreover,  taking  a  wider  survey, 
there  are  features  of  our  arts  and  literature  and  general  culture 
which  have  come  down  to  us  from  that  favored  country.  Traces 
of  the  civilization  which  was  developed  there  are  to  be  found 
in  the  most  cultivated  lands  at  the  present  day. 

AVhat  gives  to  everything  that  descends  to  us  from  that  laud 
and  that  age  surpassing  importance  is,  that  there  and  then  the 
very  climax  was  reached  of  all  that  mere  civilization,  without  the 
gospel,  can  do  for  mankind.  For  centuries  the  unaided  powers 
of  man  had  been  climbing  up,  and  there  the  highest  attainment 
was  reached.  All  that  mere  human  power  could  do  for  the  race 
was  there  seen,  and  now  the  gospel,  ixs  as  an  untried  and  all- 
potent  element,  enters  the  field,  and  a  new  destiny  opens  before 
the  world.  The  sublime  process  can  be  better  studied  in  Asia 
Minor  than  in  Palestine,  because  there  the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ 
is  seen  in  its  grand  pre-eminence  when  placed  side  by  side  with 
the  very  highest  of  pagan  attainments.  Paganism  had  reached  its 
best  manifestations,  and  the  religion  of  the  Cross  was  established 
in  its  midst,  amongst  the  same  population,  where  its  tendencies 
would  have  every  opportunity  of  developing  themselves,  and  its 
new  influences  were  to  issue  forth  for  the  weal  of  the  race. 

Everything  pertaining  to  that  land  has  stamped  itself  upon 
the  subsequent  ages.  The  library  of  Pergamos,  for  instance,  be- 
came the  type  of  thousands  of  other  libraries  which  have  adorned 
and  elevated  many  another  city.  The  temple  of  Diana,  with  its 
splendid  marbles,  prompted  and  guided  in  the  erection  of  many 
of  the  most  perfect  structures  which  are  even  now  admired. 
Every  inch  of  parchment  seen  in  our  legal  documents  takes  us 
back  to  the  days  when  the  tanners  of  Pergamos  invented  that 
most  enduring  of  materials  for  valuable  records.  We  never  tread 
upon  a  Turkish  carpet  but  we  use  the  fabric  that  may  remind  us 
of  the  looms  of  Thyatira.  INTany  an  utterance  of  wisdom  first 
lieard  from  sages  of  that  land  lias  travelled  down  to  us  through 
the  ages.  Tlie  richest  and  most  beautiful  of  poetry  caught  its  first 
insj)iration  from  the  scenes  of  loveliness  which  adorned  the  home 


THE  HISTOEIC  LAND.  13 

of  so  many  of  its  muses.  The  songs  of  its  poets,  the  deeds  of  its 
warriors,  and  the  wisdom  of  its  sages  have  been  the  study  and 
the  admiration  of  scholars  through  long  centuries. 

Renowned  land  of  Homer  and  ^neas,  of  Troy  and  Sardis,  the 
beauty  of  its  varying  shores,  the  breezes  of  its  hills,  the  verdure 
of  its  valleys,  the  perfume  of  its  meadows,  the  brightness  of  its 
flowers,  the  windings  of  its  streams,  the  wavings  of  its  forests, 
and  the  romance  of  its  fanes  have  furnished  themes  for  many  of 
the  songs  of  the  ages.  All  these  are  important  as  influencing  the 
literature  of  all  time,  but  they  are  as  nothing  compared  with  the 
richer  influence  of  Christianity,  the  first  developments  of  which 
are  now  to  be  the  subject  of  our  investigation.  The  orthodoxy 
of  its  Galatians,  the  missionary  zeal  of  its  Ephesians,  the  heroic 
martyrdom  of  its  Pergames,  the  steadfastness  of  its  Philadel- 
phians,  have  exercised  a  commanding  influence  over  the  relig- 
ion of  all  after-time.  Every  department  of  human  well-being 
experiences  the  benign  effect  of  the  grand  movement  which 
planted  the  gospel  there.  In  a  measure  much  larger  than  is 
generally  acknowledged  that  Heaven-directed  movement  has 
moulded    our   existing    civilization. 

3.    LOCATION  AND   EXTENT  OF  THE  COUNTRY. 

The  country  of  the  seven  churches  was  situated  between  the 
thirty-sixth  and  the  forty-first  degree  of  latitude,  which  would 
make  it  about  three  hundred  and  fifty  statute  miles  from  north 
to  south.  Its  greatest  breadth  from  east  to  west  was  about  two 
hundred  miles.  Owing  to  the  irregular  contour  of  its  sea-coast, 
it  is  difficult  to  estimate  its  area,  which,  however,  may  be  regarded 
as  about  fifty  thousand  square  miles.  The  area  tluis  estimated  is 
nearly  that  of  the  State  of  North  Carolina,  and  almost  exactly 
that  of  England  exclusive  of  AVales.  This  is  not  the  whole  of 
the  territory  of  Asia  Minor,  or  Anatolia,  which  would  probably 
amount  to  not  less  than  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  square 
miles,  but  that  smaller  portion  of  it  wliich  included  the  land  of 
the  seven  churches.  In  that  land  the  gospel  was  to  commence  an 
encounter  with  paganism  which  would  be  continued  until  the 
whole  world  should  be  subdued  to  the  dominion  of  Jesus.  A 
more  interesting  study  there  could  not  be  than  that  of  investi- 
gating how  thoroughly  it  \\'as  adai^ted  to  that  end. 

The  location  of  the  country  for  that  purpose  was  perfect.  It 
was  situated  in  the  very  heart  of  the  most  cultivated  and  influ- 


14        INAUGUEAL  OF  THE  EXTHRONED  KING. 

ential  portion  of  the  earth.  South  of  it  lay  the  countries  of  Pal- 
estine, Egypt,  and  Northern  Africa;  on  its  east  stretched  away 
the  historic  lands  of  Chaldea,  Persia,  Media,  and  the  unexplored 
regions  of  India ;  to  the  north  were  the  vast  regions  which  swejjt 
around  Byzantium  and  formed  the  territory  that  now  constitutes 
the  w^hole  of  Eastern  Europe;  away  to  the  west  extended  the 
beautiful  islands  of  the  iEgean  Sea,  the  splendid  lands  of  Greece, 
and  of  Kome,  even  then  the  mistress  of  empires.  Encircled  by 
these,  how  could  the  country  of  the  seven  churches  be  better 
located  for  sending  influences  abroad  over  them  all? 

Moreover,  its  location,  its  extent,  its  boundaries,  its  climate, 
and  its  fertility  were  all  such  as  to  mark  it  out  as  jiroviden- 
tially  intended  for  some  grand  jDurposes.  Its  northern  lati- 
tude was  nearly  the  same  as  that  of  the  city  of  New  York;  its 
southern,  almost  the  same  as  that  which  lies  between  Virginia 
and  North  Carolina;  and  its  longitude  nearly  that  of  the  fertile 
plains  of  Southern  Russia.  We  can  thus  see  that  its  geographical 
position  was  among  the  choicest  of  all  earth's  territory.  Every 
view  we  take  shows  this  more  and  more  clearly.  The  short  dis- 
tances by  which  it  was  separated  from  the  most  important  cities 
of  the  world  rendered  it  easy  to  reach  them  all.  From  Ephesus, 
its  greatest  city,  it  was  but  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  to  Byzan- 
tium (now  Constantinople),  two  hundred  to  Athens,  nine  hundred 
to  Rome,  five  hundred  to  Jerusalem,  and  sixteen  hundred  miles 
to  London,  even  then  growing  to  be  a  place  of  note.  The  world, 
as  then  known  and  civilized,  lay  around  it,  ready  to  receive  every 
influence  that  might  emanate  from  it. 

It  is  a  very  notable  fact  that  Asia  3H nor  for  a  long  period  bore 
very  much  the  same  relation  to  Greece  that  our  America  at  first 
bore  to  Great  Britain.  As  Great  Britain,  being  itself  overcrowded, 
sent  its  surplus  population  to  this  land,  where  it  could  develop 
as  was  not  possible  in  the  mother  country,  so  Greece  sent  the  mul- 
titudes for  whom  it  had  no  room  at  home  to  fill  up  the  wide  and 
fertile  regions  of  Anatolia.  jNIany  of  the  bolder  and  more  rest- 
less spirits  sought  a  field  more  congenial  than  they  could  reach 
in  tlie  narrower  territory  of  Athens  or  Corinth.  Political  par- 
tisans, defeated  in  Achaia  or  Lacedemonia,  easily  found  a  sphere 
for  their  ambition  in  the  wider  territory  which  extended  from 
the  ^gean  waters  to  the  heights  of  Taurus.  The  beautiful  ex- 
panses of  the  Icarian  Sea  would  carry  tliom  through  the  sunny 
islands  of  tlu;  Archipelago.  The  splendid  cities  of  Smyrna,  Ephe- 
sus, ^Metropolis,  Magnesia,  and  Sardis  would    receive  them,  and 


THE  HISTOIIIC  LAND.  15 

the  fine  old  roads  up  the  valleys  of  the  Meander,  the  Caicus,  and 
the  Hermus  would  lead  them  back  into  the  interior,  to  the  rich 
table-lands  and  the  fertile  mountain-slopes.  There  was  a  signif- 
icant providence  in  this  selection  of  the  land  where  the  gospel 
was  to  make  its  first  great  inroad  upon  the  regions  of  pagan 
darkness.  We  cannot  but  see  that  as  Providence  guided  to  the 
first  great  encounter  of  the  gospel  with  paganism  in  the  central 
j)oint  in  the  ayes  of  time,  so  that  same  Providence  directed  to 
the  beginnings  of  the  triumphs  of  Christianity  in  the  very  heart 
of  the  nations  of  mankind. 

4.    THE    COUXTEY    DESCRIBED. 

It  is  extremely  ditticult  to  define  the  boundary  of  this  country 
toward  the  east,  because  it  has  varied  from  age  to  age,  and  because 
we  must  ever  depend  upon  fancy  in  marking  any  frontier  in  that 
direction.  For  our  purpose,  however,  it  will  be  suflicient  to  take  a 
line  commencing  at  the  old  city  of  Xicomedia,  now  called  Ismid, 
on  the  eastern  point  of  the  8ea  of  ^Marmora,  and  run  it  directly 
south  to  Attalia,  on  the  Gulf  of  Pamphylia,  and  make  it  the 
eastern  boundary.  Such  line  must,  of  course,  be  imaginary,  for 
it  would  take  us  now  over  some  of  the  outlying  spurs  of  Mount 
Taurus,  now  over  the  high  table-lands  of  the  interior,  now  over 
wide  and  deep  lakes  to  which  there  are  no  outlets,  and  now 
through  forests  dense  and  solemn. 

Taking  this  imaginary  line  as  our  limit  toward  the  east,  we 
have  no  difficulty  with  the  boundaries  in  other  directions.  On 
the  south  we  have  tlie  INIediterranean,  with  its  well-known  ter- 
minus in  the  Cilician  and  Carpathian  Seas.  Tlie  bold  outline  of 
the  northern  coast,  its  steep  and  lofty  rocks,  and  its  majestic 
headlands  running  out  into  the  waves  make  it  very  easily  un- 
derstood. Tills  boundary  is,  first,  the  Propontis,  or  Sea  of  Mar- 
mora, and  beyond  that,  again,  the  Black  Sea.  In  that  direction 
the  Bosphorus,  the  Sea  of  Marmora,  and  the  Dardanelles  are  all 
well-known  waters.  Their  sliores,  bold,  deep,  rocky,  and  run- 
ning down  in  perpendicular  cliff's,  are  easily  described. 

And  the  western  boundary !  its  very  names  touch  the  finer  chords 
in  the  heart  of  every  classical  scholar!  Those  names  awaken  the 
most  vivid  associations  of  the  heroic  deeds  of  tlie  siege  of  Troy, 
of  the  glowing  lines  of  Homer,  of  the  thrilling  adventures  of 
Ulysses,  and  of  the  mystic  fame  of  .Eneas.  Such  associations  arise 
before  us  at  the  mention  of  this  Ionian  coast.  Besides  that, 
probably,   on  this  earth  there  is  no    more  lovely  spot  than    the 


16       INAUGUEAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

Grecian  Archipelago,  with  its  Asiatic  sliores,  jagged  and  irregu- 
lar in  outline,  filled  with  deeply-retreating  bays,  and  clifTs  among 
the  most  majestic  and  lofty  in  the  world. 

5.    CONTOUE    AND    SUEFACE. 

Still  more  thoroughly  would  we  become  acquainted  with  that 
land  connected  with  which  are  so  many  of  the  most  vital  inter- 
ests of  our  race,  so  many  of  the  most  momentous  events  of 
time.  We  would  sail  along  its  coasts,  we  would  trace  the  wind- 
ings of  its  rivers,  we  would  scale  its  mountain-peaks,  we  would 
wander  through  its  groves,  and  we  would  follow  its  merchandise 
over  old  Roman  roads,  across  beautiful  plains,  and  through  valleys 
renowned  in  song — valleys  made  famous  by  the  marching  of  mighty 
armies  or  saddened  by  the  bleeding  feet  of  captives.  We  would 
contemplate  its  cities  and  fields  as  they  once  greeted  the  eye  of 
the  great  apostle  of  the  Gentiles,  or  as,  in  vision,  they  lay  spread 
out  before  the  entranced  seer  from  the  heights  of  liis  Patmos  watch- 
tower. 

Still  our  admiration  of  the  land  increases.  The  usual  approach 
to  it  was  from  the  west — through  the  island-studded  waters  of  the 
Icarian  Sea,  the  splendid  Grecian  Archipelago.  It  has  been  writ- 
ten without  any  exaggeration :  "  There  is  not,  probably,  any  more 
lovely  region  than  the  Asiatic  coast  of  the  INIediterranean.  That  sea 
is  in  itself  singularly  full  of  chai*m  and  entertainment  for  the  lover 
of  nature  and  for  the  student  of  history.  Its  blue  surface  is 
studded  with  gem-like  islands  of  all  dimensions,  from  the  king- 
dom of  Sicily  to  the  barren  volcanic  rock,  most  of  them  enriched 
with  the  choicest  gifts  of  fertility,  blooming  with  leaf  and  flower, 
and  radiant  with  an  almost  eternal  sunshine.  Few  violent  tem- 
pests ever  wrinkle  its  azure  brow ;  its  tides  flow  so  gently  as  to 
be  almost  imperceptible;  and  such  is  the  general  aspect  of  tran- 
quillity that  it  might  more  fitly  be  described  as  a  vast  inland 
lake.  Its  smiling  waters,  moreover,  wash  the  shores  of  historic 
lands— of  lands  in  old  time  the  seat  of  mighty  empires— Rome 
and  Greece,  Egypt  and  Carthage;  and  it  has  ever  been  the  prin- 
cipal highway  of  the  world's  commerce,  from  that  remote  an- 
tiquity when  the  adventurous  Phoenicians  first  furrowed  it  with 
the  keels  of  their  many-oared  galleys  to  the  present  day,  when 
it  is  the  great  route  to  England's  Eastern  dominions.  In  the 
belief  of  the  ancients,  it  occupied  the  very  centre  of  the  globe, 
and  hence  they  named  it  the  Mediterranean,  or  mid-earth.  It 
was  'the    mighty  ocean,'  the  'many-sounding   sea,'  the   'raging 


THE  HISTORIC  LAND.  17 

deep '  of  their  poets,  the  reahii  of  strange  monsters  and  sea-gods, 
tritons  and  nereids,  and  regarded  both  by  landman  and  mariner 
with  an  awe  and  a  terror  which  to  us  moderns  seem  ahiiost  incom- 
prehensible." 

The  very  names  of  many  of  its  islands  are  synonymes  of  beauty, 
renown,  and  heroism.  There  is  a  strange  fascination  in  the  words 
Lesbos  and  Samos  and  Chios.  Save  the  British  Islands,  with  their 
grandly  eventful  history,  there  are  no  lands  adorning  this  earth's 
wide  oceans  so  renowned  as  the  islands  of  the  Grecian  Archi- 
pelago. Moreover,  among  all  these,  to  the  Christian,  there  is 
no  island  so  dear  as  that  of  Patmos,  down  to  which  these  mes- 
sages were  sent  from  throne  of  God. 

6.    MOUNTAINS. 

As  in  almost  all  lands,  the  general  aspect  of  this  country  is 
determined,  in  a  large  measure,  by  its  mountain-chains  and  peaks. 
The  variety  of  its  climate  and  products,  the  beauty  of  its  scenery, 
and  the  character  of  its  cities  and  industries  are  all  influenced  by 
this  peculiarity. 

Beginning  with  the  coast  and  running  back  to  its  eastern  fron- 
tier, the  whole  country  is  thickly  crowded  by  either  isolated  peaks 
or  mountain-ranges.  The  chief  feature  is  that  of  two  almost  paral- 
lel chains  beginning  in  hills  near  the  vEgean  and  running  eastward 
the  whole  extent  of  the  land  until  they  are  absorbed  in  the  high- 
lands of  the  Taurus  in  the  interior.  These  two  mountain-ranges, 
the  Messogis  and  the  Tmolus,  give  shape  to  the  whole  region. 
Whether  in  their  own  majestic  heights  rising  to  tlie  region  of 
perpetual  snow,  or  in  the  grand  waving  forests  which  clothe  their 
sides,  or  in  tlie  beautiful  rivers  by  which  they  are  drained,  or  in 
the  fertile  plains  of  the  Cayster  stream  and  the  "Asian  meadows" 
by  which  they  are  surrounded,  or  in  the  world-renowned  cities  that 
adorn  their  lower  slopes, — no  pen  can  do  justice  to  those  old  moun- 
tains Messogis  and  Tmolus.  There  is  no  exaggeration  in  the  de- 
scription :  "  For  the  most  part,  we  have  a  narrow  strip  of  land 
bounded  by  lofty  mountain-ranges  and  diversified  by  tlieir  pro- 
jecting spurs,  but  occasionally  expanding  into  broad  smiling  plains 
and  deepening  into  exuberantly  fertile  valleys.  While  the  distant 
peaks  glitter  with  a  permanent  crown  of  ice  and  snow,  around 
their  base  flourishes  a  belt  of  smiling  garden-ground  and  purple 
orchards ;  higher  up  the  mountain-side  spreads  a  dark-green  girdle 
of  forests;  from  many  a  rocky  recess  trickles  the  tiny  thread  of  a 
crystal  stream ;  and  on  the  projecting  crags  are  perched  the  stone 
2 


18        INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

walls  of  silent  convents  or  the  scattered  huts  of  drowsy  villages. 
Offsets  from  these  mountains  strike  across  the  plain  to  the  very 
margin  of  the  sea,  where  they  terminate  in  bold,  romantic  preci- 
pices bleached  by  incessant  surf  and  spray." 

The  general  features  of  the  country  are,  first,  beginning  at  the 
south,  the  river  Meander,  running  from  the  eastern  highlands 
and  emptying  into  the  .l^gean  Sea  not  far  from  the  old  city  of 
Miletus;  then,  to  the  northward,  the  mountain-range  of  Messogis, 
running  the  whole  length  of  tlie  land ;  then  the  smaller  river, 
Cayster,  with  Ephesus  at  its  mouth  ;  then  the  range  of  the  Tmolus 
Mountains ;  then  the  larger  river,  Hermus,  terminating  in  the  Bay 
of  Smyrna. 

Surrounding  these  mountains  and  bordering  these  rivers  are 
the  plains  of  the  Cayster,  the  "Asian  meadows,"  and  other  val- 
leys wonderful  for  beauty  and  fertility.  Most  of  the  cities  of  the 
seven  churches  are  located  near  these  mountains:  four  of  them, 
Ephesus,  Philadelphia,  Sardis,  and  Smyrna,  are  at  the  bases  of 
Tmolus;  Laodicea  is  on  the  head-waters  of  the  Meander;  Thya- 
tira  is  on  a  branch  of  the  Hermus;  and  Pergamos  on  the  little 
stream  Caicus,  farther  to  the  south.  These  mountain-chains,  in- 
tervening rivers,  and  surrounding  plains,  all  running  parallel 
from  the  highlands  of  Taurus  in  the  east  down  to  the  shore  of 
the  Icarian  Sea  in  the  west,  constitute  the  physical  outline  of 
the  country. 

7.    VALLEYS,   PLAINS,    AND  TABLE -LANDS. 

One  of  the  leading  features  of  this  country  is  the  valleys  or 
system  of  valleys  which  give  it  such  beauty  and  fertility.  There 
are  three  distinct  chains  of  valleys  running  east  and  west.  One 
is  the  chain  which  lines  the  course  of  the  Meander  through  all 
its  windings  from  the  hot  springs  around  Laodicea  and  Hier- 
apolis  down  to  the  neighborhood  of  Miletus  on  the  coast.  This 
is  the  region  from  which  so  many  of  the  warriors  of  Homer 
were  gathered  in  the  hosts  around  Troy.  Next  comes  the  valley 
of  the  Cayster,  terminated  at  the  sea  by  the  city  of  Ephesus,  and 
lying  between  the  mountains  of  Messogis  and  Tmolus.  This 
region  is  "the  Asian  meadow  by  the  streams  of  the  Cayster," 
celebrated  by  Homer.  Even  to  tlie  present  time  it  is  a  district 
of  great  importance.  It  is  "situated  in  the  midst  of  the  valley 
of  the  river  Cayster,  a  broad  and  fertile  region  reaching  one 
hundred  and  fifty  miles  farther  into  the  interior,  and  drained  by 
the  Cayster,  which  empties  into  the  Mediterranean  at  Ej^hesus. 


THE  HISTORIC  LAND.  19 

The  valley  is  the  greatest  fig-prodficiiig  portion  of  Asia  Minor, 
and,  besides  furnishing  Smyrna  with  the  supply  of  this  fruit 
which  lias  made  it  the  greatest  fig-market  in  the  world,  it  sends 
forth  a  sufficient  amount  of  other  products  to  make  it  one  of  the 
richest  agricultural  regions  in  Asia."  That  splendid  valley,  lying 
between  two  great  snow-capped  mountains,  with  its  fertile  soil, 
its  magnificent  groves  adorned  with  waving  vines,  its  genial 
climate  sweetened  by  breezes  made  fragrant  by  verdure  and 
bloom,  its  romantic  associations  of  other  days,  and  its  simple- 
minded  inhabitants  following  their  flocks,  is  a  land  in  which 
there  seems  yet  to  linger  some  of  the  charms  of  Eden's  happy 
morning.  Then,  third,  there  is  the  great  valley  of  the  Hei'mus, 
wliich  we  can  trace  back  from  where  it  opens  into  the  Bay  of 
Smyrna,  eastward  through  fertile  regions,  through  volcanic  wastes, 
through  streams  once  sparkling  with  golden  sands,  and  through 
the  cities  of  Smyrna,  Magnesia,  Adala,  Sardis,  and  Philadelphia, 
until  we  reach  its  source  amid  heights  originally  thrown  up  by 
convulsions  of  the  mighty  earthquake. 

Such  are  the  valleys  and  plains  between  the  mountains  and 
along  the  great  rivers  of  the  land  of  the  seven  churches.  On 
the  summits  of  the  mountains  and  on  their  higher  slopes,  as  well 
as  on  the  table-lands  of  the  interior  toward  the  east,  all  is  differ- 
ent. There  we  seem  to  have  reached  another  region.  AVe  cite 
this  description  of  one  who  has  traversed  them :  "  We  emerge,  and 
come  upon  the  central  table-land  of  Asia  Minor.  The  whole 
interior  region  of  the  peninsula  may  be  correctly  described  by 
this  term  ;  for,  though  intersected  in  various  directions  by  moun- 
tain-ranges, it  is,  on  the  whole,  a  vast  plateau,  elevated  higher 
than  the  summit  of  Ben  Nevis  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  This 
is  its  general  character,  though  a  long  journey  across  the  district 
brings  the  traveler  through  many  varieties  of  scenery.  Some- 
times he  moves  for  hours  along  the  dreary  margin  of  an  inland 
sea  of  salt;  sometimes  he  rests  in  a  cheerful,  hospitable  town  by 
the  shore  of  a  fresh-water  lake.  In  some  places  the  ground  is 
burnt  and  volcanic,  in  others  green  and  fruitful.  Sometimes  it 
is  depressed  into  watery  hollows  where  wild  swans  visit  the  pools 
and  storks  are  seen  fishing  and  feeding  upon  the  weeds ;  more  fre- 
quently it  is  spread  out  into  the  broad  open  downs,  like  Salisbury 
Plain,  wiiich  afford  an  interminable  pasture  for  flocks  of  sheep. 
To  the  north  the  elevated  plain  stretches  for  a  hundred  miles 
from  Mount  Olympus  to  Mount  Taurus.  The  southern  portion 
of  these    bleak    uplands   was   trodden    by  apostolic  feet  in  their 


20        INAUGUEAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

great  missionary  tours.  And  the  features  of  human  life  at  that 
day  were  probably  very  nearly  the  same  that  they  are  now,  as 
the  scenery  certainly  was.  There  were  dreary  villages  with  flat 
roofs  and  cattle-sheds  in  the  day,  and  at  night  an  encampment 
of  tents,  a  blazing  fire  in  the  midst,  horses  fastened  around,  and 
in  the  distance  the  moon  shining  on  the  snowy  summits  of 
Taurus." 

8.    EIVEES. 

The  rivers  of  a  country  have  much  to  do  with  its  aspect  and 
character.  They  are  the  veins  and  arteries  of  its  life.  They  give 
it  beauty,  fertility,  and  healthfulness.  They  drain  it  of  its  super- 
abundant waters  and  irrigate  its  acres. 

In  Asia  Minor  there  are  two  chief  systems  of  rivers — those 
which  flow  into  the  Propontis  and  those  which  empty  into  the 
^Egean.  It  is  only  with  the  latter  that  we  have  now  to  do.  These 
are  especially  famed  in  poetry,  legend,  and  history.  Only  four  of 
them  are  included  in  the  land  of  the  seven  churches :  Caicus,  Her- 
mus,  Cayster,  and  Meander. 

These  four  have  several  points  so  similar  that  they  may  well  be 
classed  together.  They  were  all  so  famed  in  the  great  events  of 
the  past  that  they,  as  well  as  the  country  which  they  adorn,  have 
a  name  that  will  last  throughout  all  time.  They  all  take  their 
rise  in  the  high  table-lands  of  the  interior  and  flow  westward 
until  they  empty  into  the  waters  of  the  Icarian  Sea.  Tliey  all 
carry  down  the  washings  of  the  mountain-ranges,  spread  them 
over  the  lowlands  of  the  coast  regions,  and  so  keep  those  regions 
in  a  splendid  state  of  fertility.  Three  of  them  have  each,  oppo- 
site where  they  empty  into  the  sea,  an  island  that  is  equally  re- 
nowned. Opposite  the  Caicus,  and  some  forty  miles  out  from  its 
mouth,  is  the  far-famed  Lesbos;  at  about  the  same  disitanc«e  from 
the  mouth  of  the  Hermus  lies  the  beautiful  Chios ;  and  over 
against  the  Cayster  is  the  renowned  Samos. 

Whilst  the  four  rivers  are  similar  in  some  things  and  yield  a 
remarkable  symmetry  to  the  country,  each  of  them  has  a  distinct 
cliaracter  of  its  own.  Beginning  with  the  Caicus,  the  most  north- 
ern of  them,  we  have  a  comparatively  small  stream,  whose  chief 
distinction  is  that  it  has  the  city  of  Pergamos  on  it,  thirty  nii'ics 
from  its  mouth,  and  that  it  flows  through  one  of  the  most  beau- 
tiful and  fertile  plains  in  the  land.  Next  in  order  going  south- 
ward, and  about  fifty  miles  from  the  Caicus,  comes  the  Hermus. 
It  is  about  two  hundred  miles  long.    It  drains  the  greater  part 


THE  HISTOKIC  LAND.  21 

of  the  country  between  Mount  Tmolus  and  the  mountain-chain 
which  terminates  in  Mount  Ida  on  the  north.  On  either  its 
main  stream  or  its  brandies  lie  most  of  the  cities  of  the  seven 
churclies.  Smyrna  is  near  its  mouth,  Sardis  fifty  miles  from 
Smyrna,  Philadelphia  thirty  miles  farther  inland,  and  Thyatira 
about  the  same  distance  on  another  branch.  Southward  again  is 
the  Cayster.  This  is  the  shortest  river  of  the  four.  Its  chief 
distinction  is  that  at  its  mouth  lies  the  city  of  Ephesus,  and  that 
it  runs  between  the  great  mountain-ranges  of  Tmolus  and  Mes- 
sogis  and  drains  the  rich,  fertile,  and  romantic  valley  which  sep- 
arates them.  The  most  southern  of  the  four  rivers  is  the  Meander. 
In  length  it  is  about  equal  to  the  Hermus,  and  it  is  linown  in  all 
times  because  of  its  windings,  which  have  made  its  name.  Meander, 
a  synonym  for  what  is  winding  and  uneven.  Near  to  its  mouth  was 
the  old  city  of  Miletus;  nearly  a  hundred  miles  inland,  on  one  of 
its  branches,  was  Laodicea,  one  of  the  seven  cities ;  ten  or  twelve 
miles  farther  to  the  north-eastward  was  Hierapolis ;  and  about  the 
same  distance  to  the  south-east  the  city  of  Coloss^e,  to  which  was 
addressed  the  Epistle  to  the  Colossians. 

9.    CLIMATE. 

Among  the  many  things  which  give  its  pre-eminence  to  the  land 
of  the  seven  churches,  not  the  least  influential  is  its  climate.  In 
all  the  elements  which  go  to  make  up  the  comfort  and  well-being 
of  man  there  is  no  other  climate  superior  to  it.  Says  the  distin- 
guished traveler  Macfarlane:  "There  is  something  in  the  scenery 
of  this  part  of  Asia  Minor— somethihg  in  the  habits  of  the  people 
and  in  every  object  one  meets— that  distinguishes  it  from  all  other 
regions  of  the  earth.  The  sun  is  brighter  and  the  air  more  bal- 
samic than  even  Italy  or  Sicily;  the  mountains  are  far  more  sub- 
lime; the  plains  generally  vaster;  the  rivers  more  picturesque; 
the  forests  wear  a  more  religious  gloom ;  the  wild  flowers  are 
more  numerous,  more  dazzling  in  color,  of  a  richer  fragrance, 
and  a  larger  growth;    the  solitude  is  more  intense." 

Among  the  causes  of  the  superior  healthfulness  of  the  country 
is  its  geographic  position,  removed  alike  from  the  extremes  of 
heat  and  cold,  from  the  chilling  blasts  of  winter  and  the  torrid 
beams  of  the  equator.  Another  is  the  salubrious  atmosphere  of 
the  sea  which  sweeps  over  it  from  nearly  every  quarter— now 
from  the  Carpathian  Sea,  now  from  the  shores  of  the  Euxine, 
and  now  from  the  waters  of  the  ^Egean.  The  very  form  of  the 
land  contributes  to  the  same  end— its  steep  ocean  banks,  its  uni- 


22        INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

form  declivity  from  the  high  interior  down  to  the  surrounding 
seas,  and  its  well-formed  water-shed  which  carries  off  the  over- 
flowings of  every  river  and  spring  and  drains  every  valley,  and 
so  saves  from  swamps  and  malarial  influences.  The  result  is  a 
climate  of  surpassing  healthfulness  and  a  vegetation  almost  un- 
equaled  in  its  variety  and  abundance.  As  it  has  been  well  de- 
scribed :  "  The  valleys  and  meadows  of  Asia  Minor  are  full  of 
rich  vegetable  mould  which  is  brilliantly  verdant,  and  watered 
by  numerous  streams  that  contribute  to  its  freshness  and  abun- 
dance. Here  the  winter  is  so  genial  that  the  orange,  the  banana, 
and  other  tender  trees  flourish  in  the  open  air  and  are  radiant 
with  fruit  and  flowers  even  while  the  distant  mountains  whiten 
the  sky  with  their  thick  mantles  of  snow."  Amongst  the  fairest 
regions  of  earth  there  is  scarcely  another  that  will  suri>ass  this  in 
all  that  contributes  to  the  weal  of  man.  Mountains  with  summits 
lying  in  regions  of  never-melting  snow,  valleys  almost  level  with 
the  ocean's  bed,  health-bearing  waves  laving  every  coast,— all  con- 
spire to  produce  a  climate  and  a  vegetation  that  no  other  region 
of  earth  can  surpass.  At  some  seasons  it  would  seem  that  the 
climate  had  become  positively  faultless.  The  stranger  who  should 
then  visit  it  would  seem  to  have  reached  some  region  of  earth 
where  storms  and  malaria  or  evil  of  any  kind  never  had  or  never 
could  find  an  entrance. 

10.  PRODUCTIONS,  FORESTS,  AND  MINES. 
So  great  are  now  the  neglect,  waste,  and  misrule  of  the  Ottoman 
government  in  that  region  of  Asia  that  it  is  very  hard  to  realize 
that  at  one  time  it  was  a  garden  of  the  Roman  empire  and  an 
important  granary  of  the  world.  So  it  was,  and  so  it  might  be 
still.  Because  of  the  gradual  descent  from  the  highlands  of  the 
interior  down  to  the  ^Egean  shores,  and  of  the  washings  of  the 
mountains  carried  down  by  the  rivers  and  valleys,  the  whole 
region  of  the  low  countries  was  one  of  surpassing  productiveness. 
Add  to  this  the  geographical  position,  the  genial  sea  atmosphere, 
and  the  skillful  cultivation  of  an  enterprising  people,  and  it  will 
not  be  wondered  at  that  proconsular  Asia  should  have  been  famed 
for  its  matchless  fertility.  The  Byzantine  ports  sending  out  their 
vessels  into  every  land,  the  harbor  of  Smyrna  with  ships  deeply 
laden,  and  the  port  of  Ephesus  with  its  forest  of  masts  floating 
the  flags  of  every  city  of  the  world,  told  of  a  commerce  which 
could  have  been  sustained  only  by  an  agriculture  of  inexhaust- 
ible abundance.    The  great  lloman  roads,  thronged  with  the  pro- 


THE  HISTORIC  LAND.  23 

(luce  of  the  mines,  the  forests,  the  fields,  the  looms,  and  the  tan- 
neries, wound  around  the  bays,  threaded  the  valleys,  and  stretched 
over  the  hills  as  great  arteries  of  life  and  industry. 

The  land  was  possessed  of  every  element  that  was  calculated  to 
give  it  agricultural  and  commercial  prosperity.  Its  boundless  forests 
of  noble  trees  made  Laodicea  and  other  cities  celebrated  markets 
for  lumber  of  every  kind  and  quality.  The  streams  of  Sardis, 
flowing  down  from  the  heights  of  Tmolus,  exposed  the  golden 
sands  which  gave  to  the  kingdom  of  Croesus  its  renown  for 
wealth.  The  resins  and  other  drugs  of  the  country  surrounding 
Philadelphia  are  still  well  known  to  commerce.  The  finest  fig- 
producing  lands  in  the  world  are  those  of  the  rich  valleys  that 
lie  between  its  mountains  and  along  its  streams.  The  well-known 
purple  dyes  of  Thyatira  were  carried  by  its  merchants  throughout 
all  nations.  The  parchment  from  the  tanneries  of  Pergamos  fur- 
nished the  material  for  many  a  library  by  which  the  literature  of 
the  world  has  been  preserved.  The  gold  and  silver  shrines  from 
the  manufactories  of  Ephesus,  the  marble-quarries  of  Mount  Prion, 
the  emery-quarries,  the  fisheries  of  the  Selinusian  lakes,  the  naval 
architecture  of  Smyrna,  and  the  grain,  fruits,  and  vegetables  from 
thousands  of  farms, — it  is  scarcely  possible  to  exaggerate  the  great- 
ness of  the  industries  of  this  land.  In  brief,  it  would  seem  that 
all  the  products  of  the  world  could  be  cultivated  in  that  region. 
"Its  river-banks  and  its  delightful  valleys  are  clothed  with  the 
olive  and  the  vine,  the  myrtle  and  the  laurel,  the  terebinth,  the 
mastich,  and  the  tamarind.  Here,  too,  flourishes  almost  every 
variety  of  fruit-tree,  the  walnut,  the  ai)ricot,  the  plum,  and  tlie 
cherry  growing  in  complete  forests.  The  cherry  derives  its  name 
from  the  town  of  Cerasus,  in  whose  neighborhood  it  grows  alnin- 
dantly.  The  majestic  plane  is  also  a  native  of  Asia  Minor;  the 
oak  which  produces  the  gall-nuts  used  by  the  dyers  is  found 
everywhere;  and  the  mountain-sides  are  heavy  with  the  dense 
shadows  of  the  savin,   the  juniper,  and  the  cypress." 

From  all  these  facts  it  must  be  acknowledged  that  in  indented 
coast-line,' in  salubrious  climate,  in  life-imparting  streams,  in  in- 
vigorating uplands,  in  fertile  plains,  in  riches  of  the  mine,  the 
forest,  the  lake,  and  the  field,  in  position  among  other  civilized 
lands,  and  in  wealth  of  historic  associations  this  world  has  no 
nobler  land  than  that  of  the  seven  churches. 


24  INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 


11.    CITIES. 

Our  present  studies  have  to  do  chiefly  with  the  cities  in  which 
the  seven  churches  of  the  Apocalypse  were  located,  but  these  were 
by  no  means  the  only  important  cities  of  that  renowned  land. 
Along  the  coast,  up  through  the  interior,  on  the  mountain-slopes, 
and  all  over  the  plains  there  were  many  towns  and  cities  famed 
in  their  day,  and  even  to  the  present  time  of  much  importance. 
Every  reader  of  history  is  familiar  with  the  names  of  Troy  and  its 
great  heroes,  of  Colossse,  to  whose  church  the  Epistle  bearing  that 
name  was  sent,  of  Antioch  by  the  waters  of  the  INIeander,  of 
Hierapolis  among  the  volcanic  hills,  of  Miletus,  where  Paul  had 
his  conference  with  the  elders  of  the  Ephesian  church,  of  Hali- 
carnassus  and  Colophon  and  Cumse  and  Elsea  and  Erythrse  and 
Assos  and  Adramyttium  of  classic  renown,  and  of  many  other 
noble  cities  which  adorned  the  land. 

At  present,  however,  we  pass  all  these  by  to  dwell  on  the  seven 
whose  names  are  embalmed  in  the  heart  of  the  Church.  Ephesus, 
Smyrna,  Pergamos,  Thyatira,  Sardis,  Philadelpliia,  and  Laodicea 
are  names  well  known  to  every  child  of  God,  because  in  them 
the  gospel  first  took  root  in  a  land  that  was  wholly  pagan. 

INlerely  in  their  physical  or  topographical  aspect  there  are  sev- 
eral things  which  are  quite  remarkable  as  to  these  cities.  At 
first  glance  they  form,  in  location,  a  sort  of  triangle,  with  Ephe- 
sus, Smyrna,  and  Pergamos  constituting  one  side,  Pergamos,  Sar- 
dis, Philadelphia,  and  Laodicea  the  second,  and  Laodicea  and 
Ephesus  the  third.  In  another  view  they  may  be  considered  as 
forming  a  circle  commencing  at  Ephesus,  and  running  first  north- 
ward and  then  around  until  it  returns  down  the  Meander  valley 
to  the  point  of  starting.  Still  another  peculiarity  is  that  we  can 
trace  two  valleys — that  of  the  Hermus  and  that  of  the  INIeander — 
opening  upon  the  sea  and  thence  running  eastward  into  the  inte- 
rior, where  they  converge  at  the  point  of  Philadelphia,  and  all 
the  other  cities  either  in  these  valleys  or  very  near  to  them. 
Most  of  the  cities  cluster  around  the  central  mount,  Tmolus. 
They  were  all  situated  on  the  great  roads  which  ran  along  the 
coast  or  along  the  great  water-courses  and  were  connected  in  one 
system  of  thoroughfare. 

All  these  cities  had  special  advantages  for  agriculture  and  com- 
merce. Some  of  them  were  located  on  or  near  the  coast-line,  which 
opened  them  up  to  the  commerce  of  the  world.  Two  of  them, 
Smyrna  and  Ephesus,  had  amongst  the  finest  harbors  in  the  world, 


THE  HISTORIC  LAND.  25 

and  were  most  favorably  situated  for  the  navigation  of  that  day. 
Most  of  them  were  on  navigable  streams.  The  greater  part  of 
them  were  accessible  through  the  splendid  roads,  and  connected 
thereby  also  with  great  fertile  tracts  of  land,  with  the  mines  on 
the  mountains,  and  with  the  rich  lumber-regions.  How  import- 
ant these  cities  actually  were  at  the  time  of  their  greatest  prosper- 
ity may  be  conjectured  from  the  fact  that  their  ruins  are  at  this 
day  great  quarries  out  of  which  the  marble  of  their  former  build- 
ings is  dug  by  thousands  of  workmen. 

Some  of  these  cities,  situated  in  the  centre  of  fine  agricultural 
regions,  flourished  through  the  abundance  of  trade  with  the  farm- 
ers who  made  them  their  markets.  Others  were  on  the  great  lines 
of  traffic  between  the  West  and  the  crowded  populations  of  the 
East.  Such  was  the  case  with  Laodicea  and  Sardis,  which  were 
constantly  busy  with  merchants  and  caravans  on  their  way  through 
the  great  passes  of  Taurus.  A  single  glance  over  the  map  will  show 
how  all  the  seven  cities  were  located  either  at  the  leading  ports  of 
the  ^gean  or  on  the  great  thoroughfares  into  the  interior  or  on 
the  chief  navigable  rivers.  Four  of  the  seven  were  situated  on 
the  lower  slopes  of  Mount  Tmolus. 

It  might  be  in  place  here  to  take  a  fuller  survey  of  each  of  the 
cities — to  describe  the  outlines  of  its  surroundings,  its  origin,  its 
great  names,  and  its  present  condition — but  we  postpone  this  until 
we  come  to  dwell  upon  each  city  separately.  At  present  we  notice 
only  those  things  which  are  common  to  them  all.  We  state  merely, 
in  general,  that  "  no  cities  were  ever  more  favorably  placed  for 
prosperity  and  growth  than  those  of  the  colonial  Greeks  in  Asia 
Minor.  They  had  the  advantage  of  a  coast-line  full  of  convenient 
harbors  and  of  a  sea  which  was  favorable  to  the  navigation  of  that 
day,  and  by  the  long  approaches  formed  by  the  plains  of  the  great 
rivers  they  had  access  to  the  inland  trade  of  the  East." 

Each  of  the  cities  had  a  clearly-defined  appearance,  history,  and 
character  of  its  own.  Each  had  an  individualism  which  distin- 
guished it  from  all  the  others.  For  instance,  Ephesus  was  the 
city  of  Diana,  with  its  manufactory  of  her  gold  and  silver  shrines; 
Smyrna,  then  as  now,  was  the  cosmopolitan  city,  with  a  commerce 
extending  throughout  the  world  ;  Pergamos  was  the  cathedral  city, 
with  its  university  also  and  its  healing  springs ;  Thyatira  was  the 
city  of  purple  dyers  and  of  carpet-weavers ;  Sardis  was  the  city  of 
the  wealthy  Croesus  and  of  gorgeous  palaces;  Philadelphia  was 
the  unpretending  city  of  agriculture;  and  Laodicea  was  the  city 
of  bankers,  of  lumber-merchants,  and  of  woolen-manufacturers. 


26       INAUGUEAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

We  would  not  here  dwell  at  any  length  upon  any  one  of  the 
cities,  but  we  would  revel  in  a  picture  which  often  meets  the 
traveler's  gaze  in  that  land,  and  the  leading  features  of  which 
are  constantly  found  in  the  scenery  of  that  country.  The  view 
is  not  an  imaginary  one.  We  take  our  stand  on  an  elevated  spot 
on  the  outside  of  one  of  its  old  ruined  cities.  Close  by,  on  the 
left,  are  the  stui^endous  masses  of  broken  marble  of  which,  in  old 
times,  had  been  composed  palaces,  temples,  theatres,  and  other 
resorts  of  pagan  life.  Beyond  these  is  a  dry  valley  where  are 
seen  the  towering  forms  of  poplars,  and  where  the  graceful 
boughs  of  the  weeping  willow  are  swayed  by  every  breeze.  Be- 
hind the  valley  again,  rising  up  to  meet  the  clouds,  are  the  rugged 
peaks  of  weather-beaten  mountains.  Directly  in  front  of  us,  in  the 
central  view,  there  lies,  first,  the  beautiful  placid  waters  of  an  in- 
land lake,  then  a  splendid  plain  with  every  charm  of  the  most 
luxuriant  vegetation,  and  then  a  town  the  houses  of  which  are 
interspersed  with  poplar,  cypress,  and  other  trees  clothed  in  their 
autumn  coloring  of  beauty,  and  so  numerous  as  almost  to  seem 
a  forest.  On  the  right  there  is  another  kind  of  scenery.  All  is 
wild,  with  lofty  mountain-peaks  belted  by  every  color  of  vege- 
tation, and  all  capped  with  perpetual  snow. 

12.    EOADS. 

The  roads  were  an  evidence  of  civilization  which  the  Roman 
people  left  Ijehind  them  wherever  their  conquests  or  their  commerce 
led  them  to  settle.  Noble  monuments  they  were  of  the  skill  and 
stability  of  Roman  work.  The  first  emperor,  Augustus,  erected  in 
the  forum  at  Rome  a  golden  milestone.  It  stood  as  a  symbol  that 
there  was  the  centre  of  the  world.  A  network  of  roads  extended 
from  that  point  through  the  entire  empire  in  every  land.  From 
Cadiz  in  Spain,  through  France,  through  Italy  to  the  lands  of  the 
Danube  or  to  the  cataracts  of  the  Nile,  the  traveler  could  journey 
over  well-built  roads,  and  find  everywhere,  at  certain  distances, 
"mutationes"  for  change  of  horses  and  "mansiones"  for  lodg- 
ing at  night.  These  roads  were  so  many  cords  binding  the  con- 
quered world  to  the  mighty  centre,  Rome;  they  were  channels 
for  the  impulses  which  streamed  forth  from  the  capital.  Over 
these  roads  marched  the  legions  to  keep  under  control  a  subju- 
gated world  and  to  protect  the  boundaries;  over  them  proconsuls 
and  praetors  went  into  the  provinces  to  administer  law  and  justice, 
and  swift  couriers  l)ore  the  edicts  of  the  emperor  to  the  extreme 
circumference  of  the  empire;    over  them  connnerce  moved   and 


THE  HISTORIC  LAND.  27 

Romans  of  distinction  journeyed  to  gain  Icnowledge  of  the  world ; 
and  over  them,  too,  went  the  messengers  of  the  gospel,  bearing 
from  city  to  city  the  joyful  tidings  of  a  manifested  Redeemer  of 
the  lost  world  of  mankind. 

Traces  of  these  old  roads  may  even  yet  be  found  in  provinces 
of  Germany,  in  mountain  tracts  of  Wales,  and  in  the  plains  and 
uplands  of  Asia  Minor;  especially  may  they  be  seen  in  the 
splendid  Appian  Way,  which  from  the  very  heart  of  the  im- 
perial city  shoots  straight  as  an  arrow  over  the  Apennines.  Their 
very  pavements  are  often  found,  and  show  how  durable  was  the 
work  which  has  now  lasted  for  at  least  eighteen  centuries. 

In  Asia  jNIinor  these  roads  seem  to  have  radiated  chiefly  from 
Ephesus.  Their  remains  can  even  at  the  present  be  traced,  one 
southward  to  Miletus,  over  which  the  elders  of  the  Ephesian 
church  hastened  to  meet  Paul  on  his  journey  to  Jerusalem ;  one 
in  the  opposite  direction,  northward  along  the  windings  of  the 
coast  to  Smyrna  and  onward  to  Pergamos;  one  along  the  valley 
of  the  Meander  to  Laodicea,  Iconium,  and  other  cities,  and  thence 
through  the  populous  regions  of  the  interior  uplands;  and  one 
eastward  through  the  passes  of  Tmolus  to  Sardis,  with  cross- 
roads to  Philadelphia  and  Thyatira,  over  Mount  Taurus  to  Gala- 
tia,  and  intersecting  other  great  roads  from  Byzantium  to  Cilicia, 
and  on  still  farther  east  to  the  country  of  the  head-waters  of  the 
Euphrates.  These  old  Roman  roads  are  wonderful  monuments  of 
that  great  empire,  not  only  for  the  reasons  mentioned,  but  also 
because  when  the  "fulness  of  the  time"  had  come  they  aided  in 
a  material  degree  the  diffusion  of  Christianity.  With  men  they 
w'ere  intended  to  meet  the  demands  of  civilization,  but  with 
God  they  were  a  higliway  prepared  for  the  advent  of  his  Son. 


13.    THE    PEOPLE. 

The  population  of  Asia  Minor  was  originally  composed  of  four 
distinct  elements— namely :  Greeks  from  the  other  side  of  the 
Archipelago;  Orientals  from  the  lands  beyond  the  Euphrates; 
Gauls  from  the  wandering  tribes  who  had  settled  on  the  southern 
coasts  of  the  Black  Sea ;  and  a  few  Jews  living  in  every  city.  Thus 
it  came  to  pass  that  Greeks,  Orientals,  Gauls,  and  Jews  each  con- 
tributed their  own  element  to  make  up  the  character  of  that  mixed 
population.  The  Greeks  brought  their  refinement,  culture,  and  gay- 
ety;  the  Orientals,  their  superstition,  deceitfulness,  and  skill  in 
handicraft ;  the  Gauls,  their  energy  and  their  reverence  for  higher 


28       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

powers ;  and  the  Jews,  the  same  traits  that  mark  them  wherever 
they  are  found  the  world  over  and  the  ages  through. 

As  is  generally  the  ease,  the  commingling  of  so  many  distinct 
nationalities  resulted  in  a  people  possessed  of  a  character  more 
elevated  than  that  of  either  of  the  constituent  elements.  No  doubt 
there  was  a  special  providence  in  this,  which  prepared  a  people, 
cultured,  bright,  energetic,  reverential,  and  elevated,  that  could 
properly  receive  the  gospel  which  was  there  imparted  to  them. 
Their  numbers,  as  well  as  their  advancement  in  all  the  elements 
of  civilization,  were  seen  in  the  multitude,  the  elegancy,  and  the 
importance  of  their  cities.  Moreover,  a  population  gathered  out 
from  so  many,  such  diverse,  and  such  distant  countries  would 
undoubtedly  keep  up  their  interest  in  their  fatherlands,  and 
would  be  the  very  people  to  spread  over  the  world  the  tidings 
of  redemption   by  the  Son   of  God. 

This  diversity  in  the  origin  of  the  people  in  the  land  of  the 
seven  churches  must  also  have  imparted  a  cosmopolitan  character 
to  the  form  in  which  they  received  the  gospel.  Their  diverse 
characteristics  and  traits  of  mind  and  modes  of  life  must  have 
led  them  to  look  upon  Christianity,  given  to  them  when  pagans, 
in  all  its  various  lights  and  modes  of  application  to  any  country. 
This  would  tend  to  give  it  a  breadth  and  comprehensiveness 
of  application  which  in  those  early  days  would  be  highly  im- 
portant. 

Moreover,  this  collection  of  such  diverse  nationalities  into  one 
country  would  bring  together  all  the  idol-gods  of  their  worship 
and  involve  them  in  the  general  overthrow  which  Christianity 
would  effect  upon  the  whole  world  of  idolatry.  These  nation- 
alities came  from  every  quarter,  north,  south,  east,  and  west,  and 
they  brought  with  them  their  pagan  deities.  They  enthroned 
Diana  at  Ephesus,  Homer  at  Smyrna,  .Esculapius  at  Pergamos, 
Apollo  at  Thyatira,  Cybele  at  Sardis,  Bacchus  at  Philadelphia, 
and  Jupiter  at  Laodicea,  and  they  fell  down  in  worship  before 
these  unclean  deities  until  the  pure  spirit  of  Jehovah  unthroned 
them  and  in  these  seven  epistles  wrote  the  doom  of  all  idolatry. 

Still  another  result  followed  this  collecting  and  commingling 
in  one  country  of  the  thousands  from  the  most  highly  cultivated 
nations  of  the  world.  It  prepared  a  people  of  the  most  exalted 
character  for  the  reception  of  the  gospel.  From  this  it  came  to 
pass  that  Christianity  entered  there  on  its  victorious  career  with 
the  highest  type  of  Christian  life— that  the  Christian  life  there  de- 
veloped had  a  vigor  and  an  energy  before  which  the.effete  forms  of 


THE  HISTORIC  LAND.  29 

idolatry  were  compelled  to  yield.     It  was  so  animated  that  its 
leading  movements  were  most  successful  even  at  the  first. 

The  union  of  so  many  nationalities  in  the  field  of  the  gospel's 
first  and  great  encounter  with  paganism  had  also  the  effect  of 
arousing  in  behalf  of  the  truth  elements  of  power  which  other- 
wise had  been  unknown.  Peculiarities  of  its  energy  were  thus 
evoked  at  once,  which  otherwise  would  have  required  long  time 
for  their  development.  Through  this  it  resulted  that  its  first 
movements  had  a  freedom,  a  buoyancy,  and  a  daring  which 
astonished  men  and  gave  it  a  success  which  the  world  could  not 
understand.  As  we  can  now  easily  comprehend,  every  energy 
of  the  gospel  would  be  developed,  every  power  called  forth,  every 
blessed  tendency  manifested,  every  exalting  influence  brought  out, 
every  purifying  element  demonstrated  to  the  full,  amid  such  a 
population  as  was  then  collected  in  Asia  Minor. 

14.    PECULIARITIES    OF    THE    COUNTEY. 

This  country  had  many  things  in  common  with  other  countries, 
but  it  had  also  several  which  were  peculiar  to  itself.  Among  these 
noteworthy  things  wg  place  first  its  remarkable  likeness  to  the  Holy 
Land  where  the  Son  of  man  was  born,  lived,  and  died.  Almost 
all  travelers  are  imjjressed  with  this,  and  speak  of  it  in  strong 
terms.  One  of  them  especially,  McGarvey,  thus  depicts  the  sim- 
ilarity: "I  was  struck,  wherever  I  went  in  Asia  Minor,  with 
the  striking  likeness  between  its  natural  features  and  those  of 
Palestine.  Its  seasons  are  the  same — a  short  wet  season  and  a 
long  dry  one ;  its  temperature  is  only  a  little  lower ;  its  vegeta- 
tion, both  natural  and  cultivated,  is  almost  identical.  It  gives 
constant  evidence,  too,  of  having  once  been,  like  Palestine,  a 
very  rich  and  splendid  country.  One  would  not  have  to  read 
Greek  history,  after  seeing  this  country,  to  know  something  of 
what  it  has  been,  as  he  would  not  have  to  read  the  Bible  after 
seeing  Palestine  to  know  that  it  is  far,  far  from  its  former  glory." 
This  is  a  fact  that  is  worthy  of  special  attention.  It  becomes  sig- 
nificant when  we  consider  that  Asia  Minor  is,  as  it  were,  the  sec- 
ond birthplace  of  Christianity.  In  Palestine  it  began  its  career 
amid  the  Jewish  world,  in  Asia  IMinor  amid  the  pagan  world. 
There  were  doubtless  other  providential  causes  why  this  country 
was  selected  for  that  movement  of  the  kingdom.  Antioch  was 
not  chosen,  because  the  Jewish  element  was  there  so  strong;  nor 
Athens,  because  the  pride  of  its  philosophy,  arts,  and  wisdom 
made  it  an  unfitting   soil  for  the   humiliating   doctrines   of  the 


30       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

Cross;  nor  Rome,  because  it  was  so  far  away  from  the  knowl- 
edge and  influences  of  the  gospel.  Not  any  one  of  these  places 
was  selected  for  the  second  and  grand  departure  of  the  kingdom 
of  our  Lord  amid  the  heathen  nations  of  the  world — but  Asia 
Minor,  because  it  adjoined  the  land  where  the  truth  as  it  is  in 
Christ  Jesus  was  first  made  known;  because  the  leading  pagan 
deities  were  there  concentrated  in  their  pride;  because  the  people 
were  bright  and  energetic,  and  so  qualified  to  give  it  a  fitting 
reception ;  and  because  from  there,  as  from  a  great  centre,  it 
would  send  out  its  influences  through  the  habitations  of  man- 
kind. 

A  second  remarkable  thing  about  Asia  Minor  was  its  singularly 
advantageous  situation  and  favorable  coast-lines  with  reference  to 
its  intercourse  with  other  nations.  It  is  a  well-understood  fact 
that  any  country  which  has  a  coast  much  indented  by  bays, 
estuaries,  and  other  windings  always  has  advantages  superior 
to  those  of  other  lands.  Look  at  Great  Britain  and  all  West- 
ern Europe,  as  well  as  our  own  eastern  shores,  as  illustrations 
of  this.  Especially  look  at  these  in  contrast  with  the  whole 
African  coast,  which  is  almost  without  bay  or  bend  or  inlet,  and 
then  contrast  the  countries.  There  could  not  well  be  a  more 
thorough  interlocking  of  land  and  sea  than  through  the  whole 
extent  of  the  Levant,  We  have  but  to  glance  at  the  Icarian 
Sea,  the  Propontis,  and  the  Euxine  waters ;  at  the  gulfs  of  Pam- 
phylia,  of  Doridis,  and  of  Smyrna  ;  at  the  bays  of  Adramyttium, 
of  lassus,  and  of  Glaucus;  at  the  estuaries  of  the  Hermus,  the 
Cayster,  and  the  Scamander;  and  at  the  inlets  of  Mitylene,  of 
the  Hellespont,  and  of  the  Bosi)horus.  The  whole  coast  is  made 
up  of  these  renowned  and  beautiful  points  of  commingling  of 
land  and  water.  By  this  peculiar  shape  the  coast-line  is  ex- 
tended to  a  fourfold  length  and  the  whole  land  laid  open  to  the 
commerce  of  the  world. 

Another  most  remai-kable  thing  as  to  this  land,  to  which  we 
have  already  alluded,  but  which  in  this  connection  should  re- 
ceive very  great  attention,  was  the  concentration  in  it  of  all 
the  leading  pagan  deities  in  their  greatest  attractions.  AVe  can- 
not look  upon  this  as  an  accidental  tiling,  but  as  one  providen- 
tially arranged.  Why  was  it  that,  in  a  space  of  territory  so 
small,  so  many  of  the  most  influential  olijects  of  pagan  worship 
should  have  their  seat  of  empire  and  their  central  temples?  Why 
was  it  that  tlie  headciuartcrs,  the  capitols,  of  the  worship  of  Diana, 
iEsculapius,  Cybele,  Aj^ollo,  Jupiter,  and  Bacchus  should  all  be  in 


THE  HISTOEIC  LAND.  31 

those  seven  cities  so  near  together?  Was  it  not  that  tJiey — the 
pagan  deities — should  all  receive  a  deadly  blow  in  the  gospel's 
first,  fresh,  vigorous  onslaught  upon  the  pagan  apostasy? 

Another  peculiarity  of  this  country,  and  one  which  will  aid  in 
comprehending  some  of  the  allusions  of  the  Epistles,  is  that  it 
is,  and  eminently  was,  the  land  of  earthquakes.  These  terrible 
visitations  of  Providence  seem  to  be  largely  confined  to  certain 
localities.  They  are  experienced  chiefly  in  the  regions  adjacent 
to  the  Pacific  Ocean  and  the  Mediterranean  Sea.  This  is  one  of 
the  most  forbidding  aspects  of  the  country  of  the  seven  churches. 
With  perfect  truthfulness  it  has  been  thus  described :  "  Within  a 
very  short  distance  of  the  coast  we  find  vast  volcanic  tracts,  and 
everywhere  strange  contortions  of  strata,  convulsions  and  intru- 
sions of  fiery  and  volcanic  rocks.  One  district — that  to  the  east 
of  Sardis — is  named  the  Katakaumene,  or  burnt-up,  being,  in 
fact,  like  an  ocean  of  lava  which  had  been  suddenly  petrified 
in  a  storm,  craters  starting  up  as  sharp  and  black  as  though  they 
had  but  yesterday  belched  forth  their  liquid  fires.  These  extinct 
volcanoes  explain  also  the  continuous  earthquakes  which  have 
devastated  Ionia  from'  the  earliest  period  of  its  history  to  the 
present  day." 

AVe  notice  only  one  other  peculiarity  as  connected  with  the  land 
where  these  seven  churches  lay,  and  we  notice  it  because  of  its 
possible  bearing  upon  the  religious  character  of  the  people.  Con- 
nected with  its  many  idolatries  and  false  religions,  it  was  a  land 
abounding  in  strange  superstitions.  This  characteristic  was  so  com- 
mon that  we  should  give  it  attentive  study.  It  is  certainly  very 
remarkable  indeed  that  some  of  the  most  brilliant  minds  that  the 
world  has  ever  seen  should  have  been  slaves  to  the  most  absurd 
credulity.  An  incident  told  by  an  ancient  historian  of  a  discus- 
sion between  Alexander  the  Great  and  his  noted  general  Par- 
menio,  just  before  the  siege  of  ]Miletus,  throws  a  curious  light 
upon  the  power  which  superstition  held  over  the  minds  of  even 
the  most  enlightened  and  least  bigoted  heathen.  The  question 
was  whether  Alexander  with  his  Macedonians  should  risk  a  sea- 
fight  against  the  far  superior  Persian  fleet.  On  the  sea-shore  near 
the  rear  of  the  Macedonian  ships  Parmenio  had  seen  an  eagle, 
and  thereupon  presaged  victory.  But  Alexander  refused  to  admit 
this  inference  from  the  omen.  As  an  eagle  had  been  seen,  it 
was  to  him  a  presage  of  victory ;  but  as  it  was  seen  oi^er  the  land^ 
the  victory  would  be  of  his  land  troops,  who  should  by  operations 
on  shore  overcome  the  Asiatic  fleet.    Strange,  how  men  will  sink 


32       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

clown  to  the  most  groveling  thonglits  when  they  know  not  Him 
who  is  the  true  Light  of  the  world. 

15.    HISTORY. 

The  partly  real  and  partly  mythic  scenes  connected  with  the 
siege  of  Troy  were  the  events  which  firSt  brought  Asia  Minor 
into  a  prominent  place  in  history.  In  those  early  days  it  was 
most  intimately  connected  with  Greece,  of  which  it  was  almost 
an  integral  part.  It  has  been  well  remarked,  "The  connection 
of  Asia  Minor  with  Greece  was  as  ancient  as  it  was  close.  From 
the  earliest  to  the  late.st  periods  of  the  national  history  of  these 
lands  it  is  impossible  to  separate  their  annals."  The  inhabitants 
of  both  countries  were  to  a  great  extent  one  people.  The  lands 
were  almost  the  same,  for  they  were  connected  by  the  many 
islands  of  the  Archipelago.  Those  lovely  islands,  "  Thasos,  Lem- 
nos,  and  Samothrace,  connected  with  the  wild,  mysterious  wor- 
ships of  the  Greeks;  Ithaca,  the  reputed  dwelling-place  of  Ulysses; 
Cyprus  and  Rhodes,  so  much  renowned  in  hisiory;  and  Delos, 
the  legendary  birthplace  of  Apollo  and  Diana," — these  islands 
bound  the  two  lands  together  and  gave  opportunity  for  a  con- 
stant intercourse  that  was  most  important  in  its  influence  upon 
both.  Because  of  the  great  number  of  these  islands,  and  because 
of  the  indented  nature  of  the  coasts  on  both  sides  of  the  Archi- 
pelago, the  early  inhabitants  of  both  lands  were  a  seafaring  peo- 
ple. Nor  is  it  to  be  wondered  at  that  piracy  was  a  crime  not  un- 
common among  them. 

But  the  important  historical  fact  is  that  at  a  very  early  age 
there  was  a  constant  migration  from  Greece  to  the  Asiatic  shores, 
arising  from  the  proximity  of  the  two  lands,  from  the  attractive 
islands  which,  like  stations,  lay  between  them,  and  from  the 
maritime  spirit  which  kept  the  people  at  all  times  ready  for 
adventures.  The  early  emigrants  from  Greece  were  the  most 
enterprising  of  her  people,  insomuch  that  their  energy,  their 
endurance,  their  habits  of  navigation,  as  well  as  the  superior 
soil  of  their  new  home,  all  contributed  to  give  far  greater  pros- 
perity to  these  first  colonists  in  Asia  Minor  than  was  enjoyed  by 
the  Greeks  who  remained  at  home.  Their  Asiatic  home,  at  first 
called  Ionia,  soon  became  the  favored  land  of  the  age.  It  was, 
in  fact,  the  America  of  Greece,  the  region  into  which  was  natu- 
rally drawn  not  only  all  the  superabundant  population,  but  also 
the  more  bold,  restless,  and  ambitious  spirits. 


THE  HISTORIC  LAND.  33 

The  first  immigrants  soon  organized  themselves  into  colonies, 
and  these  colonies,  twelve  in  number,  became  confederated  into 
a  government  of  great  influence.  The  meetings  of  that  league 
were  held  in  a  temple  erected  for  the  purpose  on  Mount  Mycale, 
near  Ephesus.  Among  the  great  powers  that  liave  flourished  on 
earth,  history  will  never  lose  sight  of  Ionia.  Of  tlie  whole  land 
most  appropriately  has- it  been  written:  "Asia  Minor,  though 
now  so  follen  and  obscure  that  for  centuries  it  has  dropped  out 
of  the  world's  history,  must  yet  ever  be  regarded  as  the  second 
cradle  both  of  civilization  and  of  Christianity.  It  was  the  first 
region  colonized  by  Greek  settlers,  and  the  founding  of  its  mari- 
time cities  carries  us  back  into  the  era  of  myth  and  fable  soon 
after  the  fall  of  Troy." 

Ages  passed  away;  the  sway  of  the  Greek  colonies  came  to 
an  end  and  another  great  power  appeared  in  Asia  Minor.  Three 
hundred  years  before  the  coming  of  our  Lord,  Alexander  became 
the  conqueror  of  the  world.  With  other  nations,  Asia  Minor 
fell  before  his  triumphant  arms.  But  the  reins  of  universal  rule 
were  not  long  in  his  hands.  After  his  untimely  death  the  domin- 
ion over  Asia  Minor  fell  into  the  hands  of  his  great  generals 
Antigonus  and  Eumenes,  and  from  the  control  of  one  success- 
ful general  to  another,  until  it  became  settled  in  tlie  dynasty 
of  Attains,  and  continued  therein  for  several  generations.  This 
was  probably  the  period  of  the  greatest  glory  of  Asia  Minor, 
in  which  Pergamos  was  its  capital,  and  its  rulers  were  among 
the  most  eminent  men  whose  names  adorn  the  annals  of  that 
land. 

Still  the  ages  roll  on,  and  after  a  while  in  Asia  Minor  the  sway 
of  the  Greeks  has  passed  away,  the  dominion  of  Alexander  and 
his  great  generals  is  no  more,  the  dynasty  of  Attalus  has  run  its 
course,  and  the  all-conquering  arms  of  Rome  are  acknowledged 
here,  as  elsewhere  the  world  over.  But  many  a  bloody  conflict 
had  first  to  be  waged.  The  Roman  armies  were  victorious,  but 
it  was  a  victory  reached  over  many  a  sanguinary  field.  City 
after  city  had  to  be  subdued,  and  power  after  power  vanquished, 
before  the  sway  of  Rome  was  acknowledged.  That  power  was 
at  length  supreme,  but  it  also  came  to  an  end.  With  the  decay 
of  the  Roman  power  the  influence  of  the  land  also  declined. 

For  four  hundred  years  Asia  Minor  was  for  the  most  part  nomi- 
nally under  the  eastern  empire,  and  Christianity  prevailed;  yet 
it  suffered  terribly  from  the  repeated  inroads  of  Persians  and 
Saracens  till,  in  a.  d.  1074,  Soliman,  the  Turkish  sultan,  finally 
3 


34        INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

rent  the  whole  of  Asia  Minor,  the  cradle  and  nurse  of  so  many 
churches,  from  the  sceptre  of  the  Christian  empire.  Ages  of  war, 
discord,  luxury,  and  corruption  had  already  done  their  work. 
The  wealth  of  Lydia,  the  arts  of  the  Greeks,  the  splendor  of 
the  Augustine  age,  existed  only  in  books  and  ruins.  Tlie  divin- 
ity of  our  Lord  was  blasphemed  in  the  same  temple  where  it 
had  been  pronounced  an  orthodox  dogma.  Laodicea  was  made 
a  great  Moslem  centre.  All  the  cliurches  of  Asia  were  profaned. 
The  Greek  Christians  could  exercise  their  religion  only  on  the 
hard  conditions  of  tribute  and  servitude.  Their  daughters  were 
everywhere  at  the  mercy  of  the  Turks,  and  their  sons  were  com- 
pelled to  conform  to  Mohammedanism. 

Such  was  tlie  condition  of  the  land  of  the  seven  churches 
tlirough  the  many  ages  until  the  era  of  the  Crusades,  when 
new  waves  of  influence  agitated  the  Christian  world.  The  depths 
were  stirred,  and  the  whole  moral  world  felt  the  power  of  an 
agitation  that  must  reach  to  every  fibre  and  element  of  society 
and  make  an  impression  that  never  could  be  effaced. 

In  the  mean  time,  however,  it  ought  not  to  be  lost  sight  of  that 
the  increase  in  wealth  and  refinement  was  more  rapid  in  Asia 
Minor  than  it  was  in  Greece  or  any  other  country.  In  architect- 
ure, sculpture,  painting,  and  poetry  there  was  no  other  land  save 
Corinth  that  could  equal  this.  Its  inhabitants,  the  lonians,  were 
the  first  people  in  the  world  to  cast  metal  statues.  The  greatest 
masters  of  painting  and  statuary  were  from  this  land.  In  poetry 
and  history  they  had  no  equals.  So,  too,  in  philosophy— the  old- 
est and  best  school  was  the  Ionian. 


16.  GREAT  EVENTS. 

It  may  safely  be  said  that  many  of  the  most  influential  events 
of  antiquity  occurred  in  this  land  of  the  seven  churches.  Here 
the  greatest  conquerors  contended  for  the  supremacy.  Here  were 
fought  the  fiercest  of  the  battles  of  the  Medes  and  the  Persians 
with  the  half-savage  Scythians.  Here  were  waged  the  bloody 
wars  of  the  Greeks  with  the  numberless  hordes  of  Persia,  Here 
the  Romans  and  the  Parthians  joined  in  deadly  contest.  Here 
it  was  that,  in  succession,  Alexander  the  Great  and  the  Roman 
legions  struggled  for  the  supremacy  of  the  world.  It  was  on  the 
shores  of  Asia  INIinor  that  the  sanguinary  scenes  of  Grecian  his- 
tory were  witnessed— that  the  despotism  of  Persia*  met  its  great 
and  deadly  overthrow — that  the  internecine  contests  of  Athens  and 


THE  HISTOEIC  LAND.  35 

Sparta  for  supremacy  came  to  a  mortal  crisis — that  tlie  galleys 
which  had  swept  the  Icarian  Sea  joined  in  deadly  combat  and 
dyed  the  harbor  with  the  richest  blood  of  Greece — that  expedi- 
tions with  murderous  intent  forced  their  way  up  beautiful  rivers 
and  over  smiling  plains.  Almost  every  part  of  the  land  and  every 
period  of  its  history  was  mariied  by  some  event  that  made  it 
memorable. 

This  land  also  witnessed  great  ecclesiastical  movements  whicli 
left  tlieir  impress  upon  the  kingdom  of  Christ.  Here  were  tlie 
scenes  of  important  councils  of  the  Church  in  which  great  theo- 
logical questions  were  discussed  and  settled  for  all  after-ages. 
Here  the  Council  of  Nice,  convened  by  the  emperor  Constantine 
A.  D.  325,  achieved  undying  fame  by  its  condemnation  of  the 
Arian  heresy  and  its  settlement  of  the  doctrjne  of  the  Trinity. 
Here  was  held  the  Council  of  Laodicea,  which  about  a.  d.  3G0 
took  most  important  steps  toward  the  establishment  of  the  canon 
of  Scripture.  Here  also  was  held,  a.  d.  431,  the  Council  of  Ephe- 
sus,  which  condemned  and  wellnigh  extinguished  the  heresy  of 
Nestorius. 

Here  too,  in  the  misty  ages  of  antiquity,  were  witnessed  the 
thrilling  scenes  of  the  siege  of  Troy,  wdiose  heroic  history  comes 
down  to  us  adorned  by  the  genius  of  the  prince  of  poets  with  a 
beauty  and  a  power  that  have  influenced  the  destiny  of  nations. 
Were  there  no  otiier  results  descending  from  it,  the  influence  of 
the  siege  of  Troy  upon  the  literature  of  the  world  could  scarcely 
be  overestimated.  It  furnished  the  theme  for  the  most  noble  of 
all  the  uninspired  poetry  of  earth — poetry  wdiich  has  stopped 
short  only  of  the  spiritual  and  the  eternal.  The  great  epic  of 
Homer  created  language;  it  has  awakened  ideas  and  formed 
images  that  have  been  wrought  into  the  poe-try  of  the  world. 
It  has  given  a  strange  pleasure  to  millions  of  the  most  culti- 
vated intellects;  it  has  been  the  class-book  of  the  school  and  the 
college ;  it  lias  been  the  chosen  instrument  by  which  the  brightest 
minds  have  been  polished  and  strengthened.  Take  the  Iliad, 
with  the  bravery  of  its  heroes,  tlie  wisdom  of  its  sages,  and  the 
grandeur  and  beauty  of  its  poetry,  out  of  the  literature  of  the 
world,  as  it  has  permeated  that  literature  in  its  every  element, 
and  its  charm  would  be  gone. 

17.    GREAT    MEX. 

The  great  men  of  earth  have  left  behind  them  names  which 
never  can  be  effaced.     They  have  adorned  with  a  halo  of  glory 


36        INAUGUEAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

the  very  lands  in  which  they  dwelt,  and  which  the  lapse  of  the 
ages  can  render  only  more  and  more  effulgent.  Thus  has  it  been 
in  a  super-eminent  degree  with  this  land  of  the  seven  churches. 

It  was  in  this  land  that,  before  the  advent  of  our  Lord,  Homer 
composed  those  marvelous  poems  which  centuries  have  but  served 
to  exhibit  in  their  richer  treasures.  In  this  land  lived  at  least  three 
of  the  "seven  wise  men"  whom  all  antiquity  agreed  to  honor, 
namely:  Thales  of  Miletus,  Pittaccus  of  Mitylene,  and  Bias  of 
Priene,  author  of  the  famous  rebuke  to  the  impious  sailors  calling 
on  their  gods  in  a  tempest :  "  Be  quiet,  lest  the  gods  discover  that  you 
are  here."  We  have  already  spoken  of  Croesus,  the  most  wealthy 
of  monarchs,  of  Attailus,  one  of  the  greatest  of  kings,  and  of 
Herodotus,  the  father  of  history.  We  might  add  the  names  of 
Apollodorus,  the  «physician,  of  Apelles,  the  greatest  of  paintei-s, 
of  Praxiteles,  the  greatest  of  sculptors,  and  of  many  others  who 
have  immortalized  their  country. 

And  what  a  glorious  array  did  this  land  behold  of  holy  men 
who  lived  near  to  the  days  of  our  Lord  and  drew  their  doctrines 
fresh  from  his  teaching,  who  suffered,  and  many  of  whom  en- 
dured the  most  cruel  deaths,  for  that  heavenly  Master  whom 
they  loved  so  well!  For  ever  honored  must  be  that  country 
associated  with  which  are  the  names  of  John,  the  disciple  whom 
Jesus  loved,  of  Bartholomew,  one  of  the  twelve,  of  Paul,  the 
great  apostle  of  the  Gentiles,  of  Timf)thy,  the  chosen  companion 
of  Paul,  of  Polycarp,  the  faithful  martyr,  of  Ignatius,  of  Papias,  and 
of  many  others  whose  names  are  also  written  in  the  Book  of  Life, 

18.    CELEBEATED    OBJECTS. 

Among  the  many  mighty  structures  erected  by  the  skill  of  man, 
there  were  a  few  which  were  grander,  more  awe-inspiring  than  any 
to  be  found  in  Asia  Minor,  but  more  celebrated  there  were  none. 
Here  were  three  of  the  famed  "wonders  of  the  world."  Beyond 
doubt,  the  descriptions  of  these  marvelous  objects  which  have 
come  down  to  us  were  greatly  exaggerated.  At  the  same  time, 
however,  to  have  called  forth  such  admiration  at  the  time  when 
they  were  in  their  perfection,  and  for  their  renown  to  have  sur- 
vived throughout  so  many  centuries,  there  must  have  been  some- 
thing in  them  of  surpassing  grandeur.  These  "seven  Avonder^" 
were  the  jjyramids  of  Egypt,  the  Pharos  of  Alexandria,  the  wa.ls 
and  hanging  gardens  of  Babylon,  the  statue  of  the  Olympian  Jupi- 
ter, the  mausoleum  of  Artemisia,  the  Colossus  of  Rhodes,  and  the 
temple  of  Diana  at  Ephesus. 


THE  HISTORIC  LAND.  37 

There  is  also  a  very  humiliating  distinction  in  the  fact,  already 
stated,  that  so  many  of  the  greatest  of  the  pagan  gods  had  the  seat 
of  their  worship  in  the  cities  of  the  seven  golden  candlesticks. 
The  world-honored  shrine  of  Diana  was  in  Ephesus;  the  home 
of  the  worship  of  the  deified  Homer  in  Smyrna;  the  great  tem- 
ple of  ^Esculapius  in  Pergamos ;  the  shrine  of  Apollo  in  Thya- 
tira;  the  capital  of  Cybele,  the  mother  of  gods,  in  Sardis;  the 
centre  at  which  were  gathered  the  devotees  of  Bacchus  in  Phila- 
delphia; and  the  leading  cultus  of  Jupiter  in  Laodicea. 

A  more  honorable  distinction  was  it  that  the  greatest  library 
in  the  ancient  world,  save  that  of  Alexandria,  was  located  in 
Pergamos,  and  that  the  manufacturing  of  books  caused  the  neces- 
sity which  led  to  the  invention  of  parchment. 

19.  •  THE    GEACIOUS    PROVIDENCES    INVOLVED. 

There  are  many  other  things  concerning  this  land  on  which 
we  could  dwell  with  interest  and  profit.  We  might  study  its 
civilization,  developed  out  of  the  highest  culture  of  Greece,  ren- 
dered more  perfect  from  the  elements  imparted  from  Oriental 
and  other  nationalities,  and  culminating  in  institutions  which 
the  world  has  never  since  surpassed.  Or  we  might  describe  its 
influence  upon  every  department  of  our  own  intellectual  and 
social  life.  But  all  this  we  must  pass  over,  and  fix  our  closing 
thought  upon  that  amazing  providence  which  so  ordered  the 
affairs  of  the  world  that  the  kingdom  of  our  Lord  should  in 
this  land  commence  its  victorious  career  over  all  other  kingdoms 
and  powers  of  mankind. 

The  marvels  of  God's  providence  over  human  affairs  can  be 
studied  in  connection  with  this  subject  in  a  manner  that  is  most 
impressive.  The  great  object  to  be  accomplished  was  the  success- 
ful embarking  of  Christianity  amid  the  paganism  of  the  world. 
The  place  must  be  central,  and  such  as  could  easily  communicate 
impulses  affecting  it  to  adjacent  lands.  The  people  must  be  intel- 
lectual, bright,  and  enterprising,  so  that  the  truths  imparted  to 
them  could  be  promptly  received  and  appreciated.  All  these 
ends  were  perfectly  accomplished  by  that  providence  which  we 
(an  now  so  easily  interpret.  The  work  was  complicated,  but  it 
was  all  carefully  wrought  out.  Every  apparently  tangled  thread 
was  managed  so  as  to  perfect  the  fabric  that  Deity  was  elaborating. 
Then,  after  all  the  work  was  finished  by  the  setting  up  of  the 
kingdom  of  Christ  amid  the  pagan  strongholds  of  Asia  Minor, 


38        INAUGUEAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

we  can  clearly  understand  its  i:)erfection.  We  can  see  the  infinite 
goodness  of  the  divine  King  in  determining  to  i^rovide  such  bless- 
ings for  mankind,  his  wisdom  in  planning  it  out  so  perfectly  in 
every  part,  his  power  in  carrying  it  forward  through  every  com- 
plication and  obstacle,  and  his  greatness  in  all  the  footstejis  which 
led  steadily  upward  to  its  decreed  and  glorious  end. 


CHAPTER    II. 
THE  GOSPEL'S  FIRST  ENCOUNTER  WITH  PAGANISM. 

1.    GEEAT   RELIGIOUS  MOVEMENT  IN  ASIA  MINOE. 

The  establishment  of  Christianity  in  Asia  Minor  was  one  of 
the  most  important  movements  tliat  our  world  has  ever  witnessed. 
It  changed  the  whole  moral  and  religious  character  of  that  re- 
nowned country.  It  was  the  commencement  of  a  vast  enterprise 
which  was  destined  to  reach  the  whole  family  of  mankind  and  to 
continue  in  its  effects  until  the  end  of  time. 

Many  lines  of  providences  had  been  preparing  the  way  for  it 
and  indicating  the  greatness  of  the  coming  change.  On  the  one 
hand,  the  assembling  of  such  diverse  nationalities  in  that  land, 
the  awakening  of  thought  which  followed,  the  condition  of  things 
resulting  from  the  commingling  of  so  many  of  the  most  attractive 
forms  of  idolatry ;  on  the  other  hand,  the  return  to  their  homes  in 
Asia  Minor  of  some  who  had  witnessed  the  descent  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  the  gathering  of  the  Church  in 
Jerusalem,  the  drifts  of  population  which  carried  so  many  of  the 
first  converts  to  those  far-famed  shores, — all  these  and  many  other 
significant  events  indicated  that  God  had  vast  designs  in  store 
which  would  soon  be  developed. 

In  the  movement  itself  everything  was  instructive  and  full  of 
meaning.  In  it  \\«re  fulfilled  many  of  the  predictions  of  the  Sacred 
Scriptures.  In  all  its  essential  elements  it  was  clearly  the  setting  up 
of  Christ's  kingdom.  It  was  the  beginning  of  the  pre-ordained  con- 
quest of  the  world  for  Jesus — a  conquest  which  is  to  culminate  in 
his  taking  the  throne  over  all  the  nations  and  in  his  being  exalted 
"far  above  all  principality  and  power  and  might  and  dominion, 
and  every  name  that  is  named,  not  only  in  this  world,  but  also  in 
that  which  is  to  come."  It  ivas  the  first  great,  earnest,  well-ordered, 
and  successful  encounter  of  Christianity  icith  paganism. 

This  religious  movement  had  additional  meaning  in  that  it  ex- 
hibited on  a  grand  scale  the  nature,  tendency,  and  power  of  the 
gospel.  The  effects  of  Christianity  were  here  made  known  in  a 
manner  that  must  have  impressed  all  thoughtful  men.  On  a  wide 
field  the  gospel  here  exhibited  what  it  could  do.    This  event  brought 

39 


40        INAUGUKAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

to  light  that  power  in  Christianity  the  full  development  of  which 
would  convert  the  world 

Still  further,  it  would  serve  as  the  model  missionary  enterprise 
for  all  after-ages.  It  would  accomplish  this  purpose  perfectly,  in- 
asmuch as  it  was  under  the  direction  of  inspired  men.  It  had  vast 
significance  from  the  fact  that  it  was  the  chief  scene,  field,  and  work 
of  the  two  apostles  Paul  and  John. 

Then  too,  as  a  model  for  all  time  to  come,  it  was  the  first  grand 
and  typical  revival.  In  it  was  seen  what  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Christ 
Jesus,  when  applied  by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  is  capable  of 
effecting  in  any  country  or  age. 

Take  it  all  in  all — in  the  preparations  made  for  it,  in  its  own 
nature,  in  the  lessons  it  taught,  in  the  purposes  it  developed,  in 
its  immediate  results  as  well  as  its  lasting  effects — it  was,  without  a 
question,  one  of  the  most  important  movements  that  the  Church 
of  God  on  earth  has  ever  exjDerienced.  The  spirit  of  Christianity 
was  here  manifested  in  a  sudden  extensive  and  decisive  way,  so 
that  the  world  might  ever  afterward  know  what  £hat  spirit  is. 
It  was  a  shock  and  warning  to  Satan,  an  encouragement  to 
angels,  a  premonition  of  the  doom  of  the  kingdom  of  darkness, 
and  a  pledge  to  the  Church  and  friends  of  Christ.  Christians 
have  not  kej^t  these  momentous  events  in  that  prominent  place 
Which  they  deserve.     Their  vast  importance  has  been  overlooked. 

2.    THE    ENTEKPEISE    PECULIAR   AND    FOR    A    PECULIAR    END. 

Every  view  we  take  of  it  makes  it  more  and  more  manifest 
that  the  planting  of  the  Church  in  Asia  Minor  was  no  common 
event  in  the  annals  of  the  kingdom.  It  was  one  of  those  epoch- 
making  movements  which  leave  their  impress  »n  the  world.  So 
momentous  was  it  in  the  sight  of  Him  who  is  the  great  Head  of 
the  Church  that  in  its  inauguration  and  furthering  both  the  be- 
loved disciple  John  and  the  great  apostle  Paul  were  appointed 
to  spend  an  important  portion  of  their  public  ministry.  All 
seemed  providentially  ordered  so  as  to  provide  for  the  first  typi- 
cal experiment  of  the  gospel  upon  paganism.  The  great  Head 
of  the  Church  was  manifestly  preparing  the  way  for  something 
extraordinary. 

The  setting  up  of  Christ's  kingdom  upon  earth  was  an  event 
so  transeendently  imi)ortant  that  we  cannot  dwell  on  it  too  much 
or  use  language  too  strong.  No  event  is  set  forth  in  the  Scriptures 
more  imi)ressively  in  connection  Mith  Christ's  work  of  redemption. 
It  stands  out  very  prominently  in  the  prophecies,  as  when  in  Daniel 


THE  GOSPEL'S   FIKST  ENCOUNTER   WITH  PAGANISM.       41 

it  is  represented  as  the  stone  cut  out  of  the  mountain  without  hands, 
and  expanding  and  crushing  out  all  opposition  until  it  filled  the 
whole  earth.  After  Babylon  should  have  had  its  day,  and  then 
Persia  and  Greece  and  Rome,  it  should  occupy  their  place  and 
extend  far  beyond  their  utmost  reach,  realizing  the  universal 
empire  for  which  they  strove  in  vain,  and  enter  upon  a  dominion 
that  would  never  end.  Christ  also  did  himself  constantly  dwell 
on  that  dominion  among  men  which  he  had  come  to  set  up. 
Nothing,  save  his  death  for  the  sins  of  men,  seemed  in  his  esti- 
mation so  important.  It  formed  the  staple  of  his  teaching  before 
his  crucifixion,  and  it  was  "  of  the  things  pertaining  to  the  king- 
dom of  God  "  that  he  spake  to  his  disciples  during  the  forty  days 
that  followed  his  resurrection. 

It  is  because  of  the  vast  importance  of  this  kingdom  that  we 
have  in  the  second  and  third  chapters  of  Revelation  an  epitome 
of  its  first  reception  among  men.  After  it  had  been  set  up  for 
about  sixty-three  years  in  the  important  cities  of  Asia  Minor,  we 
have  in  these  chapters  addresses  from  the  glorified  Christ  himself 
to  the  seven  churches  as  representatives  of  all  the  rest.  In  these 
addresses  reference  is  made  to  the  fortunes  of  that  part  of  the 
kingdom — its  reception  of  the  gospel,  its  conquests  and  its  failures, 
its  trials  and  its  victories,  its  glory  and  its  shame.  It  will  be  seen 
at  a  glance  how  important  for  all  after-times  is  this  inspired  descrip- 
tion of  the  kingdom  as  it  first  came  in  contact  with  the  Gentile 
world. 

There  could  not  have  been  for  this  purpose  a  more  appropriate 
land.  Its  inhabitants  were  a  people  of  unusual  energy  and  enter- 
ic rise.  The  whole  region  was  filled  with  a  large  population,  and 
it  had  many  great  cities  such  as  these  seven.  Among  these  cities 
and  the  population  of  which  they  were  the  centres  the  gospel  at 
first  spread  rapidly.  As  it  came  among .  the  various  communities 
it  experienced  various  receptions  and  had  a  varied  history.  The 
truth  as  it  is  in  Christ  Jesus  was  there  J^rought  into  contact  with 
all  kinds  of  opposition,  and  so  its  variouM  qualities  were  at  first 
made  known.  In  a  very  few  years  after  its  first  planting  the 
effects  it  would  produce  were  manifested  for  all  future  guidance. 

The  results  in  those  sixty-three  years  were  very  different  in  the 
different  churches  of  the  seven  that  were  selected  as  examples. 
Some  of  them  were  faithful  amid  all  kinds  of  opposition  and 
trials;  their  members,  out  of  love  to  Christ,  were  ready  to  lay 
down  their  lives  in  a  martyr's  death.  Some  had  become  guilty 
of  apostasy.     Some    liad    fallen  into  gross   errors   by  which  the 


42        INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

glory  of  the  Cross  had  been  ahiiost  utterly  effaced.  Some  had 
grown  so  lukewarm  as  to  be  odious  in  the  sight  of  God.  Some 
were  wellnigh  dead. 

This  experience  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ  during  its  first  sixty- 
three  years  in  the  land  of  the  seven  cities  was  given  for  the 
warning  of  believers  in  all  other  times  and  places.  Seven  of  the 
chief  cities  were  selected  as  specimens  of  all,  and  this  portion  of 
Scripture  records  the  experiment  of  the  gospel  in  them.  The  varied 
fortunes  of  the  several  churches  would  be  ever  recurring  in  the  his- 
tory of  other  churches  all  the  centuries  through.  The  dangers  and 
evils  which  those  churches  encountered  would  be  ever  rising  up  to 
meet  others.  Our  Lord  set  up  this  beacon  at  that  early  day  that 
the  Church  might  behold  it  all  through  the  stormy  centuries,  and 
so  be  ever  warned  and  directed. 

The  setting  up  of  Christ's  kingdom  at  that  time  was  an  event 
of  unequaled  moment  among  all  the  stirring  scenes  of  human 
history.  Its  glory  was  unspeakably  great  in  that  the  blessings 
which  it  brought  to  mankind  would  never  be  exhausted,  and  in 
that,  in  their  sweep,  they  would  embrace  the  whole  family  of  man- 
kind. It  was  the  beginning  of  a  war  the  final  issue  of  which  will 
be  the  utter  overthrow  of  Satan  and  the  perfect  triumph  of  Im- 
manuel. 

We  may  well  imagine  that  such  an  undertaking  would  awaken 
intense  interest  throughout  every  realm  of  the  universe  to  which 
it  was  made  known.  No  being  in  heaven,  in  earth,  or  in  hell 
but  was  interested  in  the  undertaking. 

3.    OEIGINAL   EELIGIOUS  STATE  OF  THE    LAND. 

It  is  needful  that  we  should  know  the  moral  and  religious  con- 
dition in  which  the  gospel  found  the  people,  in  order  that  we  may 
appreciate  the  change  that  Christianity  wrought  among  them,  the 
forms  it  first  assumed,  and  the  tendencies  it  early  manifested.  We 
must  keep  in  mind  that  the  churches  to  which  these  messages  were 
sent  were  the  growth  of  only  about  sixty  years.  Three  leading 
forms  of  religion  were  then  in  the  land,  and  the  commingling  of 
these  tended  to  impart  a  peculiar  type  to  the  Christianity  of  the 
churches  that  were  there  gathered.  There  was,  first  and  most  influ- 
ential, the  Grecian  idolatry,  with  its  splendid  ritual,  its  forms  of 
beauty,  its  charming  mythology,  and  its  romantic  associations. 
Then  came  the  Oriental  idolatry  from  the  regions  of  the  Indus,  weird, 
sombre,  unsightly,  dark,  and  gloomy.  Lastly,  there  w'as  the  limited 
element  of  Judaism.    Even  then  the  Jews  were  wanderers  in  all 


THE  GOSPEL'S  FIRST  ENCOUNTER  WITH   PAGANISM.       43 

lands,  and  much  of  the  commerce  of  the  day  was  in  their  hands. 
They  were  to  be  found  in  influential  numbers  in  all  the  cities  of 
Ionia. 

Not  only  were  the  Grecian  and  the  Oriental  forms  of  idolatry  to  be 
found,  but  it  is  also  a  noteworthy  fact  that  subordinate  kinds  of 
idol-worship  prevailed  in  the  cities.  Each  one  of  the  seven  cities 
had  its  own  tutelary  divinity  and  its  own  corresponding  cultus. 
It  could  not  have  been  a  merely  accidental  thing  that  the  gos- 
pel encountered  the  chief  idols  of  the  heathen  world  in  these 
cities.  This  fact  is  one  which  is  deeply  impressive.  It  would  not 
be  mere  fancy  if  we  should  attempt  to  show  that  these  cities  were 
selected,  among  other  reasons,  as  being  the  capitals  of  the  wor- 
ship of  the  most  renowned  idols.  Further  still,  is  it  not  more  than 
probable  that,  as  in  most  similar  cases,  many  causes  conspired 
for  the  selection  of  these  cities  rather  than  any  others?  The 
facts  that  they  were  the  scenes  of  the  missionary  labors  of  most 
eminent  apostles,  that  they  represented  various  types  of  the  piety 
of  that  day,  that  they  were  specimens  of  early  tendencies  in  the 
Church,  good  and  bad,  and  now  that  they  were  the  homes  of  the 
most  renowned  idols  of  the  heathen, — all  these,  no  doubt,  con- 
spired to  decide  ui:)on  the  choice  of  these  seven  churches  as  those 
to  which  the  messages  of  the  King  were  sent. 

As  said,  there  is  scarcely  a  doubt  but  that  each  of  these  seven 
cities  was  celebrated  as  the  home  of  some  renowned  heathen  deity; 
and  among  the  many  marvelous  things  we  encounter  in  the  study 
of  these  messages,  this  is  riot  the  least  impressive.  As  to  Ephesus, 
there  is  no  question  but  that  its  tutelary  deity  was  Diana,  whose 
renowned  temple  adorned  the  city.  It  is  almost  equally  certain 
that  Smyrna  had  as  a  demigod  Homer,  the  more  than  god  of 
poetry.  Next  comes  Pergamos,  celebrated  from  the  earliest  age 
for  its  temple  or  collection  of  temples  devoted  to  the  worship  of 
^sculapius,  the  god  of  the  healing  art.  After  this  we  come  to 
Thyatira,  the  principal  deity  of  which  was  Apollo,  introduced  by 
the  Macedonians.  Undoubtedly,  the  deity  of  Sardis  was  Cybele, 
the  mother  of  Jupiter,  the  burning  of  whose  temple  by  the 
Persians  was  the  occasion  of  so  many  disasters,  and  whose  wor- 
ship was  so  renowned  in  all  that  region.  After  Sardis  we  have 
Philadelphia,  whose  great  idol  was  Bacchus.  This  is  evident  from 
the  facts  that  Philadelphia  was  the  great  market  of  the  wine-region 
of  Asia  and  that  the  head  of  Bacchus  is  on  all  the  coins  that  are 
found  in  the  neighborhood.  The  last  of  the  seven,  as  placed  in  the 
Apocalypse,  is  Laodicea,  "  the  city  of  Jupiter,"  as  it  M'as  named  by 


44        INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

its  old  Greek  founders.  With  almost  absolute  certainty,  then,  may 
we  name  Ephesus  as  the  city  of  Diana,  Smyrna  of  Homer,  Per- 
garaos  of  ^Esculapius,  Tliyatira  of  Apollo,  Sardis  of  Cybele,  Phil- 
adelphia of  Bacchus,  and  Laodicea  of  Jupiter. 

It  is,  then,  certain  that  these  were  the  capitals  of  the  great 
heathen  gods  of  the  land.  The  country  itself  was  the  home  of 
idolatry,  and  these  were  the  cities  in  which  it  had  its  strongholds. 
It  was  given  over  to  heathen  worship.  Everywhere  it  bore  some 
dark  spot  indicative  of  hostility,  universal  and  deadly,  to  the  one 
only  and  true  God,  the  only  Jehovah.  Go  through  the  whole  land, 
from  city  to  city  and  from  village  to  village,  and  you  would  have 
found  nothing  but  idolatry— idolatry  in  its  most  attractive  and  in 
its  most  repulsive  forms.  You  would  find  here  the  highest  culture 
of  the  age,  or  of  almost  any  age,  on  its  face  in  the  dust  before  the 
image  of  Diana — here  a  synagogue  of  the  Jews  with  the  most 
formal  and  heartless  service  of  the  one,  only  true  God — here  thou- 
sands of  ignorant  wretches  trembling  in  awe  before  a  band  of 
vile  impostors  and  deluded  by  the  tricks  of  a  company  of  cheat- 
ing jugglers — here  the  most  foul,  the  most  dark,  and  the  most 
degrading  rites  in  the  impure  groves  of  Pergamos  and  Thyatira — 
here  lewdness,  falsehood,  and  the  most  debauching  tendencies  of 
every  kind  calculated  to  degrade  and  deprave — here  a  worship 
and  a  shrine  for  everything  that  bore  the  name  of  a  god  except- 
ing the  everlasting  God  of  truth  and  holiness — nowhere  truth; 
nowhere  purity ;  nowhere  what  is  exalting  to  man ;  nowhere 
what  was  honoring  to  the  Creator — everywhere  the  clearest  evi- 
dence that  the  heart  is  desperately  wicked  because  desperately 
hostile  to  God. 

The  whole  land  was  covered  with  idolatry  or  wretched  Judaism. 
Take  Ephesus  as  a  sample  of  the  prevailing  worship,  for  its  condi- 
tion was  a  good  specimen  of  all.  It  was  devoted  to  the  worship  of 
the  unsightly  monster  Diana — not  even  the  beautiful,  the  graceful 
Artemis  of  the  Grecian  mythology.  Though  that  city  was  at  the 
very  head  of  the  activities  and  refined  art  of  the  age,  it  was  steeped 
in  the  most  degrading  superstition.  It  groaned  and  trembled  under 
the  mystic  terror  of  the  black  art.  The  fact  that  one  of  its  lead- 
ing industries  was  the  manufacture  of  little  silver  shrines  of  its 
unsightly  idol  Diana  tells  the  sad  story  of  its  degradation.  Its 
great  temple  was  its  glory,  one  of  the  wonders  of  the  world,  and 
yet  that  fane  was  the  scene  of  revels  the  most  foul  and  loathsome. 
At  that  age  it  was  probably  the  most  elegant  city  of  the  world, 
and  yet  its  greatest  boast  was  that  it  was  "  the  temple-siveejie?^  of 


THE  GOSPEL'S  FIRST   ENCOUNTER  WITH   PAGANISM.       45 

Diana.^^    What  was  this  but  the  most  perfect  civilization  of  the 
age  devoted  to  the  most  degrading  idol-worship? 

4.    ANTE-PAULINE  MOVEMENTS. 

It  is  interesting  to  trace  the  very  first  footsteps  of  those  who 
"brought  good  tidings,  that  published  peace,  that  brought  good 
tidings  of  good  things,  that  published  salvation."  At  first  several 
difl"erent  influences  were  awakened  as  harbingers  of  the  movements 
that  were  soon  to  change  the  whole  moral  aspect  of  the  country. 

The  first  trace  we  have  of  the  gospel  in  Asia  Minor  is  the  story 
of  Paul's  first  coming  to  Ephesus  and  there  finding  twelve  men  who 
had  been  baptized  unto  John's  baptism,  and  yet  had  not  even  heard 
of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Nothing  more  is  told  us  about  these  twelve  dis- 
ciples. Who  they  were,  whence  they  came,  why  they  were  in  Ephe- 
sus, and  that  apparently  as  a  united  band,  we  are  not  informed.  It 
is  more  than  probable  that  they  had  been  on  the  Jordan  before  the 
public  ministry  of  Christ,  had  listened  to  the  preaching  of  John, 
had  been  followers  of  him  and  been  baptized  by  him,  but  then 
had  been  rudely  separated,  had  known  little  if  any  of  the  preach- 
ing of  Christ,  perhaps  had  heard  little  about  his  death,  certainly 
nothing  of  the  descent  of  the  Spirit  at  Pentecost,  and  had  drifted 
into  Ephesus. 

The  next  rays  of  light  we  find  shining  on  the  land  of  the  seven 
churches  are  in  connection  with  the  descent  of  the  Holy  Ghost  on 
the  day  of  Pentecost.  Among  the  multitudes  assembled  on  that 
memorable  occasion  were  men  from  Cappadocia,  Pontus,  Phrygia 
and  Pamphylia,  and  others  of  the  regions  lying  between  and 
around  these  apocalyptic  cities.  These  strangers  from  those  dis- 
tant lands  must  have  lieard  the  wonders  of  the  gospel  on  that  day, 
some  of  them  must  have  been  among  its  blessed  converts,  and 
when  they  returned  home  they  must  have  related  to  their  won- 
dering neighbors  the  story  of  what  they  had  seen  and  heard  and 
felt.  On  the  porticoes  of  Diana's  temple  in  Ephesus,  on  the  quays 
of  Smyrna,  in  the  groves  of  Pergamos,  and  in  the  wool-markets 
of  Laodicea  the  story  of  Christ  and  his  Spirit  and  his  most  glori- 
ous salvation  would  be  rehearsed  to  gaping  crowds.  And  many 
would  believe,  and  many  true  converts  would  be  added  to  the 
people  of  God,  and  thus  the  gospel  would  take  deep  and  perma- 
nent root. 

Another  trace  of  the  truth  in  that  land  in  those  early  days  we 
have  in  connection  with  the  first  introduction  of  Christianity  into 
Europe.    Paul  and  Silas  had  come  with  the  gospel  message  into 


46  ♦INAUGURAL  OF  TPTE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

Philippi,  the  first  city  of  Europe  where  it  was  ever  heard.  There 
probably  being  no  synagogue  in  the  place,  on  the  Sabbath  they 
went  out  of  the  city  by  the  side  of  a  little  stream  of  water  where 
a  number  of  devout  women  had  assembled  for  prayer.  Among 
these  was  one  named  Lydia,  who  had  come  from  Thyatira,  one 
of  the  seven  cities,  bringing  with  her  the  purple  dyes  of  that 
region,  of  which  she  was  a  seller.  She  listened  to  the  story  of 
the  Cross  as  it  fell  from  tlie  lips  of  the  earnest  apostle.  The 
Lord  carried  it  to  her  heart  and  fixed  it  there.  She  was  truly 
converted.  She  gave  herself,  her  property,  and  her  family  to  the 
service  of  her  new  Lord.  Would  not  such  a  woman  become  a 
loving  missionary  of  the  new  religion?  When  she  returned  home, 
would  she  ever  tire  of  telling  the  tidings  of  the  salvation  and  the 
heavenly  rest  which  the  Son  of  God  had  come  down  from  glory 
to  offer  to  the  weary  and  the  lost?  -Undoubtedly  some  would  be- 
lieve her.  They  could  not  but  believe  her  loving  and  earnest 
words.  How  the  wondrous  story  would  be  rehearsed  in  the 
shops  of  the  purple-manufactories,  through  the  fields  where  the 
staple  grew,  and  on  the  banks  of  the  Hermus,  where  many  a  lit- 
tle praying  group  would  assemble !  And  the  amazing  story  would 
be  carried  on  over  the  great  road  leading  to  Sardis,  over  the  plains 
which  the  river  washed,  and  up  the  declivities  of  Mount  Tmolus 
and  other  ridges. 

No  doubt  there  were  many  other  preliminary  movements  in 
connection  with  the  establishment  of  Christianity  in  that  region 
of  Asia,  of  whose  history  nothing  has  come  down  to  us,  but  which 
had  a  vast  influence  in  that  formative  period.  Certain  it  is  that 
Apollos,  the  eloquent  Jew  from  Alexandria,  had  deeply  studied 
the  mysteries  of  the  way  of  the  Lord.  He  had  learned  the  great 
things  of  the  kingdom  in  the  home  of  Aquila  and  Priscilla,  and 
then  with  fervent  words  he  had  pressed  them  on  the  hearts  and 
consciences  of  all  who  would  listen.  That  devoted  couple  also, 
even  while  engaged  in  the  daily  drudgery  of  their  tent-making 
trade,  Avould  make  their  influence  felt  in  spreading  around  them 
the  news  of  the  great  salvation. 

All  these  were  important  steps  in  the  way  of  the  great  prepara- 
tion for  setting  up  the  divine  kingdom  in  those  cities.  They  were 
not  insignificant  as  precursory  movements.  Regarded  in  one  view, 
they  were  of  vast  importance.  Here  were  twelve  disciples  at  Ephe- 
sus  who  had  passed  through  the  baptism  of  John ;  here  converts 
from  the  great  pentecostal  scenes  spreading  the  news  from  city  to 
city;  here  Lydia  and  her  friends  and  relatives  moving  backward 


THE  GOSPEL'S  FIRST  ENCOUNTER   WITH  PAGANISM.       47 

and  forward  with  offers  of  grace;  here  the  eloquent  tongue  of 
Apollos  i^leading  in  many  a  synagogue;  and  here  the  friendly 
door  of  Aquila  and  Priscilla  open  to  all  who  might  come  to  in- 
quire about  the  way  of  life. 

5.    SPECIAL   WOEK   IN   THE  SEVEEAL   CITIES. 

As  it  is  with  the  missionary  work  at  the  present  day,  doubtless 
the  gospel  met  with  many  a  stirring  adventure  in  those  early  times 
when  it  was  a  stranger  among  the  children  of  men.  Many  an 
obstacle  it  would  encounter,  many  a  misunderstanding  would 
hinder,  and  many  an  enemy  would  oppose.  But  it  went  steadily 
on,  increasing  in  strength  and  vigor.  Here  and  there  we  obtain 
glimpses  of  its  earliest  growth  in  almost  all  of  the  seven  churches. 

Ephesus  was  selected  as  the  field  of  the  first  great  encounter 
because  it  was  nearest  to  the  stirring  scenes  of  the  world's  active 
jjrogress,  and  because  whatever  influences  might  prevail  there 
would  soon  extend  to  other  adjoining  cities.  The  ships  which 
arrived  in  its  port  would  bring  with  them  "the  glad  tidings  of 
good  things,"  and  then  the  Roman  roads  running  up  into  the 
interior  would  forward  those  tidings  into  every  town  and  village 
of  the  land.  Ephesus  was  first  chosen  because  it  M'as  "the  centre 
of  intercourse  and  traffic  for  a  large  part  of  Asia,  and  the  most 
considerable  place  of  commerce  on  this  side  of  the  Taurus.  The 
spirit  of  the  times,  dissatisfied  with  all  the  existing  religions  and 
eager  after  something  new,  was  favorable  to  all  changes."  In 
that  city  the  people  were  energetic,  the  currents  of  life  were 
strong  and  restless,  and  the  great  roads  radiating  out  from  it 
through  the  interior  gave  it  facilities  for  disseminating  the  news 
of  salvation  which  were  possessed  by  no  other  place  of  that  day. 

In  Smyrna  also  there  were  similar  facilities  for  extending  the 
triumphs  of  the  Cross.  Its  location  on  the  beautiful  coast  of  the 
^gean,  which  connected  it  with  the  greatest  activities  of  the  age ; 
the  character  of  the  city,  which  it  still  bears,  as  a  great  commercial 
centre;  and  the  fact  that  multitudes  of  Jews  had  been  attracted 
thither, — all  would  conspire  to  make  it  one  of  the  early  strong- 
holds of  the  gospel.  Certain  it  is  that  the  church  of  Smyrna 
soon  became  one  of  the  most  devoted  and  faithful  of  all.  Not 
one  of  the  seven  had  a  better  record. 

As  to  the  planting  of  the  church  in  Pergamos  we  have  no  record. 
It  must  have  called  forth  much  zeal  and  strong  efforts,  for  the  ob- 
stacles in  its  way  were  great.  The  intense  idolatry  of  the  place 
must  have  raised  a  formidable  barrier  in  the  way  of  the  truth. 


48       INAUGUEAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

Only  in  the  Book  of  God  is  the  record  to  be  found  of  the  suffer- 
ings that  were  endured  and  the  toils  that  were  passed  through 
by  those  faithful  men  and  women  who,  amid  the  scorn  of  the 
great,  the  learning  of  the  scholars,  and  the  superstition  of  the 
multitudes,  denied  themselves,  persevered  steadily  forward,  and 
trusted  God  amid  every  discouragement,  until  even  on  earth  they 
received  the  title  to  the  white  stone  with  the  new  name. 

We  have  already  seen  how  the  gospel  may  at  first  have  been  car- 
ried to  Thi/atira  through  Lydia,  a  seller  of  purple.  We  have  seen 
her  at  Philippi  when  Paul  and  Silas  began  to  preach  the  gospel 
in  Europe.  We  know  that  the  Lord  touched  her  heart,  and  that 
she  and  her  household  were  baptized.  As  a  consequence  of  the 
intercourse  which  would  be  likely  to  follow  between  that  family 
and  their  friends  in  Thyatira,  it  is  probable  that  the  church  was 
established  in  that  city.  "She  who  had  gone  forth  for  a  while  to 
buy  and  sell  and  get  gain,  when  she  returned  home  may  have 
brought  with  her  richer  merchandise  than  any  she  had  looked 
to  obtain." 

Concerning  the  introduction  of  Christianity  into  Sardis  we  know 
less  than  of  its  introduction  into  any  other  of  the  seven  cities  except 
Philadelphia.  Indeed,  w'e  have  no  positive  information  whatever. 
There  is  a  single  hint  which  intimates  that  the  people  of  Sardis  had 
at  first  received  the  truth  with  great  ardor.  In  the  message  to  it 
we  find  the  w'ords,  "  Remember,  therefore,  how  thou  hast  received, 
and  heard ;  and  hold  fast,  and  repent."  From  this  it  seems  prob- 
able that  their  first  love  was  intense,  and  that  the  church  had 
given  promise  of  much  zeal  and  usefulness  and  fidelity.  We  can 
easily  imagine  that  in  such  a  place,  so  proud,  so  worldly,  so  gay, 
it  would  require  more  than  an  ordinary  degree  of  devotion  to  en- 
able the  people  of  God  to  w'alk  worthy  of  their  vocation. 

Philadelphia  is  the  church  next  in  order.  Concerning  its  early 
history  we  know  nothing.  As  has  been  truthfully  said,  "  Unlike 
its  sister  churches,  there  is  no  halo  of  mythic  antiquity  about  its 
origin;  no  olden  stories  of  nymphs  or  heroes  cradled  on  its  site 
invested  it  with  sanctity  or  wove  a  localized  superstition  into  its 
civic  celebrations."  This  church  is  remarkably  destitute  of  early 
traditions  of  any  kind.  It  seems  to  have  been  small  and  poor  and 
almost  overlooked  by  the  great  tides  of  religious  influences  which 
swept  around  it.  But  it  had  a  good  record  before  God,  v\^ho  sees 
not  as  man  sees. 

Several  things  conspired  to  make  the  clmrch  of  Laodicea  very 
important  and  to  give  great  interest  to  its  earliest  history.    The 


THE  GOSPEL'S  FIRST   ENCOUNTER  WITH  PAGANISM.       49 

location  of  the  city  among  the  head-waters  of  the  IMeander,  one 
of  the  chief  rivers  of  the  country,  and  on  the  great  road  leading 
from  the  coast  into  the  interior,  gave  it  much  prominence  and 
advantage.  So,  too,  its  wealth  added  to  its  influence.  This 
wealth  arose  from  its  location  on  the  great  line  of  travel  up  the 
valley  of  the  Meander,  from  its  trade  in  wool  brought  in  from 
the  surrounding  country,  from  its  commerce  in  dyes,  and  espe- 
cially from  the  valuable  timbers  brought  in  such  abundance  to 
its  market  out  of  the  adjacent  forests.  This  commerce  and  wealth 
attracted  to  the  city  a  large  Jewish  population,  to  which  the  gospel 
would  naturally  be  carried  at  first.  From  this  large  Jewish  ele- 
ment in  the  population,  from  the  throngs  of  travelers  constantly 
passing  through  the  place,  from  the  fact  that  Paul's  first  missionary 
tours  took  him  either  immediately  into  the  city  or  to  its  surround- 
ing towns  and  villages,  and  from  the  activity  which  its  busy  com- 
merce would  necessarily  awaken, — from  all  these  causes  it  would 
naturally  follow  that  the  religion  of  Christ  would  very  early  gain 
a  foothold  in  Laodicea.  And  such  was  the  fact.  The  church  of  that 
city  soon  became  one  of  the  most  influential  of  those  established  in 
Asia  Minor.  Probably,  next  to  Ephesus,  it  was  the  strongest  of 
them  all. 

This  eminence  the  Laodicean  church  retained  long  afterward,  for 
it  became  the  seat  of  prominent  oflicers  of  the  Christian  body  and 
the  place  of  holding  great  councils  where  important  theological 
questions  were  settled.  Moreover,  the  early  conflict  of  Christianity 
with  heathenism  must  have  raged  fiercely  in  that  city.  At  the 
very  time  when  the  great  champions  of  the  truth  were  there  its 
enemies  were  putting  forth  gigantic  efforts.  While  the  voice  of 
Paul  or  other  heroes  of  the  truth  was  ringing  through  the  streets 
there  might  also  have  been  heard  the  hammering  of  the  workmen 
as  they  reared  one  of  the  most  magnificent  heathen  amphitheatres 
which  that  land  ever  beheld,  and  the  erection  of  which  required 
ten  long  years.  The  very  men  who  planted  the  church  of  Laod- 
icea could  see  day  by  day  the  building  of  that  structure  whose 
splendid  ruins  are  at  the  present  time  exciting  the  wonder  of  the 
traveler. 

6.    PAUL'S  GEEATEST  WORK. 

A  more  eventful  missionary  enterprise  there  never  was  than  that 
of  Paul  and  his  friends  in  that  historic  region.  No  other  portion 
of  this  apostle's  history  was  so  effective  as  that  in  which  he  took 
the  lead  in  planting  and  establishing  the  seven  churches. 

4 


50        INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

In  the  progress  of  his  laborious  and  self-sacrificing  toils  Paul 
had  passed  through  the  highlands  in  the  interior  of  the  country, 
descended  from  the  mountains,  most  probably  had  traveled  down 
the  vale  of  the  Meander,  crossed  the  "  Asian  meadows,"  and 
reached  Eiohesus,  the  great  rendezvous  of  adventurers,  magicians, 
necromancers,  empirics  of  every  kind,  outlandish  idolaters,  fugi- 
tive criminals,  speculators  in  religion  and  politics,  priests,  sceptics, 
money-makers,  spendthrifts,  Romans  from  Italy,  Gauls  from  the 
mountains,  Greeks  from  Achaia  and  the  ^gean  Islands,  strange 
beings  from  the  mystic  regions  of  the  Ganges  and  the  Indus,  Jews 
from  the  sacred  city,  merchants  from  Egypt  and  Cyprus,  seamen 
from  a  thousand  ports,  soldiers  from  many  a  battle-field,  and  char- 
acters good  and  bad  from  every  land  and  condition  of  mankind. 
It  was  as  if  Providence  had  brought  them  there  in  order  that  they 
might  receive  the  permanent  influences  of  the  gospel,  just  as  the 
thousands  were  drawn  to  Jerusalem  to  behold  and  receive  the 
blessings  of  the  Holy  Ghost  on  the  day  of  Pentecost. 

They  were  days  to  be  remembered  for  evermore  which  the  great 
apostle  spent  amid  that  motley  assembly  of  human  beings,  in  the 
synagogues  of  tlie  Jews,  in  the  schools  of  philosophers  and  rhet- 
oricians, in  streets  crowded  with  many  a  nationality,  on  busy 
wharves  where  the  confusion  of  vessels  arriving  and  departing 
bewildered,  in  markets  and  public  squares  where  hundreds  of  idlers 
loitered,  in  the  precincts  of  the  famous  temple  that  swarmed  with 
men  of  every  character,  and  in  every  spot  where  he  could  find 
listeners  to  his  story  of  the  Cross.  But  among  that  multitude 
there  were  some  earnest  souls  who  had  been  attracted  to  the 
schools  and  synagogues  of  the  great  city.  Among  these  the  apos- 
tle, constantly  on  the  outlook  for  the  interests  of  the  Master's  cause, 
discovered  twelve  men  who  were  in  the  anomalous  condition  of 
having  been  baptized  by  John  the  Baptist,  and  yet  were  ignorant 
of  the  vital  truths  concerning  the  Holy  Ghost.  Guided  by  inspired 
wisdom,  he  instructed  them,  led  them  to  a  fuller  experience,  put  his 
hands  upon  them,  indicative  of  the  Spirit's  blessings  which  he  was 
empowered  to  bestow,  and  then  had  the  seal  set  to  his  ministry  by 
their  being  indued  with  the  power  of  speaking  with  tongues  and 
prophesying. 

We  are  now  able  to  follow  him  closely  as  he  pursued  the  Master's 
work.  For  three  months  we  find  him  a  constant  attendant  in  the 
synagogue,  boldly  declaring  and  defending  the  truth  as  it  is  in 
Christ  Jesus,  and  urging  men  to  turn  from  their  sins  and  their 
idols  and  to  find  peace  in  the  crucified  and  risen  Saviour. 


THE  GOSPEL'S  FIRST  ENCOUNTER  WITH  PAGANISM.       51 

As  usual,  however,  most  of  the  Jews  became  only  the  more 
hardened,  and  reviled  the  holy  name  of  the  Son  of  God.  Hence 
the  apostle  soon  saw  that  it  would  be  vain  to  continue  his  labors 
amid  such  bitter  opponents,  and  determined  to  leave  the  preju- 
diced Jews  and  turn  to  the  Gentiles.  Accordingly,  after  three 
months'  constant  labors  he  left  the  synagogue,  which  was  open 
to  him  only  three  times  in  the  week,  and  secured  the  hall  of  a 
certain  rhetorician  or  philosopher  called  Tyrannus,  in  which  he 
could  proclaim  the  truth  from  day  to  day.  That  hall  became  a 
sacred  spot,  for  in  it,  for  the  space  of  two  years,  the  tidings  of 
Christ  and  his  salvation  were  proclaimed  to  multitudes  who  had 
never  heard  them  before,  and  by  whom  they  were  doubtless  car- 
ried far  and  near  through  the  world. 

Meantime,  other  missionary  operations  were  diligently  pursued 
by  the  apostle  and  his  friends.  Many  an  excursion  we  have  reason 
to  believe  they  made  over  the  great  roads  which  radiated  from 
Ephesus  throughout  the  whole  land.  It  is  probable  that  the  in- 
habitants of  all  the  great  cities  received  the  truth  from  the  inspired 
lips  of  Paul. 

The  crisis  was  a  momentous  one,  and  extraordinary  efforts  and 
results  were  called  forth.  The  gospel  was  brought  into  contact  with 
magic  and  the  practice  of  curious  arts,  with  soothsayers,  necroman- 
cers, practicers  of  legerdemain,  and  tricksters  of  every  kind,  and 
it  became  necessary  to  defeat  them  all  on  their  own  soil.  As 
a  modern  writer  has  presented  the  matter:  "It  was  a  common 
thing  in  Ephesus  to  use  all  kinds  of  magic  remedies  and  curious 
arts.  We  are  not,  tlierefore,  surprised  to  hear  that  articles  of  dress 
which  had  belonged  to  Paul,  handkerchiefs  which  he  had  used,  and 
aprons  with  which  he  had  been  girded  in  the  pursuit  of  his  trade 
were  assumed  by  the  Ephesians  to  have  caught  a  magic  efficacy  and 
were  carried  about  to  sick  people  and  demoniacs.  .  .  .  Since  Ephe- 
sus was  the  headquarters  of  diabolism  and  sorcery  and  witchcraft, 
the  use  of  the  handkerchiefs  and  aprons,  whether  authorized  by  him 
or  not,  was  so  far  overruled  to  beneficial  results  of  healing  as  to 
prove  the  superiority  of  the  Cliristian  faith  in  the  acropolis  of 
paganism  and  to  prepare  the  way  for  holy  worsliip  in  the  strong- 
hold of  Eastern  fanaticism  and  Grecian  vice."  Such  uncommon 
results  were  needed  to  meet  the  peculiar  state  of  religion  and 
morals  and  to  gain  the  required  attention  to  the  power  of  that 
Christ  whom  Paul  preached.  There  is  no  doubt  but  the  cures 
were  of  a  truth  miraculous,  for  we  read,  "So  that  from  his  body 
were  brought  unto  the  sick  handkerchiefs  and  aprons,  and    the 


52  INAUGUR.AJ.  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

diseases  departed  from  them,  and  the  evil  spirits  went  out  of 
them."  It  must  be  remembered  that  this  was  in  the  midst  of  a 
people  wedded  to  tricks  of  magic  and  the  j)ractice  of  the  black 
art.  It  would  thus  be  seen  that  there  was  a  real,  miraculous  power 
before  which  all  their  impostures  would  fail.  Hardly  anything  else 
would  have  reached  such  a  people. 

Encouraged  by  seeing  tlie  marvelous  power  exercised  by  the 
apostle,  impostors  endeavored  to  exert  the  same  by  their  tricks. 
There  was  a  certain  renegade  Jewish  priest  called  Sceva,  with 
seven  sons,  who  was  a  leader  in  the  imposture  with  which  the 
whole  air  was  filled.  These  vagabonds  impudently  professed  that 
they  had  miraculous  power  by  whicli  they  could  cast  out  devils  and 
heal  diseases.  They  were  suffered  to  go  on  and  to  bring  down  confu- 
sion on  their  own  heads.  In  one  case  they  tried  their  assumed  power 
by  calling  over  a  man  who  was  possessed  with  evil  sj^irits  the  fool- 
ish and,  h\  their  mouths,  impious  words,  "We  adjure  you  in  the 
name  of  the  Lord  Jesus  whom  Paul  preacheth."  This  was  the  limit 
of  their  effrontery  which  it  would  not  do  to  tolerate.  A  shame- 
ful climax  must  follow.  The  possessed  man  was  moved  to  reply 
in  the  most  scornful  manner,  "  Jesus  I  know,  and  Paul  I  know, 
but  who  are  ye?"  Then  he  leaped  on  them  with  the  fury  of 
a  madman,  crushed  them  to  the  earth,  tore  their  clothes  into 
shreds,  and  drove  them  out  of  the  house  naked,  bleeding,  and 
in  shame. 

That  was  an  argument  which  such  a  motley  crew  could  under- 
stand. The  news  spread  fast  and  far.  It  humbled  them.  It 
showed  the  infinite  superiority  and  dignity  of  the  religion  of 
Christ.  In  consequence,  multitudes  were  drawn  to  the  teachings 
of  Paul,  and  through  them  to  the  Cross  of  salvation. 

Among  the  rest  there  were  certain  persons  who  professed  to  have 
been  converted,  and  in  reality  were  very  deeply  impressed,  but  who 
still  clung  to  their  old  arts  of  magic.  At  this  strange  and  startling 
event,  however,  they  were  convinced  that  they  must  make  a  full 
sacrifice.  This  they  now  did,  and  in  a  way  that  was  distinct  and 
impressive.  In  the  practice  of  their  magic  arts  they  had  used  mys- 
tic volumes  which  were  rare  and  costly.  Now  these  books  must  go. 
There  must  bo  no  half-way  work.  Accordingly,  they  brought  all 
those  books  which  they  had  treasured  up  so  carefully,  and  whidi 
had  been  to  them  such  a  source  of  gain,  and  threw  them  into  tlie 
flames.  Ro  great  an  act  of  sacrifice  was  this  esteemed,  and  so 
dear  an  indication  did  it  afford  of  a  radical  change  in  those  who 
made  it,  that  the  value  of  the  destroyed  books  is  given.     It  was 


THE  GOSPEL'S  FIRST  ENCOUNTER   WITH  PAGANISM.       53 

no  less  thau  seven  thousand  five  hundred  dollars — at  that  time  a 
vast  sum. 

For  the  space  of  two  years  Paul  taught  day  by  day  in  the  hall  of 
the  rhetorician,  visited  from  house  to  house,  wrote  letters  to  the 
churches,  wrought  miracles  in  the  name  of  Christ,  toiled  inces- 
santly, and  saw  God's  work  prospering  in  that  great  city.  And 
then  an  event  occurred  which  produced  intense  excitement  and 
was  most  significant  as  an  indication  of  the  progress  of  the  gospel 
in  that  metropolis  of  Asia  Minor.  There  had  grown  up  a  vast  trade 
in  Ei^hesus  in  the  manufacturing  and  selling  of  gold  and  silver  stat- 
uettes of  its  tutelary  deity,  Diana,  and  of  her  temple.  The  manufact- 
ure of  these  shrines  was  a  very  lucrative  business,  as  tliey  were  in 
great  request ;  they  were  set  up  in  houses  as  objects  of  worship,  or 
carried  about  the  person  as  having  the  supposed  power  to  avert  dis- 
eases or  other  dangers.  They  were  not  only  sold  in  Asia  Minor, 
but  sent  as  an  article  of  traffic  to  distant  countries.  And  not  only 
so,  but  the  thousands  of  pilgrims  who  came  from  all  lands  to  wor- 
ship at  the  temple,  and  the  thousands  more  who  came  to  admire 
that  splendid  wonder  of  the  world,  would  desire  to  carry  home 
with  them  the  statuettes,  either  as  mementoes  of  their  journey  or 
as  objects  of  worship. 

However,  just  as  the  gospel  advanced  the  trade  in  these  shrines 
diminished.  The  manufacturers  began  to  feel  this  in  the  decline 
of  their  business.  There  soon  arose  an  outcry  that  the  trade  in 
these  sacred  things  was  in  danger  of  destruction.  The  whole  blame 
was  heaped  upon  Paul  and  those  associated  with  him  in  his  holy 
work.  This  told  in  a  most  significant  way  that  the  gospel  was 
advancing  rapidly  and  in  a  substantial  manner.  The  excitement 
increased.  The  feeling  of  dislike  to  the  gos[)el  and  of  dread  at 
the  loss  of  a  profitable  trade  became  more  and  more  outspoken. 
It  could  not  be  suppressed.  A  certain  silversmith,  Demetrius  by 
name,  became  the  leader  in  a  formidable  outbreak  of  popular 
feeling.  Into  some  public  place  he  managed  to  collect  a  mob 
of  his  fellow-workmen,  and  addressed  them  in  a  most  inflamma- 
tory manner.  He  appealed  to  their  national  pride  as  residents 
of  tlie  great  metropolitan  city  of  Asia,  and  to  their  devotional 
feelings  as  worshipers  of  Diana,  the  goddess  who  had  come  down 
Irom  heaven  to  dwell  among  them,  and  he  pointed  out  the  ruin 
which  was  steadily  coming  upon  their  business  from  the  con- 
tempt into  which  the  preacliing  of  Paul  was  bringing  the  silver 
images  which  were  the  source  of  their  living  and  wealth.  His 
speech  had  the  intended  effect.    The  unreasoning  crowd  was  ex- 


54        INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

cited  into  intense  wrath.  In  their  blind  fury  they  shouted  out 
continuously,  "Great  is  Diana  of  the  Ephesians!"  "Great  is 
Diana  of  the  Ephesians!"  The  excitement  grew  greater  and 
greater,  wilder  and  fiercer,  until  the  whole  city  became  full  of 
confusion.  Finally  the  mob  laid  hold  upon  the  first  victims  that 
came  to  their  hands,  and,  dragging  with  them  Gains  and  Aristar- 
chus,  simply  because  they  were  Macedonians  and  traveling  com- 
panions of  Paul,  they  rushed  into  the  great  theatre.  Paul  was 
held  back  from  presenting  himself  before  the  infuriated  populace 
by  his  friends,  because  they  were  well  aware  that  he  would  have 
been  torn  to  pieces. 

And  now  the  rabble,  wild  as  the  lawless  sea,  raved  and  stormed 
in  the  innnense  building,  some  crying  out  one  thing  and  some 
another,  the  great  majority,  however,  being  ignorant  of  the  cause 
of  the  commotion.  The  scene  grew  wilder  and  wilder  as  the 
whole  mob  for  two  hours  continued  to  cry  out,  "  Great  is  Diana 
of  the  Ephesians." 

At  length,  with  singular  tact  and  calmness,  the  chief  officer  of 
the  city  succeeded  in  gaining  the  attention  of  the  mob  and  in 
quieting  their  wrathful  excitement.  Pie  appealed  to  the  fact  that 
all  acknowledged  Diana  as  the  tutelary  deity  of  Ephesus,  to  the 
prudence  and  wisdom  of  their  being  calm,  to  the  custom,  so  well 
known,  of  referring  all  such  questions  to  the  established  courts  of 
law,  to  the  evidence  that  Paul  and  his  associates  were  no  robbers 
of  temples  or  blasphemers  of  their  deity,  and  to  the  danger  they 
were  incurring  of  being  called  in  question  for  such  tumultuous 
proceedings  by  the  Roman  government. 

The  danger  was  in  this  way  averted,  the  tumult  subdued,  and 
the  mob  dispersed.  But  Paul  learned  from  the  events  of  that  day 
that  his  personal  safety  required  that  he  should  withdraw  from 
that  field  of  gospel  labor.  The  Lord  had  made  express  provision 
for  such  an  emergency  in  the  word  contained  in  his  first  mission- 
ary charge  to  the  apostles:  "When  they  persecute  you  in  this 
city,  flee  ye  into  another."  Following  this  instruction,  Paul  de- 
termined to  leave  Ephesus.  His  work  in  that  city  was  done,  the 
gospel  had  been  preached  so  that  every  one  could  hear  it,  Chris- 
tianity had  become  fully  established,  and  the  great  apostle  of  the 
Gentiles  could  find  another  field,  in  which,  in  the  future,  he  could 
labor  more  efficiently  than  there. 

Such  were  the  leading  events  connected  with  the  apostle's  work 
in  the  chief  of  the  seven  apocalyptic  cities.  The  results  were  stu- 
pendous.   Out  of  that  work  it  came  to  pass  that  in  that  city  there 


THE  GOSPEL'S  FIEST   ENCOUNTER  WITH  PAGANISM.       55 

arose  a  splendid  practical  demonstration  that  the  gospel  was  de- 
signed for  the  Gentile  as  well  as  for  the  Jewish  world  ;  that  blows 
the  most  tremendous  were  struck  against  the  walls  of  idolatry;  that 
the  foundations  of  the  most  renowned  pagan  worship  were  loos- 
ened; that  changes  the  most  radical  and  important  were  intro- 
duced and  firmly  established ;  and  that  there  was  brought  into 
the  kingdom  of  our  Lord  a  great  body  of  believers  who  must 
have  had  the  richest  and  the  ripest  experience,  since  they  were 
prepared  to  receive  messages  so  profound  and  spiritual  as  those 
which  are  found  in  the   "  Epistle  to  the  Ephesians." 

7.    JOHN'S   CONNECTION  WITH  THE  WOEK. 

The  church  of  Asia  Minor  was  thus  planted  chiefly  by  the  wis- 
dom and  self-sacrificing  toils  of  Paul,  the  chief  of  the  apostles, 
but  to  nurture  it  required  a  skill  and  an  industry  that  were  equally 
great.  All  was  crude  and  untried,  and  hence  great  care  was  needed 
in  order  to  carry  on  the  work  with  success.  As  is  always  the  case 
when  the  necessity  arises,  God  had  a  man  ready  for  the  work.  The 
beloved  disciple  John  was  the  man  whom  God  in  his  wisdom  and 
providence  sent  to  the  land  of  the  seven  churches  to  confirm  the 
initiatory  work  of  Paul  and  to  establish  the  cause  in  that  country 
which  would  send  out  its  influences  over  all  other  countries.  Paul 
planted,  but  in  this  case  John  watered.  The  same  general  plan 
of  divine  working  has  many  times  over  been  witnessed  through- 
out the  history  of  the  Church.  It  was  so  in  the  times  of  the  Ref- 
ormation. Then  it  was  the  work  of  Luther  to  break  through 
every  obstacle  and  lay  the  foundations  of  the  structure  of  God's 
revivified  Church ;  it  was  the  work  of  Calvin  to  build  on  those 
foundations  and  arrange  the  splendid  edifice  and  perfect  it  for 
the  glorious  destiny  unto  which  it  was  appointed. 

The  mission  of  the  beloved  disciple  was  chiefly  in  the  favored 
land  of  proconsular  Asia.  There  the  greater  part  of  his  apostolic 
life  was  passed.  It  is  certain  that  after  the  crucifixion  of  Chri.st 
he  remained  for  a  time  in  Jerusalem,  taking  care  of  the  mother 
of  our  Lord  who  had  been  committed  to  his  charge  by  the  dying 
lips  of  his  Master,  while  he  assisted  in  guiding  the  interests  of  the 
infant  Church.  But  the  career  of  that  city  drew  toward  its  dread- 
ful close,  and  the  people  of  God  must  flee  elsewhere. 

John's  steps  were  directed  to  Ephesus,  where  God  had  a  wider 
field  and  a  grander  work  prejDared  for  him.  In  the  cities  of  Asia 
Minor  he  lived  and  testified  of  Christ.  There  he  wrought  miracles, 
endured  persecutions,  organized  Christian  societies,  taught  the  way 


56        INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

of  life,  gathered  souls  into  the  kingdom,  reproved  error,  watched 
over  the  infant  branches  of  the  kingdom,  and  impressed  his  own 
Christ-taught  character  upon  the  cause  of  the  gospel  for  thirty  or 
forty  years.  No  mortal  ever  had  a  more  honorable  mission.  No 
man  ever  left  a  deeper,  brighter,  more  glorious  impress  upon  the 
ages  and  nations  than  did  John,  the  disciple  whom  Jesus  loved, 
during  the  closing  years  of  his  apostleship,  chiefly  in  the  city  of 
Ephesus.  No  wonder  that  even  to  this  day  his  memorial  is  fixed 
upon  the  ruins  of  that  city  where  he  lived,  preached,  died,  and 
was  buried,  for  even  to  the  present  hour  its  desolate  ruins  bear 
the  name  of  "Ayasaluk" — "the  holy  theologian." 

8.    GLIMPSES  OF  TIMOTHY'S  WOEK. 

It  would  seem  that  the  very  wisest  and  best  of  the  gospel  work- 
men were  used  in  establishing  these  first  churches  which  arose  on 
Gentile  soil  and  were  designed  to  serve  as  a  pattern  for  all  other 
churches  that  were  to  follow.  The  adorable  Head  of  the  kingdom 
seems  to  have  chosen  his  choicest  instruments  for  a  work  so  vast  in 
itself  and  so  momentous  in  its  results.  We  have  aiready  seen  thai) 
the  faithful  Priscilla  and  Aquila  Avere  sent  to  toil  in  that  field  ;  that 
there  the  eloquent  Apollos  exerted  his  mightiest  efforts ;  that  Paul, 
the  greatest  of  the  apostles,  made  it  the  chief  field  of  his  labors; 
that  John,  the  dearly-beloved  friend  of  our  Lord,  spent  the  better 
I)art  of  his  life  in  the  grand  enterprise;  and  we  are  now  to  add 
that  Timothy,  the  favorite  spiritual  child  of  Paul,  put  forth  his 
strength  on  this  work  upon  which  so  much  was  dependent.  How 
long  or  exactly  when  this  eminent  servant  of  Christ  labored  in 
Ephesus  we  do  not  know.  All  tliat  we  have  are  mere  glimpses 
of  his  work. 

That  he  was  in  Ephesus  we  know,  and  that  he  held  an  important 
position  there  we  are  also  positive,  for  Paul  writes  to  him  :  "  I  be- 
sought thee  to  abide  still  at  Ephesus  when  I  went  into  INIacedonia, 
that  thou  mightest  charge  some  that  they  teach  no  other  doctrine." 
Indeed,  everything  seems  to  confirm  the  tradition  that  Timothy 
spent  the  latter  part  of  his  life  in  Ephesus,  striving  to  confirm 
the  work  already  done,  to  eheck  the  downward  progress  of  error 
and  corruption,  and  to  help  forward  the  glorious  cause  in  that 
metropolitan  city.  There  he  lived,  there  he  toiled,  there  he  suf- 
fered, and  there,  in  all  probability,  he  died  the  death  of  a  martyr, 
a  few  years  after  Paul  had  glorified  God  in  the  same  way  at  Rome. 
What  gives  Timothy's  work  at  Ephesus  its  great  importance  is  the 
conviction  that  such  a  man,  the  favorite  pupil  of  Paul,  the  Spirit- 


THE  GOSPEL'S   FIRST   ENCOUNTER  WITH  PAGANISM.       57 

taught  minister  of  the  Chi^rch  in  her  most  eventful  days,  the 
honorecji  man  wliose  name  is  connected  with  two  of  the  books  in 
the  inspired  volume,  would  not  have  been  appointed  by  the  great 
Head  of  the  Church  to  a  work  that  was  not  of  the  very  first  import- 
ance. The  aid  of  Timothy  was  used  in  the  first  great  conflict  of  the 
gospel  with  paganism  in  establishing  the  seven  churches ;  this  is  in 
itself  a  volume  of  important  information. 

9.    EAPIDITY  OF   THE   CHURCH'S  GROWTH. 

It  is  impossible  to  study  with  care  the  rapidity  of  the  Church's 
growth  in  this  Asiatic  land  without  being  convinced  that  there 
was  in  it  a  lesson  designed  for  instruction  throughout  all  after- 
times.  It  had  an  immediate  and  direct  purpose,  but  it  also  had  this 
ulterior  one :  this  first  and  most  successful  contact  of  the  gospel  with 
the  pagan  world  was  a  lesson,  never  to  be  forgotten,  of  what  it 
might  alw^ays  do.  In  this  respect  it  was  a  grand  element  of  the 
beacon  for  which  the  whole  event  and  the  record  of  it  were  de- 
signed. 

It  is  remarkable  how  very  rapidly  the  gospel  progressed  in  those 
sixty-three  years.  We  would  have  expected  that,  considering  the 
great  ignorance  of  divine  things  which  universally  prevailed,  the  de- 
pravity which  had  become  so  deep  and  hard,  the  personal  interests 
which  were  linked  in  with  pagan  worship,  as  well  as  the  natural 
and  universal  hostility  of  men  to  the  truth,  Christianity  would  have 
been  very  slow  in  making  its  way  in  that  heathen  population.  In- 
stead of  that,  however,  its  advance  in  a  little  over  half  a  century 
was  marvelous.  The  wisdom  and  the  power  and  the  boundless 
resources  of  the  God  of  the  gospel  were  manifested  in  this.  In 
giving  to  his  gospel  such  exemplary  success  at  that  time  we  see 
what  divine  energies  were  put  forth,  for  in  it  we  find  the  Holy 
Spirit  which  is  still  granted  to  the  Church  with  supernatural  power; 
the  marvels  of  God's  providence  to  which  either  then  or  now  there 
are  not  any  limits ;  the  boundless  resources  contained  in  the  claim, 
"  All  jDOwer  is  given  unto  me  in  heaven  and  in  earth  ;"  the  despised 
Jews  with  their  lingering  knowledge  of  the  true  God  and  his  word ; 
the  enterprise  and  civilization  of  a  people  gathered  from  the  most 
cultivated  nations  of  the  world  ;  the  weariness  of  men  with  all  the 
objects  of  worship  which  were  then  in  existence;  the  widespread 
cravings  of  thousands  of  souls  for  a  rest  which  nothing  upon  earth 
had  yet  afibrded ;  the  fresh  earnestness  of  the  greatest  of  the  apos- 
tles; yea,  even  the  very  wrath  of  man  which  God  so  often  makes 
to  praise  him  ;  all  these,  united,  intensified,  and  guided  by  a  divine 


58        INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

hand,  brouglit  about  this  rapid  and  blessed  change  at  which  the 
world  might  well  stand  aghast  with  amazement.  ^ 

The  progress  of  the  gospel  during  its  first  few  years  in  that  region 
of  pagan  darkness  can  be  appreciated  by  us  only  when  we  compare 
it  with  the  present,  and  when  we  take  that  sudden  change  and  esti- 
mate it  in  the  light  of  some  similar  changes  in  our  own  day.  The 
advance  which  we  behold  Christianity  making  at  the  present  time 
has  been  the  result  of  the  work  of  centuries;  the  state  of  these 
seven  churches  was  the  result  of  only  a  little  more  than  half  a 
century  of  gospel  toil.  Estimate  the  shortness  of  the  time,  and 
then  look  at  the  many  things  which  indicate  the  wondrous  prog- 
ress of  the  cause  therein.  Sixty-three  years!  and  in  that  short 
space  the  stupendous  system  of  heathen  worship  was  shaken  to 
its  very  foundations ;  the  churches  of  Ephesus,  Smyrna,  Pergamos, 
Thyatira,  Sardis,  Philadelphia,  Laodicea,  Colosse,  Hierapolis,  Mile- 
tus, and  no  doubt  many  others,  were  firmly  established ;  the  broad 
and  deep  foundations  were  laid  of  churches  which  have  been  looked 
back  upon  as  patterns  through  all  the  centuries;  churches  were 
founded  so  important  that  these  special  messages  were  sent  to  them 
from  the  heavenly  throne— churches  so  prominent  in  the  movements 
of  the  divine  kingdom  that  their  departures  from  truth  and  right- 
eousness were  made  a  perpetual  warning  for  all  the  succeeding  ages 
—churches  that  have  modified  the  currents  of  human  destiny — 
churches  whose  influence  was  to  be  so  momentous  that  the  provi- 
dence of  God  in  a  sjiecial  manner  directed  all  the  steps  of  their 
history,  and  the  Son  of  God  addressed  to  them  these  messages 
of  surpassing  importance. 

In  order  to  appreciate  the  magnitude  of  this  first  great  move- 
ment of  Christianity  among  the  Gentile  nations,  we  have  but  to 
study  what  it  found  Asia  Minor,  and  then  what  it  made  that 
country  in  a  space  of  time  which  was  but  a  little  over  half  a 
century.  In  the  beginning  of  that  period  it  found  it  a  land  of 
wellnigh  unbroken  paganism;  at  the  close  it  had  become  the 
home  of  these  seven  churches.  At  the  beginning  it  was  a  region 
dark  as  the  shadow  of  death ;  at  the  close  it  was  a  centre  of  the 
brightest  light,  sending  out  its  beams  through  every  region  of 
the  civilized  world.  At  the  beginning  it  was  famed  chiefly  for 
its  pagan  wonders  of  the  world  and  for  its  perishable  monu- 
ments; at  its  close  it  was  renowned  as  the  seat  of  the  seven 
golden  candlesticks  with  their  celestial  glory.  At  the  beginning 
it  was  celebrated  as  the  theatre  of  the  wisdom  and  the  mighty 
deeds  of  a  Homer,  a  Croesus,  and  an  Alexander  the  Great;  at  its 


THE  GOSPEL'S  FIRST   ENCOUNTER  WITH  PAGANISM.       59 

close  it  was  known  as  the  land  which  had  witnessed  the  toils 
and  the  sufferings  and  the  triumphs  of  Christ-taught  Timothy  and 
John  and  Paul.  At  the  beginning  it  could  boast  of  its  splendid 
cities,  its  magnificent  architecture,  its  great  schools  of  philosophy, 
and  its  shrines  and  its  idols ;  at  its  close  it  rejoiced  in  its  churches 
made  without  hands,  in  its  names  registered  in  the  book  of  life, 
and  in  its  streams  of  gracious  influence  that  would  spread  afar 
throughout  all  the  families  of  the  world.  It  is  i)robable  that 
never,  in  the  same  length  of  time,  in  one  land,  did  the  gospel 
make  such  rapid  and  solid  progress  as  it  did  then  and  in  that 
land.  As  was  well  said  by  a  brilliant  preacher.  Griffin:  "In  the 
wonderful  campaign  Christ  went  forth  single-handed  against  two 
Avorlds.  He  girded  his  sword  upon  his  thigh  and  marched  directly 
into  the  heart  of  Satan's  kingdom.  Wherever  he  went  he  con- 
quered. At  his  approach  temples  and  altars  fell  and  oracles  grew 
dumb  ;  the  Roman  empire,  the  chief  seat  of  Satan's  visible  empire, 
shook  to  its  centre  and  afterward  fell  prostrate  at  his  feet.  He 
marched  through  the  lands,  breaking  down  the  jjrisons  which 
Satan  had  reared  to  confine  his  wretched  captives.  Millions  who 
had  been  immured  in  dungeons  were  brought  forth  to  the  joyous 
light.  Wherever  he  came,  freedom  and  joy  sprung  up  around 
him."  In  all  this  we  may  see  most  clearly  what  the  truth  as  it 
is  in  Christ  Jesus,  when  used  by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  is 
capable  of  accomplishing.  Oh,  had  the  Church  only  been  faith- 
ful to  her  trust,  the  world  had  been  converted  long  ago! 

10.    STEENGTH  OF  THE  CHURCHES  IN  NUMBERS. 

How  large  were  these  seven  churches? — how  strong  in  numbers? 
We  have  no  definite  answer  to  this  question  on  record,  but  we  can 
gather  up  several  facts  and  inferences  which  will  aid  us  in  making 
an  estimate. 

From  the  fact  that  Demetrius  and  other  silver-workers  of  Ephe- 
sus  were  so  much  alarmed  at  the  decrease  of  their  trade  we  can  see 
that  the  Christians  had  become  a  large  element  in  the  population 
of  that  city.  If  they  had  been  a  mere  handful,  those  who  as- 
saulted them  would  not  have  been  so  much  excited.  That  the 
business  of  the  shrine-makers  was  falling  off  and  in  danger  of 
being  ruined  furnishes  clear  evidence  that  the  Church  of  Christ 
was  extending  rapidly  among  the  masses.  That  Diana — whose 
temple  was  one  of  the  wonders  of  the  world,  and  which  attracted 
worshipers  from  all  Asia — was  inade  to  tremble  upon  her  throne 
tells   of  the  uprising  of  a  formidable   adversary.      Still  further, 


60        INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

we  can  form  some  estimate  of  the  strength  of  these  churches 
from  the  fact  that  the  ascended  King  committed  to  their  trust 
these  apocalyptic  messages  which  were  designed  for  the  whole 
Church  of  God  through  all  time.  We  may  also  form  an  instruc- 
tive estimate  from  the  gathering  at  Miletus  of  the  Ephesians  to 
meet  Paul  on  his  way  to  Jerusalem.  The  facts  that  the  inspired 
apostle  felt  impelled  to  summon  such  an  assemblage;  that  the 
whole  gathering  consisted  of  elders;  that  these  elders  were  all 
from  the  one  city  of  Ephesus;  that  Paul  was  led  to  deliver  such 
a  profound  address;  and  that  in  that  address  there  were  sev- 
eral allusions  and  counsels  indicative  of  a  strong  body  of  believers, 
—all  these  things  make  it  plain  that  there  must  have  been  a  very 
large  number  of  Christians  in  Ephesus,  which  was  only  one  of  the 
seven. 

Still  other  evidence  of  the  strength  of  these  churches  we  have 
from  a  pagan  writer.  Pliny,  governor  of  Pontus  and  Bithynia, 
in  a  letter  to  the  emperor  Trajan,  Written  a  few  years  after  the 
penning  of  the  Apocalypse,  requested  instruction  as  to  the  man- 
ner in  which  he  should  deal  with  those  accused  of  being  Chris- 
tians. Christians,  he  writes,  there  were  everywhere — through- 
out the  whole  extent  of  the  provinces,  in  cities,  in  villages,  and 
in  the  open  country.  Among  them  were  persons  of  all  ages,  of 
every  rank  and  condition,  and  of  both  sexes;  and  some  of  them 
also  were  citizens  of  Rome.  The  prevalence  of  Christianity  ap- 
pears likewise  from  the  universal  decay  of  pagan  worship.  The 
temples  were  deserted  and  the  sacrifices  discontinued.  Beasts 
brought  to  market  as  victims  had  few  purchasers.  So  many  were 
accused,  and  were  in  danger  of  suffering  on  account  of  the  prev- 
alence of  the  new  religion,  that  the  governor  of  the  country  was 
much  concerned.  Still  other  facts  might  be  adduced  to  show 
that  a  large  portion  of  the  population  had  been  led  to  the  accept- 
ance of  Christianity. 

11.    STRENGTH   IN   RELIGIOUS  CHARACTER. 

The  degree  of  knowledge  and  depth  of  piety  in  these  churches 
were  also  remarkable,  considering  that  they  had  not  been  matured 
by  ages  of  growth,  as  our  churches  have  been.  We  have  evidences 
of  this  on  every  side.  The  people  who  could  appreciate  or  even 
comprehend  sivch  writing  as  the  Epistle  to  the  Ephesians  must 
have  made  high  attainments  in  grace.  It  is  very  significant  in- 
deed that  the  Epistles  to  the  Ephesians,  to  the  Colossians,  and  to 
the    Galatiaus— so    exalted   and   so   profound— were   first   sent   to 


THE  GOSPEL'S  FIRST   ENCOUNTER  WITH   PAGANISM.       61 

chur(?iies  of  Asia  Minor.  It  may  well  be  questioned  whether, 
even  in  the  present  clay,  there  are  Christians  of  riper  experience 
than  were  those  of  the  seven  churches  to  whom  the  enthroned 
King  addressed  his  inaugural  messages. 

Many  other  things  gave  evidence  of  the  depth  of  the  piety  of 
these  early  believers  of  the  first  churches.  It  was  seen  in  the  sac- 
rifices they  made  for  their  Lord.  Would  we,  at  the  present  day, 
be  ready  to  endure  such  sufferings  from  the  hands  of  persecutors 
as  they  experienced?  Is  there  with  us  a  strength  of  principle,  a 
willingness  to  give  up  self,  an  intensity  of  purpose  that  would 
sustain  us  in  struggling  against  such  inveterate  habits  of  vice  and 
idolatry  as  they  subdued?  Such  considerations  make  it  manifest 
that  their  faith  was  sound  and  that  the  Christian  character  result- 
ing therefrom  was  substantial. 


CHAPTER    III. 
MESSAGES  FROM  HEAVEN. 

1.    CAREFUL   STUDY   EEQUIEED. 

As  the  student  of  nature  must  search  for  the  phenomena  of 
nature  and  classify  them  in  order  that  he  may  discover  the  laws 
which  the  Creator  has  impressed  on  the  works  of  his  hands,  so 
must  the  student  of  Scripture  search  for  the  teachings  of  the  Sacred 
Book  and  arrange  them  in  order  that  he  may  understand  the  prin- 
ciples according  to  which  the  same  Supreme  Being  governs  his 
spiritual  kingdom.  The  manifestations  of  his  wisdom,  power,  and 
goodness  in  tlie  two  realms  must  be  similar.  The  way  of  studying 
tliem  must  be  substantially  the  same,  even  though  there  are  some 
points  wherein  the  spiritual  must  soar  immeasurably  above  what  is 
usually  denominated  science. 

The  author  of  the  Bible  and  of  nature  being  one  and  the  same, 
it  is  to  be  expected  that  these  works  would  have  similar  charac- 
teristics. Hence  we  are  not  surprised  at  finding  that  the  phe- 
nomena of  the  one  and  the  facts  or  teachings  of  the  other  are 
not  generally  arranged  in  scientific  order,  but  are  widely  scattered 
in  various  connections.  The  phenomena  of  matter  and  mind  are 
scattered  throughout  all  the  provinces  of  creation,  and  the  facts  of 
the  Bible  are  to  be  found  in  all  parts  of  the  Sacred  Book.  The 
student  of  the  material  and  spiritual  works  of  God  carefully  in- 
(juires  and  experiments  until  he  reaches  the  phenomena,  and  then 
he  is  delighted  to  find  that  they  all  fall  into  a  beautiful  system, 
where  everything  has  a  place  and  tends  to  some  definite  end. 
Everything  is  guided  by  law.  The  whole  system  is  full  of  order 
and  beauty  and  use.  The  ultimate  tendency  of  all  is  to  manifest 
the  glory  of  God.  This  is  the  grand  discovery  of  science.  But 
there  must  be  i)ro found  and  long-continued  study  in  order  to 
reach  the  result. 

Precisely  thus  must  it  be  with  the  student  of  the  Bible  if  he 
would  reach  any  good  degree  of  satisfaction  in  his  sacred  pursuit. 
Except  the  vital  and  fupdamental  facts  of  religion,  which  lie  on 
the  surface,  and  must  be  known  if  anything  whatever  is  known 
of  that  exalting  subject,  all  the  treasures  of  the  Bible  must  be 
62 


MESSAGES  FROM  HEAVEN.  63 

reached  through  well-planned  and  profound  study.  The  divine 
laws  of  the  Bible  must  be  ascertained  through  investigations  in 
detail  of  the  facts  or  teachings  which  are  contained  in  the  chapters, 
verses,  or  clauses  of  the  book.  But  when  these  are  reached  with 
even  a  tolerable  degree  of  certainty,  then  will  be  seen  the  perfection 
of  the  Bible  as  the  revelation  of  God's  will,  in  which  everything 
is  in  its  most  fitting  place  and  contributes  in  the  best  manner  to 
the  one  end— even  that  of  setting  forth  Christ  and  him  crucified. 
This  is  at  once  the  foundation,  the  centre,  and  the  top-stone  of 
all  our  investigations.  There  is  no  more  lofty  study  than  that 
of  discovering  and  classifying  the  facts,  the  laws,  and  the  prin- 
ciples of  God's  word. 

Upon  this  field  of  research  would  we  now  enter.  Through  this 
it  is  that  we  may  be  made  wise  unto  salvation.  By  this  the  soul 
may  become  more  and  more  meet  for  the  inheritance  of  the  saints 
in  light.  By  it  the  great  springs  must  be  set  in  motion  that 
will  eventuate  in  bringing  our  whole  world  to  Christ.  The 
word  of  God  rightly  understood  and  applied  is  the  appointed 
instrumentality  through  which  the  divine  decree  is  yet  to  be  ful- 
filled that  the  Son  of  God  shall  have  the  heathen  for  his  inherit- 
ance and  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth  for  his  possession. 
Through  the  word  applied  to  the  soul  it  is  yet  to  come  to  pass 
"  that  at  the  name  of  Jesus  every  knee  should  bow,  of  things 
in  heaven,  and  things  in  earth,  and  things  under  the  earth ;  and 
that  every  tongue  should  confess  that  Jesus  Christ  is  Lord,  to 
the  glory  of  God  the  Father." 

2.  THE  MESSAGES  ARE  UNIQUE  PORTIOXS  OF  SCRIPTURE. 
The  passage  of  Scripture  which  contains  the  special  messages 
from  heaven  to  the  seven  churches  of  Asia  differs  in  almost  every 
respect  from  all  other  portions  of  the  Sacred  Book.  It  is  mani- 
festly unique  when  compared  with  any  other  book  that  was  ever 
penned.  There  ftre  several  well-defined  elements  of  this  singular- 
ity which  ought  to  receive  our  careful  attention: 

(1)  There  is  mystery  in  the  messages  both  in  their  matter  and 
form — a  mystery  that  was  not  unintentional.  The  divine  Author 
clothed  them  in  mystery  for  some  good  purpose,  as  we  learn  from 
his  own  words:  "The  mystery  of  the  seven  stars  which  thou  sawest 
in  my  right  hand,  and  the  seven  golden  candlesticks." 

(2)  Another  peculiarity,  immediately  connected  with  the  fore- 
going, is  the  great  difficulty  there  obviously  is  in  getting  down 
to  the  true  meaning  of  much  that  is  in  these  two  chapters.    In 


64  IN  AUG  HEAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

many  cases  it  is  not  possible  to  do  this  without  much  patient 
thought  and  research.  This  is  evident  from  the  many  interpre- 
tations which  much  of  it  has  received. 

(3)  The  brevity  of  this  passage  is  singular.  It  evidently  holds 
a  prominent  place  in  the  plan  of  revelation,  and  yet  it  is  con- 
tained in  the  short  space  of  two  chapters.  In  that  concise  por- 
tion of  the  word  we  have  seven  imjiortant  messages  to  as  many 
churches.  These  cover  all  the  vital  points  of  Christian  life  and 
godliness;  they  portray  the  various  attributes  of  the  divine  Being; 
they  contain  rebukes,  commendations,  counsels,  threatenings,  prom- 
ises, exhortations,  and  thus  reach  almost  every  feature  of  the 
believer's  experience.  Why  are  they  so  comprehensive?  Why 
are  they  given  with  so  much  brevity?  W*hy  do  they  lay  down 
principles  only?  This  is  a  remarkable  characteristic  of  the  mes- 
sages.   It  is  significant,  and  must  have  a  wise  object  in  view. 

(4)  Who  can  tell  exactly  the  meaning  of  the  peculiar  location 
of  this  portion  of  God's  revealed  will?  It  seems  vitally  con- 
nected with  the  divine  unfolding  of  the  whole  destiny  of  the 
Church  and  the  world,  and  yet  has  no  part  in  it.  It  is  inserted 
as  an  element  of  the  most  sublime  of  books  in  the  Bible,  and 
that  where  every  word  is  freighted  with  meaning  as  the  whole 
volume  hastens  to  a  close,  and  yet  it  seems  to  be  utterly  isolated. 
Who  shall  explain  this? 

(5)  The  messages  were  addressed  to  the  old  churches  of  Asia 
Minor.  About  eighteen  centuries  have  passed  away ;  the  churches 
have  almost  died  out  from  the  memory  of  men,  and  nothing  but 
ruins  remain  to  mark  the  spot  where  most  of  them  stood;  and 
yet  those  messages  pertained  to  the  living  questions  of  this  very 
day,  and  were  intended  for  us  also,  as  well  as  for  the  generations 
yet  to  come.  They  are  even, pressed  home  upon  us  with  a  special 
promise  upon  their  careful  study.    W^hat  means  this? 

(6)  How  strange  that  these  messages,  so  old  and  yet  so  new, 
so  isolated  in  their  position  and  yet  so  vitallj^  connected  with 
every  other  portion  of  the  Sacred  Book,  should  be  revealed  in 
a  way  so  different  from  all  the  rest!  In  order  to  impress  them 
upon  the  people  for  whom  they  were  intended,  the  aged  disciple- 
friend  of  our  Lord  is  sent  a  prisoner  to  a  solitary  island  in  the 
-^gean  Sea.  He  is  absorbed  in  tlie  devotion  of  the  Lord's  day. 
The  revealing  Spirit  wraps  him  in  vision ;  the  heavens  are  opened 
to  his  view ;  celestial  scenes  pass  before  his  gaze ;  the  voice  of 
the  glorified  Son  of  man  is  heard;  a  charge  is  given  to  him  to 
write  and  send  the  divine  commands  to  seven  of  the  churches 


MESSAGES  FROM  HEAVEN.  65 

where  his  hate  ministry  had  been  spent;  and  then,  after  all  this 
preparation,  these  messages  are  dictated  to  him.  Did  writing 
ever  have  such  a  distinguished  origin  as  this? 

(7)  Why  were  these  messages  addressed  especially  to  those  seven 
churches?  Why  not  to  the  older  and  more  notable  church  of 
Jerusalem?  Why  not  to  the  church  of  Antioch,  where  Chris- 
tianity first  received  that  name?  Why  not  to  the  church  of 
Rome,  which  from  its  location  had  boundless  influence  upon  the 
world?  Why  to  any  particular  churches,  and  not  to  the  people 
of  God  in  general? 

Put  all  these  peculiarities  of  the  messages  together;  think  of 
them  as  intentionally  mysterious  in  matter  and  in  form — as  dark 
and  difScult  to  explore  in  their  full  meaning — as  brief  almost 
beyond  comprehension — as  vitally  connected  with,  and  yet  iso- 
lated from,  the  rest  of  the  inspired  pages — as  directly  addressed 
to  those  seven  churches  while  intended  for  the  living  issues  of 
every  age— as  revealed  in  a  manner  so  unlike  every  other  portion 
of  the  Bible — and  addressed,  as  if  exclusively,  to  seven  particular 
congregations  of  God's  peoi)le; — when  we  reflect  on  these  as  well 
as  on  other  extraordinary  features  of  these  messages,  we  cannot  but 
receive  the  impression  that  this  very  singularity  was  divinely  de- 
signed, and  that  for  a  very  important  end.  Regarding  them  in 
what  light  we  may,  through  the  strange  emphasis  which  is  laid 
on  them  we  are  admonished  in  the  beginning  to  look  for  some- 
thing of  vast  importance. 

3.   GEEAT   NUMBER   OF   BOOKS   WRITTEN   ON  THE  MESSAGES. 

It  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  this  passage  of  Scripture  has 
received  most  i)rofound  study  from  the  people  of  God.  Earnest 
piety,  profound  intellect,  and  busy  pens  have  put  forth  their  best 
efforts  on  this  portion  of  Holy  Writ.  This  fact  shows  how  import- 
ant this  portion  of  the  Sacred  Book  is  in  the  estimation  of  those 
who  have  been  the  be&;t  qualified  to  judge.  It  manifests  most 
clearly  how  the  heart  of  piety  is  in  it.  It  shows  that  here  is  a 
mine  of  divine  riches  which  has  attracted  multitudes  of  work- 
men, who  have  successfully  toiled,  and  yet,  after  all  their  toils, 
it  has  not  been  exhausted. 

4.   IMPORTANCE  OF  THE  MESSAGES  IN   GOD'S  ESTEEM. 

Whatever  may  have  been  the  divine  purpose  in  causing  these 
messages  to  be  written,  it  must  have  been  a  very  important  one, 

5 


G6        INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

since  two  chapters  out  of  the  twenty-two  which  contain  the  whole 
revelation  of  the  future  are  devoted  to  it.  The  same  thing  is 
seen  in  the  care  tliat  was  exercised  in  preparing  the  cities  and 
churches  to  be  the  recipients  of  the  messages.  There  was  cer- 
tainly a  special  providence  in  it  that  at  that  time  there  should 
have  been  in  those  seven  cities  such  churches,  well  established, 
strong,  and  fully  oi'ganized,  as  was  plainly  the  case,  since  they 
could  be  addressed  through  their  angels.  There  was  certainly  a 
very  marked  providence  in  it  that,  though  those  seven  cities  were, 
for  the  most  part,  substantially  alike  in  population  and  culture, 
yet  they  were  so  diverse  in  character  as  to  cause  such  an  in- 
structive variety  in  the  effects  of  the  gospel  upon  them.  The 
cities  had  distinct  characters  of  their  own,  even  though  they 
were  not  many  miles  apart.  Ephesus  was  the  city  of  active, 
cultivated,  sensual  idolatry;  Smyrna  the  city  of  commerce;  Per- 
gamos  the  cathedral  and  college  city,  the  seat  of  culture;  Thya- 
tira  the  city  of  gross  sensuality;  Sardis  the  aristocratic  city; 
Philadelphia  a  city  small  and  despised ;  I^aodicea  the  rich  and 
purse-proud  city.  These  characteristics  were  well  marked,  and 
they  gave  a  peculiar  type  to  the  respective  churches.  In  these 
seven  cities  there  were  seven  distinct  types  of  religion,  and  these 
such  as  to  embrace  every  variety.  Unquestionably,  the  heart 
and  hand  of  God  were  in  this — a  providential  meaning,  and 
an  indication  of  the  Interest  attached  to  the  messages  in  the 
divine  mind,  which  we  cannot  notice  without  being  very  deeply 
impressed. 

The  esteem  in  which  our  Lord  held  these  messages  may  also 
be  seen  in  the  extraordinary  way  in  which  they  were  made 
known.  They  were  communicated,  in  a  special  manner,  through 
the  aged  John,  the  disciple  whom  Jesus  loved.  They  would  not  have 
come  to  us  so  lovingly  and  so  solemnly  had  they  come  through  any 
other.  It  would  seem  that  our  Lord  kept  alive  this  servant  whom 
he  loved  so  well,  long  after  all  his  brother  disciples  and  friends  had 
gone  home,  in  order  that  his  name  and  influence  might  gain  for 
ihis  Master's  words  a  more  ready  acceptance  among  the  faithful. 
Through  the  beloved  disciple  who  had  leaned  uj^on  his  bosom  at 
the  supper  would  he  make  the  revelation  upon  which  his  heart 
was  set.  He  takes  that  aged  friend  of  his  earthly  days  to  the 
lonely  island  of  Patmos,  that  there  he  might  commune  with  him 
concerning  the  events  that  were  awaiting  his  Church.  As  often 
in  the  bygone  days  he  had  gone  up  with  him  to  some  solitary 
mountain-top,   and   there,  beneath  the  stars  and  the    canopy  of 


MESSAGES  FROM  HEAVEN.  67 

heaven,  had  opened  his  heart  to  liim  about  the  interests  of  his 
kingdom,  so  now,  once  more  upon  earth,  would  he  pour  out  his 
soul  concerning  the  most  momentous  of  earthly  things  to  him 
who  was  the  best  beloved  of  mortals. 

The  strangeness  of  the  messages  itself  manifested  that  they 
occupied  no  ordinary  place  in  the  regard  of  the  divine  Author. 
They  were  so  singular  in  form  as  to  import  that  they  were  singu- 
lar in  value.  Their  extraordinary  character  proved  that  they 
had  a  mission  of  more  than  ordinary  moment.  We  cannot  but 
be  impressed  with  this  thought  when  we  reflect  on  the  circuitous 
and  singular  method  adopted  in  setting  them  before  the  world. 
A  direct  communication  from  heaven  might  have  accomplished 
the  purpose,  but,  instead  of  that,  we  see  how  roundabout  and 
extraordinary  was  the  process.  How  many  singular  steps!  In 
keeping  the  aged  evangelist  for  many  years  a  missionary  among 
the  churches  of  Asia  Minor;  in  sending  him  a  prisoner  to  the 
solitary  island  of  the  sea;  in  coming  to  him  by  special  presence 
in  the  meditations  of  the  Lord's  day;  in  opening  heaven  to  his 
wondering  gaze;  in  speaking  to  him  by  celestial  voice;  in  pro- 
nouncing the  strange  words  that  were  to  be  delivered  to  the 
churches;  in  commanding  that  these  words  should  be  written 
and  sent  to  the  angels  of  the  churches;  in  dictating  a  message 
to  each  church  separately ;  in  filling  each  message  with  symbols 
such  as  were  never  presented  before ; — all  this  most  certainly  must 
have  sprung  from  a  deep  interest  in  the  mind  of  the  Revealer. 
This  same  j^lace  in  the  divine  regard  is  also  seen  in  shaping  each 
message  according  to  the  character  of  the  people  to  whom  it  is 
addressed,  and  in  the  fact  that  throughout  them  all  there  is  no 
confusion,  no  tautology,  but  every  emblem  and  every  word  is 
discriminating,  definite,  full  of  meaning. 

Still  further,  this  special  divine  interest  in  the  messages  is 
apparent  from  the  impressive  words  by  which  they  are  urged 
home  upon  the  attention  of  believers:  "Blessed  is  he  that  read- 
eth,  and  they  that  hear  the  words  of  this  prophecy."  How  the 
whole  believing  world  should  awake  and  listen  to  the  charge 
given  to  the  Spirit-illumined  seer :  "  Write  the  things  which  thou 
hast  seen,  and  the  things  which  are,  and  the  things  which  shall 
be  hereafter"!  Who  can  be  inattentive  when  seven  times  over 
the  obligation  is  laid  upon  all:  "He  that  hath  an  ear,  let  him  hear 
what  the  Spirit  saith  unto  the  churches"?  No  other  passage  of 
Scripture  is  pressed  home  so  strongly  and  repeatedly  as  this.  We 
cannot   conceive  how  the   divine  esteem   could  be   more   clearly 


68       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

manifested.    Most  undoubtedly,  in  the  mind  of  Christ  their  place 
must  have  been  a  most  exalted  one. 

5.    LOCATION   OF  THE  MESSAGES   IN  THE  APOCALYPSE. 

One  of  the  many  things  showing  the  deep  significance  of  this 
portion  of  Scripture  is  the  prominent  place  it  holds  in  the  last  book 
of  the  Bible.  As  the  Sacred  Book  draws  nearer  to  the  close  its 
words  must  necessarily  grow  more  emphatic.  The  words  of  these 
messages,  then,  are  the  more  weighty  as  they  stand  at  once  at  the 
opening  of  the  Apocalypse  and  near  the  close  of  the  divine  volume. 
Moreover,  they  are  a  sort  of  preface  to  the  book  of  Revelation,  and 
as  such  have  a  claim  to  be  most  carefully  weighed.  They  are  an 
integral  part  of  the  Apocalypse,  without  whicli  that  portion  of 
the  Bible  would  be  incomplete,  if  not  incomprehensible. 

This  location  of  the  messages  is  significant.  All  its  surround- 
ings are  indicative  of  vastly  important  things.  Both  what  goes 
before  and  what  follows  are  filled  with  unearthly  grandeur. 

Contemplate  the  sviblime  things  which  j^recede  the  messages : 
First,  the  salutation  of  the  supreme  Jehovah,  Father,  Son,  and 
Holy  Ghost:  "Grace  be  unto  you,  and  peace,  from  him  which 
is,  and  which  was,  and  which  is  to  come;  and  from  the  seven 
Spirits  which  are  before  his  throne;  and  from  .lesus  Christ,  who 
is  the  faithful  witness,  and  the  first-begotten  of  the  dead,  and 
the  prince  of  the  kings  of  the  earth."  This  is  followed  by  an 
ascription  of  thanksgiving  to  the  Saviour  for  his  infinite  bless- 
ings: "Unto  hira  that  loved  us  and  washed  us  from  our  sins  in 
his  own  blood,  and  hath  made  us  kings  and  priests  unto  God  and 
his  Father;  to  him  be  glory  and  dominion  for  ever  and  ever. 
Amen.''  Next  there  sounds  out  a  i)roclamation  of  the  great 
object  of  the  whole  celestial  scene:  "Behold,  he  cometh  with 
clouds;  and  every  eye  shall  see  him,  and  they  also  which  pierced 
him ;  and  all  the  kindreds  of  the  earth  shall  wail  because  of 
him."  Then  was  heard  the  voice  of  the  glorified  Son  of  man 
asserting  with  divine  majesty,  "I  am  Alpha  and  Omega,  the 
beginning  and  the  ending,  saith  the  Lord,  which  is,  and  which 
was,  and  which  is  to  come,  the  Almighty."  After  this  the  en- 
raptured seer  described  the  position  to  which  he  was  raised:  "I, 
John,  who  also  am  your  brother,  and  companion  in  tribulation, 
and  in  the  kingdom  and  patience  of  Jesus  Christ,  was  in  the  isle 
that  is  called  Patmos,  for  the  word  of  God,  and  for  the  testimony 
of  Jesus  Christ.  I  was  in  the  Spirit  on  the  Jjord's  day,  and  heard 
behind  me  a  great  voice  as  of  a  trumpet."    Then  out  of  tk«  heights 


MESSAGES  FROM  HEAVEN.  G9 

of  glory  there  issued  words  which  dare  be  uttered  by  none  but  the 
Omnipotent:  "I  am  Alpha  and  Omega,  the  first  and  the  1-ast:  and, 
What  thou  seest,  write  in  a  book,  and  send  it  unto  tlie  seven 
churches  which  are  in  Asia."  Tlie  prophet  tlien  turned  to  dis- 
cover W'hence  the  voice  came,  and  there  burst  upon  his  vision  a 
most  transporting  view  of  tlie  church  and  of  the  august  Son  of 
man  in  his  exaltation:  "And  being  turned,  I  saw  seven  golden 
candlesticks ;  and  in  the  midst  of  the  seven  candlesticks  one  like 
unto  the  Son  of  man,  clothed  with  a  garment  down  to  the  foot, 
and  girt  about  the  paps  with  a  golden  girdle.  His  head  and  his 
hair  were  white  like  wool,  as  white  as  snow;  and  his  eyes  were 
as  a  flame  of  fire;  and  his  feet  like  unto  fine  brass,  as  if  they 
burned  in  a  furnace;  and  his  voice  as  the  sound  of  many  waters. 
And  he  had  in  his  right  hand  seven  stars;  and  out  of  his  mouth 
went  a  sharp  twoedged  sword;  and  his  countenance  was  as  the 
sun  shineth  in  his  strength."  Overpowered  by  the  sight,  he  fell 
down  as  one  dead.  But  he  was  reassured  by  the  infinite  tender- 
ness of  the  celestial  King,  who  laid  his  right  hand  on  him  and 
said,  "Fear  not;  I  am  the  first  and  the  last:  I  am  he  that  liveth 
and  was  dead ;  and,  behold,  I  am  alive  for  evermore.  Amen ;  and 
have  the  keys  of  hell  and  of  death."  And  then  from  the  midst 
of  the  scene  of  heavenly  glory  was  given  him  the  charge,  "  Write 
the  things  which  thou  hast  seen,  and  the  things  which  are,  and 
tlie  things  which  shall  be  hereafter."  With  that  there  burst  out 
glimpses  of  the  majestic  scene  as  described:  "The  mystery  of  the 
seven  stars  which  thou  sawest  in  my  right  hand,  and  the  seven 
golden  candlesticks.  The  seven  stars  are  the  angels  of  the  seven 
churches;  and  the  seven  candlesticks  which  thou  sawest  are  the 
seven  churclies."    All  w'iis  full  of  mystery,  sublimity,  awe,  glory. 

By  such  scenes  were  these  messages  introduced.  So  grand  were 
they  in  the  sight  of  Heaven  that  with  all  this  majesty  were  they 
heralded  to  the  Church.  It  was  as  if  the  very  splendors  of  heaven 
were  summoned  so  as  to  call  forth  the  most  profound  attention  to 
every  word  that  God  should  speak.  Then  came  the  messages  to 
the  seven  churches  as  they  are  contained  in  the  two  chapters. 

No  sooner  had  the  sound  of  the  messages  ceased  than  the 
jjrophet  looked,  and,  to  his  still  increasing  amazement,  he  beheld 
a  door  opened  in  heaven  through  which  he  could  gaze  upon  its 
brilliant  scenes.  We  feel  that,  even  guided  by  his  inspired 
words,  we  must  here  approach  with  holy  awe.  A  celestial  voice 
in  trumpet  tone  calls  him  up  amid  the  radiant  glory,  and  then 
the  grand  events  of  the  future  are  made  to  pass  before  him.    Such 


70        INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

sight  as  mortal  eyes  never  beheld  enchained  his  gaze.  The  cen- 
tral, the  supreme,  the  great  white  throne  stood  before  him.  Oh, 
the  indescribable  majesty  of  Him  who  sat  upon  it !  What  imagery 
shall  serve  to  convey  even  a  faint  impression  of  his  grandeur  ?  The 
.jasper  and  the  sardine  stones  are  the  emblems  used.  Tlie  dazzling 
diamonds  and  the  flesh-colored  carnelian,  the  most  brilliant  things 
that  mortals  know,— these  are  used  to  set  forth  his  deity  and  human- 
ity. Still  more  glorious  was  the  sublimity  rendered  by  the  grandeur 
of  an  encircling  rainbow.  But  how  can  we  picture  to  ourselves  the 
multitude  around  the  throne?  "Round  about  the  throne  were 
four  and  twenty  seats,  and  upon  the  seats  I  saw  four  and  twenty 
elders  sitting,  clothed  in  white  raiment;  and  they  had  on  their 
heads  crowns  of  gold.  .  .  .  And  in  the  midst  of  the  throne,  and 
round  about  the  throne,  were  four  living  creatures,  full  of  eyes 
before  and  behind.  And  the  first  living  creature  was  like  a  lion, 
and  the  second  living  creature  like  a  calf,  and  the  third  living 
creature  had  a  face  as  a  man,  and  the  fourth  living  creature  was 
like  a  flying  eagle.  And  the  four  living  creatures  had  each  of  them 
six  wings  about  him,  and  they  wei'e  full  of  eyes  within."  The 
awe  of  the  heavenly  scene  becomes  more  and  more  intense,  for 
"out  of  the  throne  proceeded  lightnings  and  thunderings  and 
voices:  and  there  were  seven  lamps  of  fire  burning  before  the 
throne,  which  are  the  seven  Spirits  of  God."  Then  gaze  upon 
yon  sight  such  as  mortal  on  earth  never  beheld:  "Before  the 
throne  there  was  a  sea  of  glass  clear  as  crystal."  Oh,  rapturous 
cry  of  celestial  glory,  that,  day  and  night,  never  ceases  to  sound 
out  from  the  glorious  throne:  "Holy,  holy,  holy,  Lord  God 
Almighty,  which  was,  and  is,  and  is  to  come!"  In  response 
to  those  unceasing  praises  of  Him  that  sitteth  upon  the  throne, 
the  ransomed  multitude,  as  they  cast  their  crowns  before  him, 
exclaim,  "  Thou  art  worthy,  O  Lord,  to  receive  glory  and  honor 
and  power :  for  thou  hast  created  all  things,  and  for  thy  pleasure 
they  are  and  were  created."  Such  rapturous  sights  and  sounds  of 
awe,  glory,  sublimity,  earth  never  witnessed,  never  imagined, 
and  cannot  describe. 

Just  before  these— just  after  the  other  manifestations  of  Jehovah's 
majesty — between  these  two  most  sublime  descriptions  of  heaven 
and  deity  and  the  celestials  that  have  ever  been  vouchsafed  to 
mortals,  came  these  seven  messages  to  the  militant  Church  of 
Jesus  Christ.  This  indicates  the  interest  and  importance  in  which 
they  are  held  by  the  divine  Spirit.  Even  Scripture  itself  heralds 
no  other  passage  with  such  impressive  sublimity. 


MESSAGES  FROM  HEAVEN.  71 

6.   TIME  WHEN  THE   MESSAGES  WERE   WRITTEN. 

The  date  of  the.  communication  of  these  messages  to  the  aged 
apo.stle  is  a  question  of  great  importance.  It  must  necessarily 
have  an  influence  upon  the  interpretation  of  some  points  in  the 
passage.  The  testimony  of  antiqultij  and  the  careful  researches  of 
modern  scholars  make  it  ivellnigh  certain  that  the  time  teas  about 
the  year  ninety-six. 

Irenseus,  wlio  was  born  twenty-one  years  after  that  date,  or 
in  the  year  one  hundred  and  fifteen,  declares  of  the  revelation 
that  it  made  its  appearance  at  the  close  of  the  reign  of  the 
emperor  Domitian,  which  was  in  the  year  ninety-six.  Clement 
of  Alexandria,  who  was  born  one  hundred  years  afterward,  "speaks 
of  John's  returning  from  Patmos  to  Ephesus  after  the  death  of  the 
tyrant,"  meaning  Domitian.  Dr.  John  Kitto  wrote:  "  The  date 
of  the  Apocalypse  is  about  the  year  ninety-six,  when  the  apostle 
was  exiled  to  Patmos,  in  the  reign  of  Domitian."  This  results 
from  the  consent  of  nearly  all  the  early  witnesses,  from  Irenteus 
onward,  and  not  less  from  the  internal  evidence.  The  letters  to 
the  seven  churches  imply,  evidently,  that  a  new  generation  had 
arisen  since  Paul  wrote  to  the  Ephesians  and  founded  the  neigh- 
boring churches.  It  is  clearly  implied  also  that  the  Jewish  polity 
had  now  passed  away,  and  a  sentence  of  divine  rejection  had  been 
pronounced  upon  those  who  are  called  here  "the  synagogue  of 
Satan."  This  authority  as  to  the  time  of  these  messages  is  suf- 
ficient. We  may  take  it  without  much  question— though  other 
dates  have  been  named — as  about  the  year  ninety-six. 

Consequently,  this  communication  to  the  churches  w-as  made 
sixty-six  years  after  the  death  of  Christ  and  the  first  earnest  mis- 
sionary labors  of  the  apostles.  Two  generations  had  passed  away, 
and  only  a  few  aged  people  lingered  who  remembered  to  have 
seen  or  heard  an  apostle.  Paul  had  suffered  a  martyr's  death 
many  years  before.  A  few  ripe  old  Christians  could  still  be  found 
who  could  tell  of  the  first  movements  of  the  gospel  in  Ephesus, 
in  Antioch,  in  Rome,  and  in  Alexandria.  Here  and  there  an 
aged  person  might  be  found  who  remembered  the  crucifixion, 
and  the  darkness  which  at  the  same  hour  terrified  Jerusalem. 
John,  the  venerable  prophet  to  whom  the  revelation  was  given, 
was  tottering  on  his  staff,  an  old  man  of  almost  one  hundred 
years.  Twenty-six  years  before,  Jerusalem  had  been  destroyed 
amid  unparalleled  horrors,  and  the  Jews  were  dispersed  over  the 
whole  world.      The   Roman  government   extended  over   all    the 


72        INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

civilized  or  even  half-civllized  nations.  The  empire,  in  fact, 
meant  the  world,  for  it  would  tolerate  no  nation  that  would 
not  bow  to  its  authority. 

Meanwhile  the  gospel  had  been  preached  and  the  Church 
established  throughout  all  the  regions  where  the  sway  of  the 
Caesars  extended.  Churches  had  been  founded  in  ahnost  every 
city  of  much  importance.  Followers  of  Christ  were  to  be  met 
Avith  in  towns,  villages,  and  country  places,  far  and  near.  They 
embraced  persons  of  all  ranks,  conditions,  ages,  sexes;  Roman 
citizens,  foreigners  from  most  distant  climes,  slaves,  freedmen, 
masters,  senators,  nobility,  artisans,  authors,  merchants,  royal 
ladies,  chained  drudges  at  the  door-posts,— all  classes  were  repre- 
sented among  those  who  were  heirs  of  God  and  joint-heirs  with 
Christ  Jesus.  The  number  of  the  Christians  had  become  so  great 
that  governors  of  provinces  who  had  been  commanded  to  perse- 
cute them  to  the  death  were  perplexed  how  to  do  so  without  seri- 
ously diminishing  the  population.  The  more  they  were  persecuted 
the  more  their  number  increased.  So  deep  were  the  roots  which 
Christianity  had  put  forth,  that,  manifestly,  many  churches  had 
already  become  venerable.  Although  paganism  had  been  uni- 
versal a  century  before,  but  few  people  could  then  be  found  who 
had  not  known  something  about  Christianity  all  their  lives. 

On  the  other  hand,  heathenism  was  rapidly  declining,  as  it  is 
in  Japan  and  Hindustan  at  the  present  time.  The  temples  of 
the  gods  were  being  deserted.  Sacrifices,  once  so  solemn  and 
attended  by  such  multitudes,  were  becoming  less  and  less  frequent. 
Beasts  oflfered  for  sale  to  become  victims  upon  the  altars  could 
scarcely  find  purchasers. 

But  Domitian  had  just  passed  away,  and  the  most  bloody  per- 
secutions were  raging.  The  jealousy  of  the  priests,  who,  in  the 
vast  changes  the  gospel  was  effecting,  beheld  their  honor  and  their 
support  taken  away;  the  ambition  of  the  emperors,  who  had 
had  themselves  proclaimed  divine,  and  looked  upon  the  worship 
of  Jesus  as  sedition ;  the  superstition  of  the  people,  Avho  beheld 
the  new  religion  uprooting  all  that  they  regarded  as  sacred  and 
venerable;  and  the  wrath  of  Satan,  which  intensified  all, — all 
these  united  in  spreading  throughout  the  empire  a  persecution 
so  diabolic  that  it  might  well  terrify  every  follower  of  Jesus  and 
make  the  very  world  turn  pale.  It  was  but  twenty-eight  years 
since  that  monster  of  monsters,  Nero,  had  ended  his  accursed 
life  by  an  accursed  death  of  suicide,  and  his  name  was  still  whis- 
pered as   a   synonym  of  all    that   was    brutal    and    bloodthirsty. 


MESSAGES   FROM   HEAVEN.  73 

Only  seventeen  years  before,  Pompeii  and  Herculaneum  were 
buried  beneath  the  storm  of  fire  wJiich  beat  upon  them  from 
the  flaming  Vesuvius.  The  sands  of  the  amphitheatres  of  Rome, 
of  Verona,  of  Laodicea,  and  of  many  other  cities  were  reeking 
Avith  the  blood  of  gladiators  who  were  hacked  to  pieces  or  their 
bones  crushed  by  wild  beasts  for  the  anmsement  of  a  brutalized 
populace. 

Vast  commotions  were  felt  all  the  world  over  in  consequence 
of  the  new  religion  which  was  uprooting  paganism  and  establish- 
ing the  doctrines  of  the  Cross.  Jerusalem  as  a  city  had  been 
swept  away.  The  Jews  who  had  rejected  their  Messiah  were 
reaping  the  consequences  in  being  made  the  very  offscourings 
of  the  earth.  It  was  at  this  time  and  amid  this  state  of  things 
throughout  the  world  that  these  messages  Mere  sent  to  the  churches, 
at  a  moment  when,  in  the  case  of  almost  the  entire  number,  there 
w^as  declension  to  a  greater  or  less  degree  in  the  intensity  of  their 
zeal.  Then  it  was,  so  near  to  the  beginning,  when  these  instruc- 
tions from  on  high  could  go  out  over  all  the  ages  of  the  kingdom 
— when  the  world's  need  of  some  relief  from  its  evils  must  have 
been  deeply  felt — wheh,  at  the  beginning  of  the  Church,  no  other 
precedents  had  been  established,  and  when  instruction  from  the 
unerring  wisdom  of  God  was  so  much  needed, — then  it  was  that 
the  truth  of  Christ  came  into  contact  with  the  minds  of  men  and 
exhibited  its  native  tendencies  and  force.  Then  it  w'as,  that, 
after  Jerusalem  had  been  destroyed  by  Nebuchadnezzar,  Daniel 
came  as  a  special  messenger  from  the  God  of  heaven ;  then  it 
was,  that,  after  Jerusalem  had  been  destroyed  again,  John  the 
evangelist  came  with  this  most  momentous  communication  from 
Him  w^ho  is  Lord  of  the  new  as  well  as  the  old  dispensation. 

7.  PLACES  OF  THEIE  WRITING  AND  DESTINATION. 
With  good  reason  the  name  of  Patmos  is  among  the  most 
honored  of  all  the  names  of  places  made  memorable  by  the  foot- 
steps of  Deity.  It  is  an  island  of  inconsiderable  size;  it  is  prob- 
ably about  seven  miles  in  each  direction,  and  contains  nearly 
fifty  square  miles  of  territory.  It  is  situated  among  the  beauti- 
ful islands  that  stud  the  Icarian  Sea— the  far-famed  Archipelago, 
each  island  of  which  has  a  strange  fascination  even  in  its  name. 
It  lies  in  a  straight  line  one  hundred  and  sixty  miles  from  Athens 
and  forty  miles  from  the  coast  of  Asia  ]Minor.  From  the  sea  it 
has  the  appearance  of  a  huge  mass  of  rocks  rising  hundreds  of 
feet  above  the  water.    It  is  bare,  rough,  and  uninviting.    It  has 


74        INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

but  one  town  of  any  importance,  which  is  built  upon  a  high  rocky 
bluff  overhanging  its  only  port  and  looking  northward  over  the 
lovely  waters.  The  whole  population  of  the  island  is  not  more 
than  four  thousand.  On  account  of  the  stern  and  desolate  char- 
acter of  the  island  the  Roman  government  selected  it  as  a  suit- 
able place  for  the  banishment  of  criminals. 

Our  special  interest  in  this  island  arises  from  its  connection  with 
the  seven  churches.  In  imagination  we  ascend  one  of  its  rocky 
headlands  on  the  eastern  coast.  Far  beneath  us,  the  waves  are 
fretting  against  its  jagged  face.  In  the  distance  amid  the  haze, 
stretcliing  north  and  south,  is  the  dim  outline  of  the  coast  of  far- 
famed  Ionia,  and  back  of  that,  looming  up  above  the  horizon, 
the  old  mountains  that  have  looked  upon  so  many  events  of 
human  history. 

And  now  let  imagination,  directed  by  what  is  made  known  in 
either  sacred  or  profane  history,  carry  us  over  the  celebrated  regions 
as  they  would  appear  if  our  vision  were  sufficiently  strong  and  there 
were  nothing  to  obstruct  our  view.  Raising  our  eyes  above  the 
islands  which  intervene,  we  behold  four  chief  rivers  draining  the 
whole  country  and  entering  into  the  ^geiJn  amidst  the  bays  of 
its  winding  coast.  These  rivers  are  landmarks,  the  seven  cities 
are  built  on  their  banks,  and  a  knowledge  of  them  will  aid  us  in 
grasping  the  topography  of  the  country.  The  most  southerly  of 
them  is  the  Meander,  winding  its  crooked  way  for  two  hundred 
miles,  washing  the  "Asian  meadows"  of  Homer,  and,  one  hundred 
miles  from  its  mouth,  the  ruins  of  Laodicea  are  seen  on  one  of 
its  little  branches.  Some  twenty-five  miles  north  of  the  Meander 
the  Cayster  empties  into  the  sea.  Ephesus  is  at  the  mouth  of  this 
river,  which  runs  but  a  short  distance  between  the  mountains 
Traolus  and  Messogis.  Next  north  of  the  Cayster  is  the  Hermus, 
the  most  important  of  the  four;  it  is  over  two  hundred  miles  in 
length;  near  to  its  mouth  is  Smyrna,  and  on  its  little  branches 
up  among  the  mountains  lie  Thyatira,  Sardis,  and  Philadelphia. 
Still  farther  north  is  the  little  river  Caicus,  interesting  to  us  merely 
because  on  its  banks  was  located  the  city  of  Pergamos. 

We  are  now  prepared  to  let  the  eye  roam  over  the  coast  and 
sweep  the  far-away  eastern  mountains.  Imagination,  it  should 
be  remembered,  takes  the  i)lace  of  actual  vision.  In  the  distant 
south,  one  hundred  and  thirty  or  forty  miles  away,  is  the  island 
of  Rhodes,  around  which  cluster  so  many  events  of  classic  history. 
Carrying  the  eye  about  forty  miles  up  the  coast,  we  reach  the 
mouth  of  the  Meander.    There  is  the  old  city  of  Miletus,  where 


MESSAGES  FROM  HEAVEN.  75 

Paul  held  his  conference  with  the  presbyters  of  the  church  of 
Ephesus.  On  the  coast,  about  fifty  miles  further  to  the  north, 
is  debouched,  elegant,  pagan  Ephesus.  In  those  days  of  old  its 
harbor  was  a  forest  of  masts,  its  great  temple  of  Diana  gleamed 
in  whiteness  under  the  rays  of  the  western  sun.  Gazing  directly 
east  from  Ephesus  one  hundred  miles,  over  the  windings  of 
the  Meander,  along  the  declivities  of  Mount  Messogis,  across 
the  "Asian  meadows,"  we  behold  wealthy  but  heartless  Laod- 
icea  embosomed  in  a  wide  smiling  country  of  fields  and  or- 
chards. Our  eye  now  turns  to  the  north-west  from  Laodicea. 
It  sweeps  for  nearly  fifty  miles  over  the  tributaries  of  the  Cayster, 
over  the  ridges  of  Mount  Tmolus,  over  a  district  often  shaken  by 
earthquakes,  and  beholds  Philadelphia,  now  known  as  Allah-Sher 
— the  city  of  God.  Thence  northward  we  look.  The  vision  passes 
over  mountain-spurs  and  branches  of  the  Hermus,  and,  at  the  dis- 
tance of  thirty  miles,  on  the  banks  of  the  Pactolus,  once  famed 
for  its  golden  sands,  rests  upon  proud,  aristocratic  Sardis,  a  name 
associated  with  Croesus  the  rich,  with  Solon  the  wise,  with  Cyrus 
the  Conqueror,  and  with  Alexander  the  Great. 

In  our  survey  from  our  Patmos  headland  we  now  come  back 
to  the  western  coast,  and  from  Ephesus  set  out  again.  The 
range  is  northward  for  nearly  forty  miles,  along  the  coasts,  over 
creeks  and  inlets,  around  capes,  through  lands  every  acre  of  which 
is  associated  with  some  great  events  of  antiquity,  and  we  gaze 
upon  Smyrna  with  its  crowded  wharves  and  vessels  from  an  hun- 
dred ports — Smyrna,  the  Liverpool  of  that  land  and  age.  North- 
ward through  the  interior  we  carry  our  vision  for  sixty-five  miles, 
and  on  the  banks  of  the  Caicus,  with  its  high  crags,  its  lofty  cita- 
del, its  groves,  its  temples,  its  colleges,  its  retreats  for  health  and 
pleasure,  we  behold  Pergamos,  the  Oxford  of  that  day,  renowned 
amongst  men,  but  fatally  marked  by  the  pen  of  God  as  "Satan's 
seat."  Fifty  miles  to  the  south-east  from  Pergamos,  and  at  the 
distance  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles  from  where  we  stand, 
on  a  branch  of  the  Hermus,  rises  up  before  us  ,Thyatira  with  its 
fields  of  poppies,  its  Tyrian  dyes,  and  its  name  of  infamy. 

Such  were  the  cities  and  such  the  land  to  which  these  messages 
from  heaven  were  addressed.  In  each  of  the  cities  there  were 
churches  which  must  have  grown  into  considerable  importance 
even  at  that  early  day.  But  why  to  these  seven  churches  only? 
There  were  many  other  cities  here  and  there  throughout  the  land, 
and  some  of  them  even  larger  than  some  of  the  seven.  There  were 
such  cities  as  Tralles,  Miletus,  Colossse,  Magnesia,  Hierapolis,  Metrop- 


76        INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

olis — why  were  no  messages  to  these?  Probably  these  seven  vvei'e 
phices  which  John  had  frequently  visited,  perhaps  had  resided  in 
them,  and  in  which  he  was  particularly  interested.  Then,  too,  be- 
yond doubt,  these  were  cities  which,  in  the  providence  of  God, 
furnished  every  variety  of  type  of  religion.  But,  chiefly,  seven 
churches  were  unquestionably  selected,  that  there  might  thereby 
be  a  complete  representation  of  the  whole  Church  in  its  full  vari- 
ety and  covenant  relations. 

8.   THE  HOLY  THEOLOGIAN. 

In  certain  important  aspects  no  mortal  on  earth  has  ever  been 
so  highly  honored  as  was  John  the  evangelist.  Who,  as  he,  was 
the  intimate  friend,  the  companion,  the  confidant  of  the  Son  of 
God  while  here  on  his  mission  to  the  lost  children  of  mankind? 
Who  ever  received  such  a  holy  trust  as  he  did  wlien  our  Lord 
connnitted  to  his  care  that  beloved  mother  through  whose  heart 
the  sword  w^as  piercing,  and  who  would  be  crushed  and  in  deso- 
lation througli  his  deatli  upon  the  cross?  Who,  as  he,  was  per- 
mitted to  witness  and  take  part  in  the  planting  of  the  gospel 
through  its  first  and  most  eventful  years?  Who,  as  he,  was  even 
taken  up  into  the  sight  and  hearing  of  the  open  door  of  heaven, 
and  then  permitted  to  gaze  in  vision  upon  the  unfolding  of  the 
sublime  events  of  the  whole  future? 

We  must  glance  at  the  leading  events  of  his  life;  and  as  we 
do  so  we  shall  more  fully  understand  the  blessings  that  were  his 
portion.  The  date  of  his  birth  must  have  been  very  nearly 
the  same  as  that  of  our  Lord.  The  place  where  he  first  saw 
the  light  was  Bethsaida,  on  the  banks  of  the  Lake  of  Galilee. 
In  that  neighborhood,  and  occasionally  in  Jerusalem,  and  most 
likely  in  connection  with  the  fishery  trade,  all  his  early  days 
were  spent  until  he  became  a  follower  of  Jesus.  Unlike  most 
of  the  first  followers  of  Christ,  those  early  days  were  spent 
in  easy,  if  not  in  affluent,  circumstances.  There  are  several 
glimpses  in  the  ^history  which  indicate  that  his  father  was  a 
man  of  wealth.  We  read  that  his  father  Zebedee  had  hired 
servants;  we  are  told  that  his  mother  was  among  the  number 
of  women  who  contributed  to  the  maintenance  of  Jesus;  we 
know  that  John  received  the  mother  of  our  Lord,  after  the 
crucifixion,  into  his  house,  which  must  have  been  at  Jerusalem; 
and  at  the  trial  of  our  Lord  it  api)ears  that  he  was  acquainted 
with  the  high  priest.  All  this  makes  it  tolerably  certain  that 
John  was  comparatively  wealthy.    The  supposition  is  more  than 


MESSAGES  FROM  HEAVEN.  77 

•  probable  that  the  family  was  largely  engaged  in  the  important 
fish-trade  between  the  city  of  Jerusalem  and  the  Galilean  Sea. 
If  so,  we  see  here  a  remarkable  providence  in  providing  for  the 
supply  of  the  bodily  wants  of  Christ  in  the  years  of  his  public 
ministry. 

At  an  early  part  of  that  ministry  John  and  his  brother*  James 
literally  left  their  nets  and  their  fishing-boats  and  became  con- 
stant followers  and  attendants  on  the  Son  of  man.  The  testi- 
mony and  verdict  of  the  Church  concerning  him  is  that  he  was 
of  "a  wise,  affectionate,  almost  feminine  character,"  but  also 
that  "love,  humility,  and  mildness  w^ere  in  John  the  works  of 
transforming  grace;"  for  originally  he  was,  what  a  name  given 
him  indicated,   "a  son  of  thunder." 

For  ever  more,  both  on  earth  and  in  heaven,  will  John  be 
spoken  of  as  the  most  intimate  friend  of  our  Lord  during  the 
days  of  his  earthly  pilgrimage.  He  was  with  him  in  the  most 
tender  and  sacred  of  all  the  scenes  of  those  suffering  years— as 
on  the  Mount  of  Transfiguration,  in  the  Garden  of  Gethsemane, 
at  the  cross  on  Calvary,  and  at  the  moment  of  his  ascension  into 
glory.  Even  when  Christ  was  dying  the  beloved  disciple  did 
not  desert  him.  Amid  the  death-agonies  of  his  Lord  he  received 
as  a  sacred  legacy  from  his  dying  lips  the  care  of  the  stricken 
mother. 

After  that,  as  we  learn  from  tolerably  reliable  authority,  he 
lived  in  Jerusalem  for  fifteen  years,  his  circumstances  enabling 
him  to  give  the  mother  of  Jesus  a  comfortable  home  until  her 
death.  Then,  relieved  of  that  sacred  charge,  he  removed  to  the 
country  of  the  seven  churches,  which  became  the  field  of  his 
gospel  labors  for  the  rest  of  his  days.  There  he  preached,  built 
up  churches,  confirmed  believers,  and  so  helped  to  establish  the 
kingdom  in  that  land  where,  of  all  lands,  its  greatest  activity 
and  success  were  reached  during  the  first  century.  Under  the 
persecutions  of  the  emperor  Domitian  he  was  one  of  the  victims 
who  were  made  to  endure  the  most  cruel  persecutions.  Among 
other  things  which  tradition  records  of  him  is  the  story  that  his 
persecutors  cast  him  into  a  caldron  of  boiling  oil;  but  he  was 
miraculously  preserved,  and  remained  unhurt.  After  that  he  M'as 
sent  to  labor  in  the  mines  of  Patmos,  w'here  the  visions  of  the 
Apocalypse  were  vouchsafed  to  him  for  the  edification  of  the 
Church. 

Many  remarkable  things  are  related  of  him  during  the  years 
of  his  old  age,  some  of  them  manifestly  fabrications,  but  some 


78        INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

SO  well  authenticated  that  their  truth  cannot  be  doubted.  We 
the  more  readily  receive  them  when  we  consider  that  the  age 
of  miracles  was  at  that  time  only  passing  away,  and  one  who 
had  been  so  long  with  Christ  might  well  be  supposed  to  have 
had  this  divine  attestation  sometimes  granted  him.  It  is  quite 
remarkable  that  his  name  should  still  live  in  the  ruins  of  Ephe- 
sus,  where  it  is  likely  that  most  of  his  ministry  was  spent ;  for  the 
miserable  village  of  a  few  huts  which  is  all  now  giving  shelter  to 
human  life  that  remains  among  those  desolations  is  called  even 
yet  Ayasolouk,  or  "the  holy  theologian."  Among  interesting 
naemories  of  the  aged  saint  is  the  story  that,  passing  over  a  soli- 
tary mountain-sjiur,  he  was  assailed  bj'^  a  band  of  robbers  whose 
leader  he  discovered  to  be  an  apostate  Christian— one  who  had 
been  professedly  converted  under  his  own  ministry.  To  this  hard- 
ened man  he  fearlessly  and  faithfully  appealed,  touched  his  con- 
science, brought  him  to  repentance,  and  led  him  and  his  desper- 
ate companions  to  the  feith  and  obedience  of  Clirist. 

John  is  said  to  have  reached  the  advanced  age  of  about  one 
hundred,  and  to  have  ended  his  days  with  the  close  of  the  first 
century.  The  time  of  the  most  memorable  event  of  his  whole 
life,  the  writing  of  tliis  marvelous  vision,  has  arrived;  his  last 
days  on  earth  have  come.  His  heart  is  filled  with  wonderful 
memories  of  the  days  of  old,  when  he  spent  day  after  day  with 
the  Son  of  God  in  the  flesh.  He  feels  alone  in  the  world,  for 
his  disciple-friends  and  others  dearly  beloved  are  gone.  His 
friends  are  nearly  all  in  heaven.  His  old  Friend,  the  Friend 
of  Friends,  is  upon  the  celestial  throne.  He  is  waiting  and  look- 
ing forward  peacefully  for  the  time  to  arrive  wlien  he  also  shall 
be  taken  up  higher.  Sore  persecutions,  it  is  true,  are  upon  hirfi, 
but  he  rejoices  in  them  because  they  are  endured  for  the  sake 
of  that  Friend  who  is  dearer  to  him  than  all  the  world  besides. 
He  will  not  shrink  through  dread  of  even  more  and  worse  suf- 
fering-, but  will  bravely  bear  this  last  testimony  even  until  he  is 
dragged  to  the  prison-mines  of  Patmos.  It  is  his  glory  that  he 
is  a  prisoner  for  the  cause  of  Jesus. 

One  more  scene  of  glory  awaits  the  aged  .saint  before  he  shall 
be  taken  up  to  the  raptures  of  the  place  which  Christ  is  preparing. 
It  is  a  vision— a  message  sent  down  from  his  ascended  Lord.  It 
was  on  the  Lord's  day — a  fact  significant  on  every  account,  among 
others,  that  this  is  the  first  instance  on  record  where  that  name 
was  api)Iied  to  the  day  of  sacred  rest.  The  Spirit  descended  upon 
him  with  his  inspiring  influences.    The  whole  future  of  the  Church 


MESSAGES  FROM   HEAVEN.  79 

is  laid  open  before  hini ;  the  mind  of  God  is  revealed,  and  he  is 
enabled  to  see  with  unerring  reality  things  present  and  things  to 
come.  Take  we  then  one  parting  glimpse  of  the  grand  old  disci- 
ple, the  blessed  saint,  so  soon  to  be  seen  on  earth  no  more.  He 
is  on  the  solitary  island  of  the  sea;  it  is  the  sacred  day  of  the 
Lord ;  he  is  enraptured  by  the  inspiring  Spirit ;  he  is  secluded 
from  all  the  things  of  earth;  he  is  raised  on  high,  beyond  the 
sphere  of  the  things  that  are  temporal,  and  in  the  region  of  the 
celestials;  the  heavenly  gates  are  opened,  the  glories  within  re- 
vealed, and  the  whole  world  of  mankind  and  ages  of  time  lie 
revealed  beneath  him.  But,  after  its  record  had  been  made  in- 
delible, the  vision  passed  away.  Then  he  returned  to  Ephesus 
to  wait  the  call  of  his  Lord  to  enter  into  rest. 

One  beautiful  fact  concerning  him  in  these  last  days  of  his  life 
is  so  carefully  recorded  and  is  so  characteristic  of  his  tender  fidelity 
that  we  cannot  doubt  it  or  pass  it  by  without  a  loving  remembrance. 
"When  he  had  attained  a  great  age,  he  became  so  feeble  that  he 
could  not  walk  to  the  assemblies  of  the  church.  He  therefore 
caused  himself  to  be  carried  in  by  young  men.  He  was  no  longer 
able  to  say  much,  but  he  constantly  repeated  the  words,  ^'Little 
children,  love  one  another.''^  On  being  asked  why  he  repeated  this 
one  saying,  he  answered,  "Because  it  is  the  command  of  the  Lord, 
and  enough  is  done  if  this  is  done."  How  deep  must  have  been 
the  impression!  How  deep  ought  it  to  be  even  now  as  the  scene 
rises  before  us!  A  devout  but  unknown  pen  has  touchingly 
sketched  what  might  have  been  witnessed  in  one  of  those  last 
hours  of  "  the  holy  theologian,"  the  aged  disciple  whom  Jesus 
loved : 

"I'm  growing  very  old.    This  weary  head, 
That  hath  so  often  leaned  on  Jesus'  breast 
In  days  long  past  that  seem  almost  a  dream, 
Is  bent  and  hoary  with  the  weight  of  years. 
These  limbs  that  followed  Him— my  Master — oft 
From  Galilee  to  Judah  ;   yea,  that  stood 
Beneath  the  cross  and  trembled  with  his  groans, 
Refuse  to  bear  me  even  through  the  streets 
To  preach  unto  my  children.     E'en  my  lips 
Refuse  to  form  the  words  my  heart  sends  forth. 
My  ears  are  dull ;   they  scarcely  hear  the  sobs 
Of  my  dear  children  gathered  round  my  couch; 
My  eyes  so  dim,  they  cannot  see  their  tears. 
God  lays  his  hand  upon  me — yea,  his  hand, 
And  not  his  rod — the  gentle  hand  that  I 


80        INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

Felt,  those  three  years,  so  often  pressed  in  mine, 

111  friendship  such  as  passeth  woman's  love. 

I'm  old,  so  old!     1  cannot  recollect 

The  faces  of  my  friends,  and  I  forget 

The  words  and  deeds  that  make  up  daily  life; 

But  that  dear  face,  and  every  word  he  spake, 

Grow  more  distinct  as  others  fade  away, 

So  that  I  live  with  him  and  holy  dead 

More  than  with  living. 

"  Some  seventy  years  ago, 
I  was  a  fisher  by  the  sacred  sea. 
It  was  at  sunset.     How  the  tranquil  tide 
Bathed  dreamily  the  pebbles!     How  the  light 
Crept  up  the  distant  hills,  and  in  its  wake 
Soft  purple  shadows  wrapped  the  dewy  fields! 
And  then  He  came  and  called  me.    Then  I  gazed 
For  the  first  time  on  that  sweet  face.    Those  eyes, 
From  out  of  which,  as  from  a  window,  shone 
Divinity,  looked  on  my  inmost  soul 
And  lighted  it  for  ever.     Then  his  words 
Broke  on  the  silence  of  my  heart,  and  made 
The  whole  world  musical.     Incarnate  Love 
Took  hold  of  me  and  claimed  me  for  its  own ; 
I  followed  in  the  twilight,  holding  fast 
His  mantle. 

"Oh,  what  holy  walks  we  had 
Through  harvest  fields  and  desolate,  dreary  wastes! 
And  oftentimes  He  leaned  upon  my  arm, 
Wearied  and  wayworn.     I  was  young  and  strong, 
And  so  upbore  him.     Lord  !  now  I  am  weak 
And  old  and  feeble.     Let  me  rest  on  thee ! 
So  put  thine  arm  around  me.     Closer  still ! 
How  strong  thou  art!    The  twilight  draws  apace; 
Come,  let  us  leave  these  noisy  streets,  and  take 
The  path  to  Bethany,  for  Mary's  smile 
Awaits  us  at  the  gate,  and  Martha's  hands 
Have  long  prepared  the  cheerful  evening  meal. 
Come,  James,  the  Master  waits ;  and  Peter,  see, 
Has  gone  some  steps  before. 

"What  say  you,  friends? 
That  this  is  Ephesus,  and  Christ  has  gone 
Back  to  his  kingdom?    Ay,  'tis  so,  'tis  so. 
I  know  it  all ;  and  yet,  just  now,  I  seemed 
To  stand  once  more  upon  my  native  hills 


MESSAGES  FEOM   HEAVEN.  81 

And  touch  iny  Master!     Oh,  how  oft  I've  seen 
The  toucliing  of  his  garments  bring  back  strength 
To  palsied  limbs!     I  feel  it  has  to  mine. 
Up !  bear  me  once  more  to  my  church — once  more 
There  let  me  tell  them  of  a  Saviour's  love; 
For,  by  the  sweetness  of  my  Master's  voice 
Just  now,  I  think  he  must  be  very  near— 
Coming,  I  trust,  to  break  the  veil  which  time 
Has  worn  so  thin  that  1  can  see  beyond 
And  watch  his  footsteps. 

"So,  raise  up  my  head. 
How  dark  it  is !     I  cannot  seem  to  see 
The  faces  of  my  flock.     Is  that  the  sea 
That  murmurs  so,  or  is  it  weeping?     Hush! 
My  little  children !     God  so  loved  the  world 
He  gave  his  Son  ;  so  love  ye  one  another ; 
Love  God  and  man.     Amen.     Now  bear  me  back. 
My  legacy  unto  an  angry  world  is  this, 
I  feel  my  work  is  finished.    Are  the  streets  so  full? 
What  call  the  folk  my  name?     "The  Holy  John"? 
Nay,  write  me  rather  "Jesus  Christ's  beloved," 
And  lover  of  my  children. 

"Lay  me  down 
Once  more  upon  my  couch,  and  open  wide 
The  eastern  window.     See!  there  comes  a  light 
Like  that  which  broke  upon  my  soul  at  eve, 
When,  in  the  dreary  isle  of  Patmos,  Gabriel  came 
And  touched  me  on  the  shoulder.    See!  it  grows 
As  when  we  mounted  toward  the  pearly  gates. 
I  know  the  way !     I  trod  it  once  before ; 
And  hark  !  it  is  the  song  the  ransomed  sung, 
Of  gloi-y  to  the  Lamb !     How  loud  it  sounds ! 
And  that  unwritten  one!     Methinks  my  soul 
Can  join  it  nojv.     But  who  are  those  who  crowd 
The  shining  way?    Say!  joy!  'tis  the  eleven, 
With  Peter  first;  how  eagerly  he  looks! 
How  bright  the  smiles  are  beaming  upon  James'  face! 
I  am  the  last.     Once  more  we  are  complete 
To  gather  round  the  Paschal  feast.     My  place 
Is  next  my  Master.     O  my  Lord !  my  Lord ! 
How  bright  thou  art,  and  yet.  the  very  same 
I  loved  in  Galilee!     'Tis  worth  the  hundred  years 
To  feel  this  bliss !     So  lift  me  up,  dear  Lord, 
Unto  thy  bosom.     There  shall  I  abide." 


CHAPTER    IV. 
MESSAGES,  SYMBOLS,  SYMMETRY,  AND  SEVEN. 

1.    MESSAGES   FEOM   HEAVEN. 

MESSAC4ES  froin  heaven!  The  thought  is  a  startling  one,  and 
we  should  not  allow  familiarity  with  it  to  take  from  its  impres- 
siveness.  Messages  from  heaven!  Important  must  they  be,  else 
Jesus  had  not  sent  them.  Their  special  importance  is  implied  in 
the  charge  given  to  John:  "I  am  Alpha  and  Omega,  the  first 
and  the  last;  and.  What  thou  seest,  write  in  a  book,  and  send  it 
unto  the  seven  churches  which  are  in  Asia."  It  is  also  implied 
in  the  benediction,  "Blessed  is  he  that  readeth,  and  they  that 
hear  the  words  of  this  prophecy,  and  keep  those  things  which 
are  written  therein ;    for  the  time  is  at  hand." 

Messages  from  heaven !  Blessed  be  God  that  our  lot  has  been 
so  cast  that  we  have  heard  them,  that  they  are  constantly  sound- 
ing in  our  ears,  and  that  their  tones  may  warn  or  woo  us  in  every 
undertaking  of  our  lives.  If  a  volume  written  by  a  human  sage 
engages  the  attention  of  scholars,  and  they  strive  unceasingly  to 
master  its  contents,  how  much  greater  should  be  the  desire  to  know 
what  God  has  said  in  these  utterances  from  the  skies! 

2.    INTENDED  FOR  ALL  TIMES   AND  PLACES. 

These  messages  are  from  the  Son  of  God  and  from  the  supreme 
throne.  They  come  clothed  ^vith  the  highest  authority  in  the  uni- 
verse.   But  for  whom  were  they  especially  intended? 

While  they  were  primarily  designed  for  the  seven  churches  of 
Asia  Minor  to  which  they  were  addressed,  they  were  also,  with- 
out a  doubt,  intended  for  the  whole  Church  in  all  times  and  places. 
Many  things  in  them  make  this  certain.  The  charge  which  is  found 
in  each  of  the  messages:  "He  that  hath  an  ear,  lot  him  hear  what 
the  Spirit  saith  unto  the  churches,"  makes  it  evident  that  in  their 
revelation  the  Church  universal  was  contemplated.  They  come  to 
us  as  do  the  warning  words  of  our  Loi'd :  "What  I  say  unto  you 
I  say  unto  all.  Watch."  Indeed,  it  is  made  positive  that  the  mes- 
sages were  not  restricted  to  the  churches  to  which  they  were 
severally  addressed,    for   in   one   of  them   we   find    the   decisive 

82 


MESSAGES,  SYMBOLS,  SYMMETRY,   AND  SEVEN.  83 

words,  "And  all  the  churches  shall  know  that  I  am  he  which 
searcheth  the  reins  and  hearts."  The  same  thing  is  implied  in 
their  being  addressed  to  seven  churches.  Seven  is,  among  other 
things,  the  number  of  completeness,  and  its  use  here  teaches  in 
a  very  significant  way  that  the  complete  Church  of  all  time  is 
intended.  "Christianity,  represented  by  those  seven  churches, 
was  the  true  audience  to  which  the  Author  addressed  himself." 

In  corroboration  of  this  it  will  be  seen  that  all  kinds  of  churches 
and  of  church  life  are  depicted  here.  These  seven  specimens  em- 
brace every  aspect  of  that  spiritual  life  which  is  produced  by  the 
contact  of  the  gospel  with  the  natural  heart.  Each  message  sets  forth 
with  wonderful  comprehensiveness  a  class  either  of  evils  in  doctrine 
and  practice  or  of  the  excellent  fruits  of  the  Spirit,  Here  are  those 
who  allow  the  ardor  of  their  piety  to  abate,  with  all  the  attendant 
evils;  those  who  look  with  complacency  ui^on  the  greatest  errors 
and  affiliate  with  the  openly  profane;  those  who  make  a  loud 
profession,  but  at  the  same  time  scarcely  raise  a  finger  to  help  the 
cause  of  which  they  boast ;  and  those  who,  as  to  the  interests  of 
the  soul  and  God  and  eternity,  are  virtually  dead.  On  the  other 
hand,  here  are  those  who  are  wide  awake  and  active  in  all  that 
pertains  to  the  welfare  of  Messiah's  kingdom,  who  toil  for  it, 
pray  for  it,  suffer  for  it ;  those  who  are  zealous  for  the  truth ; 
those  ^^■ho  guard  against  every  appearance  of  error  and  wrong 
and  guilt;  and  those  who,  in  the  face  of  every  opposition  and 
discouragement,-  stand  u\>  for  the  right,  the  true,  and  the  good. 
All  these  classes  are  successively  addressed,  and  when  the  char- 
acteristics are  followed  out  into  their  various  ramifications,  it  will 
be  found  that  the  messages  cover  every  form  of  church  life,  both 
good  and  bad.  To  adopt,  in  substance,  the  words  of  Archbishop 
Trench :  "  We  meet  the  church  of  Smyrna,  face  to  face  with  dan- 
ger and  death ;  the  church  of  Sardis,  at  ease,  declining  into  sin- 
ful lethargy ;  the  church  of  Laodicea,  with  abundant  means  and 
loud  profession,  yet  doing  nothing  for  the  furtherance  of  the 
truth ;  the  church  of  Philadelphia,  with  little  strength,  yet  accom- 
plishing a"  great  work  for  Christ;  the  church  of  Ephesus,  intol- 
erant of  error,  but  with  love  waning;  the  church  of  Thyatira, 
diligent  in  work,  but  careless  of  doctrinal  purity;  the  church 
of  Pergamos,  sorely  persecuted,  and  sinking  under  it." 

At  first  glance  the  addresses  to  the  churches  seem  to  be  all 
local  in  their  aim — to  be  intended  merely  for  the  state  of  things 
in  those  particular  places;  but,  as  they  are  closely  followed  out, 
they  are  seen  to  burst  through  all  boundaries  and  sweep  outward 


84        INAUGUEAL  OF  THE  ENTHEONED  KING. 

to  the  ends  of  the  earth  and  the  most  distant  boundaries  of  time. 
For  instance,  at  first  it  would  appear  that  only  for  the  particular 
church  of  Ephesus,  and  for  that  early  day,  was  the  rebuke  given, 
"Thou  hast  left  thy  first  love;"  but  it  sounds  onward  and  down- 
ward through  the  ages,  meeting  declensions  in  piety  an  hundred 
times  and  an  hundred  times  again.  Under  Constantine  the  Great, 
Christianity  became  the  religion  of  the  empire,  and  the  brightest 
prospects  were  dawning  upon  the  race;  but  soon,  alas!  was  there 
need  for  the  warning,  "  Thou  hast  left  thy  first  love."  The  old 
Waldensians  bravely  testified  and  toiled  and  suffered  and  glori- 
fied the  heavenly  King,  but  an  eclipse  came  over  their  zeal,  and 
to  them  must  be  uttered  the  rebuke  to  Ephesus,  "  Thou  hast  left  thy 
first  love."  Dark  ages  brooded  over  the  whole  world,  and  the 
Church,  once  the  ft\ir  and  beautiful  bride  of  Christ,  seemed  lost 
in  the  wilderness;  but  her  loving  Lord,  instead  of  casting  her 
off"  in  scorn,  speaks  to  her  in  the  old  tones  of  wounded  affection: 
"  Thou  hast  left  thy  first  love."  A  new  day  of  hope  dawned  upon 
mankind  when  the  Reformation  gave  promise  that  the  emanci- 
pated gospel  would  soon  redeem  the  race;  but  in  a  little  while 
there  must  again  come  from  the  patient  Master  the  old  appeal, 
"  Thou  hast  left  thy  first  love."  In  the  vicissitudes  of  the  king- 
dom it  seemed  that  the  heroism  of  the  Cross  had  reached  its 
climax  in  the  martyr  days  of  France  and  Holland  and  Scotland 
and  other  suffering  lands,  when,  alas !  there  too  must  come  the 
old  lamentation,  "Thou  hast  left  thy  first  love."  Times  of  re- 
vival came  from  the  presence  of  the  Lord  and  blessed  the  churches 
in  the  days  of  Edwards  and  Wesley  and  Whitfield  and  Chalmers 
and  Howel  Harris  and  other  eminent  saints,  as  the  Holy  Spirit 
came  down  in  great  power  and  thousands  were  converted;  only 
a  few  years  after  each  revival  the  tender  Saviour  might  well  have 
taken  up  the  lamentation,  "Thou  hast  left  thy  first  love."  Within 
the  memory  of  us  all  there  have  been  seasons  of  religious  awaken- 
ing when  many  souls  were  brought  into  the  kingdom,  and  all  was 
happiness  and  hope  until  a  mournful  change  crept  on,  and  we 
can  imagine  the  sorrowful  appeal  of  the  grieved  Redeemer,  "  Thou 
hast  left  thy  first  love."  Has  there  not  been  a  time  with  most  of 
us  when  our  own  souls  have  been  all  aglow  with  affection  for  both 
(Jod  and  man;  but  the  world  has  stolen  in,  and  earthly  attraetior.s 
have  grown  stronger,  and  then  the  mournful  api)eal  of  the  Be- 
loved of  our  souls  might  well  have  been  heard :  "  Thou  hast  left 
thy  first  love." 

Thus  it  is  that  this  and  every  other  one  of  the  messages  was 


MESSAGES,  SYMBOLS,  SYMMETRY,   AND  SEVEN.  85 

intended  for  every  age  of  the  Church  and  for  every  soul  enlisted 
in  the  cause  of  the  Redeemer, 

3.    GREAT   NUMBER  OF  SYMBOLS. 

One  of  the  things  which  first  arrests  our  attention  in  this  passage 
is  the  multitude  of  remarkable  symbols  with  which  it  abounds. 
Both  their  number  and  their  character  are  such  as  to  impress  the 
mind.  The  great  number  of  them  first  demands  attention.  We 
glance  over  the  chapters  and  see  how  they  abound :  "  Seven  stars 
in  the  right  hand  of  the  Son  of  man ;"  "golden  candlesticks;" 
"tree  of  life  in  the  midst  of  the  paradise  of  God  ;"  "Satan's  seat;" 
"hidden  manna;"  "white  stone;"  "new  name;"  "eyes  like  a 
flame  of  fire;"  "synagogue  of  Satan;"  "crown  of  life;"  "pillar 
in  the  temple  of  my  God;"  "  gold  tried  in  the  fire;"  "eye-salve;" 
"walk  with  me  in  white;"  "spue  thee  out  of  my  mouth  ;"  "o]5en 
the  door."  Their  great  number  is  startling.  They  are  in  every 
message  and  in  every  part  of  each  message — in  the  various  titles 
given  to  the  Son  of  man,  in  the  censures,  in  the  counsels,  in  the 
warnings,  and  in  the  promises. 

4.    THE   DESIGN   OF   SUCH   SYMBOLS. 

There  must  have  been  a  piu-pose  in  this  use  of  symbols.  It  is 
so  remarkable  that  it  could  not  have  been  without  design.  They 
are  emblems,  figures,  some  of  them  very  striking  and  beautiful, 
and,  as  such,  they  doubtless  had  a  poetic  value;  but  there  must 
have  been  something  far  higher  than  that.  What  was  that  higlier 
design?  The  answer  to  this  question  will  aid  us  materially  in 
interpreting  the  whole  passage. 

(1)  This  symbolism  was  clearly  intended  to  make  a  deep  impres- 
sion. It  was  to  arrest  attention  and  fix  it,  and  so  fill  the  mind  of 
the  reader  more  fully  with  the  truths  communicated. 

(2)  This  peculiar  symbolism  was  used  as  a  sort  of  common  lan- 
guage which  all  coidd  understand.  The  reader  might  not  under- 
stand Latin  or  Greek  or  Hebrew^  but  here  were  characters  he 
could  comprehend,  whatever  might  be  his  age  or  culture  or 
country.  The  ideas,  the  thoughts,  were  imparted  in  a  form  that 
would  be  definite  and   forcible. 

(3)  Such  symbolic  language  brings  out  points  of  tridh,  shades  of 
meaning,  and  beauties  of  thought  which  didactic  language  would 
struggle  in  vain  to  produce.  A  single  symbol  sometimes  lays 
open  a  whole  field  of  instruction  of  the  greatest  value.    It  conveys 


86        IXAUGUEAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

shades  of  thought,  or  makes  thought  i^lain  or  presses  it  home,  in 
a  manner  otherwise  impossible. 

(4)  The  use  of  symbols  is  calculated  to  excite  curiositi/,  and  so  to 
make  a  deeper  imjoression.  The  very  difficulty  of  reaching  their 
signification,  and  the  study  they  require,  necessarily  arouse  the 
attention  and  fix  in  the  memory  the  truths  they  convey.  Studied 
in  the  light  of  these  emblems,  the  truths  are  not  likely  to  be  soon 
forgotten. 

(5)  The  uncommonness,  the  beauty,  and  the  sublimity  of  the 
symbols  are  calculated  to  produce  exalted  impressions  of  the  subject. 
They  aid  in  raising  it  to  its  proper  dignity.  The  Holy  Ghost  would 
not  have  prompted  such  an  elaborate  presentation  of  the  truth  had 
not  that  truth  been  worthy  of  the  robe  in  which  it  is  clothed.  Its 
splendid  ornament's  reveal  the  priceless  value  of  the  treasure  they 
adorn. 

(())  The  splendid  imagery  indicates  that  the  divine  Author  is  a 
God  of  order,  beauti/,  dignitij,  as  well  as  of  holiness.  Coming  from 
the  divine  mind  in  that  particular  form,  they  hint  most  unmistak- 
ably what  that  mind  is.  Their  own  nature  tells  us  plainly  the 
nature  of  their  source.  We  cannot  dwell  upon  the  charming 
l)icture  which  God  has  made  and  then  imagine  that  he  is  indif- 
ferent to  what  is  exalting  and  refining. 

(7)  By  many  sober-minded  and  trustworthy  authors  the  opinion 
has  been  maintained  that  the  use  of  such  symbolic  language  teas 
needed  for  the  safety  of  the  people  to  whom  it  was  immediately 
addressed.  Our  Lord  said  concerning  similar  symbolic  language 
to  his  followers,  "  Unto  you  it  is  given  to  know  the  mystery  of  the 
kingdom  of  God ;  but  unto  them  that  are  without,  all  these  things 
are  done  in  parables."  Those  were  days  of  merciless  persecution. 
Those  who  received  the  messages  were  surrounded  by  spies  and 
persecutors  who  thirsted  for  their  blood.  Plain  language  incul- 
cating the  supreme  adoration  of  Jesus  would  have  sent  those 
who  yielded  obedience  to  torture  and  the  stake.  The  supreme 
worship  of  King  Jesus  was  sedition  against  the  emjjeror;  hence 
language  that  was  not  understood  by  their  i)agan  oppressors  was 
necessary  for  the  Christians  of  that  day.  Had  plainer  language 
been  used,  the  vigilance  of  the  enemies  of  Christ  would  have 
seized  upon  it,  and  the  cause  would  have  been  the  more  cruelly 
persecuted. 

(8)  But  there  was  a  need  greater  than  any  of  these  for  tlie  use 
of  so  much  and  such  expressive  symbolic  language.  It  was  that 
of  creating  or  clearly  defining  religious  ideas  among  a  pagan  com- 


MESSAGES,   SYMBOLS,   SYMMETRY,   AND  SEVEN.  87 

munity  by  whom  they  were  before  either  unknown  or  but  very 
imperfectly  understood.  The  same  necessity  did  not  exist  wlien 
tlie  gospel  was  first  preached  among  tlie  Jews,  for  they  already 
had  tolerably  correct  ideas  of  the  elements  of  spiritual  things. 
The  pagans,  however,  to  whom  these  messages  first  came  had 
neither  the  ideas  nor  the  words  by  which  to  express  the  truths 
of  godliness.  To  them,  God  was  Jupiter  or  some  other  fabulous 
being;  redemption,  a  loathsome  sacrifice;  worship,  an  impious 
scene  of  orgies;  and  heaven,  a  sensual  elysium.  Concerning  one 
only  true  God,  the  incarnation  of  the  eternal  Son,  atonement  by 
the  death  of  Immanuel,  purity  of  life,  and  a  spiritual  immortality, 
they  had  no  conception  whatever.  The  very  ideas  of  these  things 
had  to  be  created  among  them.  They  had  no  words  to  express 
them.  The  old  {thraseology  of  religion  wrought  into  the  Jewish 
mind  through  centuries  was  unavailing  to  the  pagans ;  hence  sym- 
bols for  these  new  ideas  had  to  be  made  use  of^symbols  of  things 
which  they  could  see  and  understand.  This,  doubtless,  was  the 
chief'  reason  for  the  large  number  and  the  peculiar  character  of 
the  emblems  used  in  this  passage.  It  had  to  do  with  the  gospel's 
first  encounter  with  paganism,  and  therefore  new,  peculiar,  and 
impressive  imagery  was  needed  to  convey  the  thoughts  of  the 
divine  Revealer. 

Such,  doubtless,  were  the  leading  advantages  of  the  remarkable 
symbols  in  these  messages.  They  were  beautifully  ornamental, 
but  they  were  also  far  higher  in  their  design.  The  Lord  sent 
his  messages  in  that  form  which  would  make  the  deepest  impres- 
sion—would be  understood  by  men  of  every  land  and  age — would 
bring  out  points  and  shades  of  truth  the  most  minute  and  delicate 
— would  excite  sanctified  curiosity,  and  so  more  thoroughly  fill  the 
mind — would  exalt  the  reader  by  the  very  dignity  of  its  words  and 
figures — would  impress  all  with  a  sense  of  God's  pleasure  in  order 
and  beauty — would  aid  in  shielding  the  faithful  from  the  cruelty 
of  their  persecutors — and,  above  all,  would  produce  correct  ideas 
of  Christ  and  his  gospel. 

5.   NOVELTY  OF  THE   SYMBOLS. 

We  have  spoken,  in  the  general,  of  the  great  number  of  the 
symbols  found  here,  and  of  the  great  designs  in  them ;  but  there 
are  other  peculiarities  which  we  must  not  pass  by.  There  is  an 
originality  in  these  figures  which  is  most  remarkable.  The  re- 
mark of  Trench  is  most  appropriate:  "Nor  can  any  one,  I  think, 
attentively  studying,  fail  to  be  struck  with  what  one  might  ven- 


88        INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

lure  to  call  the  originality  of  these  seven  epistles,  with  their  entire 
unlikeness,  in  some  points  at  least,  to  anything  else  in  Scripture." 

The  symbols  are  novel  in  thought,  in  form,  in  phraseology,  in 
all  their  surroundings.  Many  that  are  used  here  are  not  found 
in  any  other  part  of  the  Bible.  Many  of  them  are  perfectly 
original — so  much  so  that  there  is  not  anything  like  them  in 
the  whole  range  of  literature,  sacred  or  secular.  Some  of  them 
are  very  beautiful.  Some  of  them  present  the  truth  with  great 
vividness. 

Allow  the  mind  to  fasten  itself  to  some  of  them,  and  then  see  into 
what  strange  and  impressive  forms  they  soon  grow.  Look  into  the 
divine  arcana,  and  behold  the  marvelous  shapes  that  arise.  Yon- 
der is  a  pillar  on  which  is  engraved  some  mystic  name  never 
heard  before;  yonder,  stately  forms  move  before  us  in  garments 
of  snowy  whiteness;  yonder  is  a  white  stone  treasured  up  as  a 
secret  token,  the  undying  bond  of  loving  hearts;  yonder  is  a 
brilliant  eye,  of  more  than  earthly  glory,  that  reads  you  through 
and  through ;  yonder  is  a  sword  with  two  edges,  keen  and  bright, 
before  which  every  enemy  must  fall  to  the  dust;  yonder  is  a  ran- 
somed saint  on  the  great  white  throne,  side  by  side  with  the  glori- 
fied Immanuel ;  yonder  is  the  adorable  Son  of  the  Most  High  stand- 
ing and  knocking  at  the  closed  door  of  a  poor  sinner's  heart.  But 
to  depict  all  would  be  to  go  through  the  whole  passage  almost  word 
by  word. 

All  this  was  not  without  design.  Every  word,  every  figure, 
had  its  place.  It  is  a  grand  principle  as  enunciated  by  a  great 
Christian  father:  "Every  word,  if  rightly  viewed,  effects  a  special 
purpose."  Every  word,  every  figure,  every  symbol,  had  its  place. 
The  very  novelty  of  the  symbolism  is  calculated  to  strenojthen 
the  evidence  that  the  messages  were  a  special  communiv.ation 
from  the  great  Head  of  the  Church,  calculated  to  arrest  the 
attention  and  fix  it,  and  so  cause  the  truth  to  be  more  firmly 
established  in  the  mind  and  in  the  heai't. 


6.    THE  SYMBOLS  TAKEN  FEOM  LOCAL  OBJECTS. 

Another  noticeable  feature  of  the  symbols  used  in  these  chap- 
ters is  that  most  of  them  were  prompted  and  shaped  by  some 
event  or  some  object  of  the  time  and  place.  Some  existing  cus- 
tom, some  well-known  object,  some  historical  event,  or  some- 
thing with  which  everybody  in  the  place  was  familiar,  was  made 
to  rejjresent  or  illustrate  some  spiritual  truth.     This  peculiarity 


MESSAGES,   SYMBOLS,   SYMMETRY,  AND  SEVEN.  89 

must  be  kept  distinctly  before  us,  for  it  is  not  only  curious  in 
itself,  but  it  will  also  aid  us  in  the  interpretation. 

Except  the  sj-mbols  taken  from  the  Old  Testament,  all  that  are 
found  in  the  messages  are  of  this  kind.  All  were  founded  upon 
certain  local  things,  and  they  served  to  set  forth  religious  truths 
with  surprising  vividness. 

Let  us  look  at  some  of  the  benefits  arising  from  the  abundant 
use  of  this  peculiar  symbolism. 

(1)  The  diversity  of  character  and  nationality,  of  habits,  of 
classes  of  people,  of  modes  of  life,  and  other  distinctions  found 
in  those  cities,  furnished  an  endless  variety  for  the  use  of  such 
imagery,  and  rendered  it  most  effectual  in  conveying  the  mind 
of  the  Spirit  to  them  all. 

•  (2)  Similar  to  this  peculiarity  of  the  messages  was  the  habit 
of  our  Lord.  He  illustrated  the  truths  of  the  gospel  by  "the 
lilies  of  the  field,"  by  "the  fishes  of  the  sea"  and  "the  birds  of 
the  air,"  by  "a  woman  sweeping  her  house,"  by  "a  sower  sow- 
ing his  seed,"  by  "a  shepherd  watching  over  his  flock,"  and  by 
multitudes  of  other  objects  of  every-day  life.  Thus  did  Christ  in 
the  days  of  his  flesh,  and  thus  did  he  in  all  these  messages,  by 
using  objects  which  were  near  and  familiar  to  those  to  whom 
he  wrote. 

(3)  The  use  of  such  symbols  made  the  truth  more  plain.  It 
caused  the  doctrines  of  the  gospel  to  be  more  perfectly  under- 
stood. It  tended  also  to  bring  the  duties  of  religion  down  to 
the  habits,  feelings,  and  avocations  of  every-day  life. 

(4)  It  gave  an  opportunity  of  showing  the  superiority  of  the 
religion  of  Jesus  Christ  to  every  form  of  paganism,  and  aided 
in  bringing  out  its  excellencies  in  a  way  that  was  not  likely  to 
excite  opposition. 

(5)  It  laid  the  foundation  for  proof  of  the  divine  origin  of  the 
Scriptures  which  could  be  used  in  all  subsequent  ages;  for  what, 
save  the  unerring  Spirit  of  God,  could  record  so  accurately  events 
and  objects  which  had  sunk  into  the  oblivion  of  centuries? 

7.    OLD  TESTAMENT  ALLUSIONS. 

Here  is  another  feature  of  the  symbols  which  should  be  closely 
examined.  Its  great  advantages  can  be  easily  appreciated.  Let 
us  look  at  a  few  specimens  taken  from  the  pages  of  the  old 
economy.  "The  tree  of  life  which  is  in  the  midst  of  the  para- 
dise of  God " — this  takes  us  back  to  the  most  remote  ages,  and 
connects  their  momentous  events  with  the  closing  pages  of  the 


90        INAUGUKAL  OF  THE  ENTHKONED  KING. 

Book  of  God  and  with  the  latter  days  of  time.  "Seven  golden 
candlesticks" — the  very  sound  carries  us  back  to  the  heroic  days 
of  the  wilderness  and  of  the  kings,  and  we  stand  amid  the  sacred 
objects  of  the  tabernacle  and  the  temple.  "  To  him  will  I  give  to 
eat  of  the  hidden  manna" — those  old  historic  words  tell  us  of  God's 
tender  care  over  his  people  in  their  darkest  days,  and  assure  us  that 
heaven  will  yet  be  opened  for  the  descent  of  blessings  upon  the 
blood-bought  Church  of  the  true  Israel.  "  The  doctrine  of  Balaam 
who  taught  Balak  to  cast  a  stumblingblock  before  the  children  of 
Israel"— as  we  read,  there  pass  before  us  the  w^ay  in  which  God  led 
his  ancient  people,  the  strange  interest  he  sometimes  took  on  their 
behalf,  and  the  sure  deliverance  he  always  wrought  out  for  them. 
"He  that  hath  the  key  of  David" — this  reference  brings  up  the 
brightest  days  of  the  nation's  glory,  and  tells  of  the  still  greater 
glory  and  happiness  with  which  their  heavenly  King  would  have 
crowned  them,  had  the  nation  only  been  ftiithful  to  him.  "That 
woman  Jezebel" — the  strange  vicissitudes  of  the  nation  througli- 
out  the  years  of  its  decline  are  here  recalled,  and  the  depths  of 
its  guilt  exposed  as  a  perpetual  warning.  "As  the  vessels  of  a 
potter  shall  they  be  broken  to  shivers  " — tlie  prophecies  of  many 
a  century  gone  by  are  here  recalled,  the  admonitions  of  the  Most 
High  therein  are  reaffirmed,  and  the  sovereignty  of  King  Jesus 
proclaimed  anew  for  the  warning  of  his  enemies  and  the  encour- 
agement of  his  Church.  These  and  many  other  allusions  to  the 
ancient  Scriptures  are  found  throughout  the  messages,  and  accom- 
plish the  supremely  wise  purpose  of  Him  who  is  the  Spirit  of  all 
truth. 

What  the  purposes  were  in  so  many  references  to  the  Old  Testa- 
ment is  a  profitable  study.  Believing,  as  we  do,  that  every  word 
of  these  epistles,  as  of  all  other  Scrii^ture,  has  its  own  appointed 
errand,  and  that  errand  one  of  great  significance,  we  are  held  in 
adoring  wonder  at  the  multitude,  the  splendor,  the  riches,  and 
the  exalted  aims  of  the  emblems  taken  from  the  writings  of  those 
inspired  men  who  lived  before  our  earth  had  witnessed  the  foot- 
steps of  the  Son  of  God  in  the  flesh.  Behold  the  wisdom  mani- 
fested in  those  Old  Testament  references!  They  called  up  sacred 
associations  of  the  past  ages  to  the  minds  of  the  many  Jewish 
readers,  instructed  them  through  things  with  which  they  were 
already  familiar,  and  so  tended  to  secure  their  good  will.  They 
familiarized  the  Gentile  readers  with  the  phraseology  of  the  Old 
Testament,  drew  them  towai'd  those  holy  oracles,  and  filled  their 
minds  with  the  grand  truths  which  God  had  communicated  to 


MESSAGES,  SYMBOLS,   SYMMETRY,   A^'D  SEVEN.  91 

his  people  in  the  ages  that  were  past.  They  made  it  manifest 
that  the  same  mind  inspired  tlie  Old  and  the  New  Testament,  that 
the  same  grand  design  reigned  in  both,  and  that  tliey  were  parts 
of  the  one  great  revehition  of  the  mind  of  Jehovah.  They  thus 
tended  to  establish  the  identity  of  the  two  dispensations— the  one 
as  preparatory  to,  and  the  other  as  the  glorious  consummation  of, 
the  redeeming  work  of  the  Son  of  God. 

We  have  thus  endeavored  to  indicate  the  leading  peculiarities 
of  the  symbolism  of  this  part  of  the  Apocalypse.  It  is  a  subject 
of  great  interest  and  value.  The  Holy  Ghost  manifestly  laid 
much  stress  upon  it.  In  this  peculiarity  there  is  no  other  pas- 
sage of  Scripture  like  these  messages.  It  is  a  comprehensive 
subject,  for  it  spreads  out  into  many  branches,  each  of  which 
has  peculiar  attractions  of  its  own.  It  is  a  subject  which  must 
interest  because  of  its  beauty,  its  novelty,  and  the  matchless  skill 
displayed  in  every  one  of  its  elements.  It  is,  moreover,  a  subject 
of  prime  importance,  for  the  whole  meaning  and  spirit  of  the 
passage  depend  upon  our  getting  hold  of  this  key  to  its  inter- 
pretation. 

8.    EXTEAOEDINARY  SYMMETRY  IN  THE  MESSAGES. 

The  systematic  arrangement  of  these  messages,  the  exact  plan 
on  which  they  are  constructed,  the  identity  of  the  order  of  cer- 
tain prominent  points  in  them,  the  artistic  skill  displayed  in  the 
order  of  thought  and  in  the  use  of  language,  are  most  noteworthy. 
We  are  safe  in  asserting  that  in  no  other  portion  of  Scripture  is 
there  such  striking,  exact,  and  significant  system  as  in  this.  In 
this  respect  it  is  doubtful  whether  there  is  to  be  found  in  any 
writing  of  any  kind,  sacred  or  secular,  such  exact  order  as  here. 
It  is  so  perfectly  systematic  as  to  have  an  indescribable  charm. 
Most  heartily  do  we  endorse  the  assertion  of  an  eminent  writer: 
"There  never  was  a  book  penned  with  that  artifice  of  this  of  the 
Apocalypse."  No  other  portion  of  Scripture  is  so  charming  in 
its  system  and  so  exact  in  numbers  and  relations.  Like  some 
splendid  cathedral  which  has  been  the  admiration  of  ages,  every 
adornment  is  in  its  fitting  place,  every  proportion  is  according 
to  exact  number,  all  conspires  to  one  effect,  diversity  gives  prom- 
inence to  the  wondrous  symmetry,  and  all  is  most  sublime. 

The  study  of  this  symmetry  in  the  messages  is  an  alluring  and 
a  profitable  one.  Even  if  we  were  impelled  to  it  by  nothing 
higher  than  a  wholesome  curiosity,  it  would  be  a  worthy  pursuit. 
But  there  is  something  beyond  this  and  far  higher.    This  feature 


92        INAUGUKAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

of  the  messages  must  be  significant.  There  must  have  been  a 
high  and  heavenly  purpose  in  a  form  of  revelation  that  was  so 
peculiar.  There  must  have  been  an  end  whose  importance  was 
in  proportion  to  the  peculiarity  of  the  method  of  the  revelation. 

With  this  impression  of  the  wonderful  system  according  to 
which  the  messages  are  arranged  would  we  enter  upon  its  study. 
We  would  look  first  at  tlie  orderly  method  in  tvliich  the  various 
churches  are  introduced.  They  are  not  addressed  at  random,  but 
according  to  an  exact  plan.  Ephesus  is  first  addressed,  because 
nearest  to  Patinos,  and  because  a  sort  of  metropolis  of  the  whole 
country ;  then  Smyrna,  the  next  to  the  left,  if  one  undertook  to 
take  the  cities  as  in  a  sort  of  circuit;  then  Pergamos,  next  in 
order  to  the  left;  then  Thyatira;  then  Sardis;  then  Philadelphia; 
then,  last,  Laodicea,  after  which  the  round  would  take  us  back 
to  Ephesus,  the  place  of  starting.  This  is  the  obvious  geograph- 
ical order  of  arrangement ;  but,  as  we  shall  see,  there  was  a  deeper 
—undoubtedly  a  providential— order  in  the  naming  of  the  churches, 
and  consequently  in  the  messages  sent  them. 

Second,  there  is  a  significant  method  in  the  structure  of  the  mes- 
sages. They  are  all  framed  on  precisely  the  same  plan.  In  each 
message  there  are  seven  leading  points.  As  the  messages  are 
seven  in  number,  from  the  seven  Spirits  of  God,  and  to  the  seven 
churches,  so  we  find  that  there  are  seven  prominent  thoughts  in 
each  of  them.  This  is  the  general  rule,  with  only  slight  devia- 
tions in  one  or  two  cases,  as  might  be  expected  in  a  matter  that 
is  necessarily  so  complicated. 

At  present  we  would  merely  give  a  general  statement  of  this 
plan  on  which  all  the  messages  are  constructed.  Hereafter  we 
shall  dwell  more  fully  upon  each  of  the  points,  both  separately 
and  unitedly,  as  well  as  in  comparison.  We  place  them  all  to- 
gether here  in  order  that  their  arrangement  may  be  the  better 
seen  and  understood. 

In  each  of  the  seven  messages  we  find  these  seven  points  or 
elements:  (1)  The  title  of  the  Son  of  man— different  in  each.  (2) 
In  each  church  tliere  is  something  censured — save  in  the  instances 
of  Smyrna  and  Philadelphia,  (8)  In  each  there  is  something 
applauded— with  one  exception.  (4)  Some  counsel  is  given  to 
each.  (-5)  To  each  there  is  a  threatening  in  case  of  unfaithful- 
ness. (G)  In  each  there  is  a  promise  to  those  who  overcome. 
(7)  Each  of  them  concludes  with  the  words,  "  He  that  hath  an 
ear,  let  him  hear  what  the  Spirit  saith  to  the  churches," 

Third,  there  are  certain  things  which  are  precisely  the  same  in 


MESSAGES,  SYMBOLS,  SYMMETRY,  AND  SEVEN.  93 

each  of  the  messages :  (1)  In  each  of  them  we  find  the  expression, 
"  He  that  overcometh,"  showing  that  all  the  churches  would  have 
to  strive  and  contend  for  the  faith.  (2)  In  each  there  is  a  symbol 
taken  from  some  local  thing — some  symbol  that  could  be  applied 
to  that  church  and  no  other.  Such  symbols  are  those:  "Nicolai- 
tans,"  "synagogue  of  Satan,"  "white  stone,"  "that  woman  Jeze- 
bel," "white  raiments,"  "open  door,"  "spue  thee  out  of  my 
mouth."  (3)  In  each  there  is  a  central  point  around  which  every- 
thing else  is  arranged.  We  shall  presently  refer  to  this  more  fully. 
(4)  In  each  we  find  the  caution,  "  He  that  hath  an  ear,  let  him  hear 
what  the  Spirit  saith  to  the  churches." 

Such  is  the  remarkable  system  which  prevails  in  all  these  mes- 
sages. As  might  be  expected,  there  are  deviations  from  it,  but 
they  are  unimportant.  In  compositions  so  many  and  so  complex 
there  are  very  slight  departures  from  the  prevailing  rule.  Per- 
fection required  this.  Diversity  in  the  midst  of  uniformity  marks 
the  highest  works  of  God.  Accordingly,  the  elements  of  these 
messages  are  freely  modified,  while  at  the  same  time  the  great 
outlines  are  abiding  and  invariable. 

Fourth,  there  is  a  surprising  system  in  that  there  is  not  only  a 
connection,  but  a  beautiful  gradation,  in  the  leading  elements  of  the 
messages.  They  are  not  isolated  in  the  matters  they  contain,  but 
thfy  are  so  related  that  in  all  their  leading  elements  they  form 
a  completed  embodiment  of  the  subject. 

(1)  There  is  a  gradation  in  the  character  of  the  churches,  so  that 
in  them  we  have  specimens  of  almost  all  classes.  Against  the  two 
churches  Philadelphia  and  Smyrna  there  is  no  charge  whatever; 
Ephesus  had  lost  its  first  love;  Pergamos  tampered  with  evil; 
Thyatira  affiliated  with  corruption ;  Laodicea  was  disgustingly 
lukewarm ;  Sardis  was  grossly  hypocritical— with  a  name  to  live, 
but  in  reality  dead. 

(2)  There  is  a  gradation  in  the  threaten! ngs.  The  mildest  is 
that  of  removing  the  candlestick— taking  away  gospel  privileges. 
The  worst  is,  "I  will  spue  thee  out  of  my  mouth"— utter  aban- 
donment, rejection.  Between  these  extremes  every  degree  of 
terror  is  denounced  againt  those  who  should  continue  in  obstinate 
unfaithfulness. 

(3)  There  is  a  gradation  in  the  promises.  Nothing  could  be 
more  beautiful  than  this.  From  the  very  lowest  to  the  very 
highest,  every  shade  of  blessedness  is  assured  to  those  who  shall 
prove  faithful  to  the  Lord,  (a)  The  first  and  lowest  is  the  promise 
to  the  faithful  of  Ephesus:  "To  him  that  overcometh  will  I  give 


94        INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHEONED  KING. 

to  eat  of  the  tree  of  life,  which  is  in  the  midst  of  the  paradise 
of  God."      This   is   simply  an  assurance  of  the  continuance   of 
existence  for  ever,    (b)  The  second  is  the  promise  to  the  suffering 
but  victorious  believers  of  Smyrna:  "Be  thou  faithful  unto  death, 
and  I  will  give  thee  a  crown  of  life."    This  is  a  degree  higher,  but 
it  is  merely  an  engagement  to  bestow  a  victorious  reward  of  glory. 
(c)  The  third  is  the  promise  to  the  steadfast  amid  persecutions  in 
Pergamos:   "To  him  that  overcometh  will  I  give  to  eat  of  the 
hidden  manna,  and  will  give  him  a  white  stone,  and  in  the  stone 
a  new  name  written,  which  no  man  kno^v'eth  saving  he  that  re- 
ceiveth  it."    This  is  a  great  advance,  as  it  engages  the  blessings 
of  the  perpetual  and  most  intimate  friendship  of  the  divine  Son 
of  God.    (fZ)  The  fourth  is  the  promise  to  the  unyielding  heroes 
of  Thyatira:   "He  that  overcometh  and  keepeth  my  works  unto 
the  end,  to  him  will  I  give  power  over  the  nations :  and  he  shall 
rule  them  with  a  rod  of  iron ;  as  the  vessels  of  a  potter  shall  they 
be  broken  to  shivers;  even  as  I  received  of  my  Father."    This 
is  higher  still.    It  is  an  assurance  of  going  forward  steadily  and 
for  ever  in  victory  and  power  and  glory,     (e)    The  fifth  is  the 
promise  to  the  few  noble  and  upright  ones  of  Sardis:  "He  that 
overcometh,  the  same  shall  be  clothed  in  white  raiment,  and  I 
will  not  blot  out  his  name  out  of  the  book  of  life,  but   I  will 
confess  his  name  before  my  Father,  and  before  his  angels."    More 
exalted  still  is  this  engagement.    It  is  the  assurance  of  evermore 
enjoying  the  very  effulgence  of  purity  and  glory.     (/)   The  sixth 
is  the  promise  to  the  humble,  suffering,  but  patient  ones  in  Phil- 
adelphia :    "  Him  that    overcometh  will  I   make  a   pillar  in   the 
temple  of  my  God,   and  he  shall  go  no  more  out;    and  I    will 
write  upon  him  the  name  of  my  God,  and  the  name  of  the  city 
of  my  God,  which  is  the  New  Jerusalem."    This  is  higher  than 
any  promise  before  it,  for  it  is  an  engagement  of  being  identified 
in  glory  with  the  exalted  Son  of  God.    (r/)  The  seventh  is  the 
promise  to  the  most  faithful  because  most  temj^ted  believers  of 
Laodicea:   "To  him  that  overcometh  will  I  grant  to  sit  with  me 
in  my  throne,  even  as  I  also  overcame,  and  am  set  down  with 
my  Father  in  his  throne."    This  is  the  highest  jDromise  of  all — 
the  highest  of  which  we  can   conceive,  even  that  of  being  asso- 
ciated and   identified  with  the  Lord  of  glory  in  the  government 
of  the  world.     Such  are  these  seven  promises   in   their   various 
degrees  or  shades  of  blessedness.    Imagination  can  frame  nothing 
so  glorious  as  the  prosi:»ect  they  hold  out  to  the  suffering,  tried, 
but  steadfast  followers  of  Christ. 


MESSAGES,  SYMBOLS,   SYMMETKY,   AND  SEVEN.  95 

9.    DESIGX   OF  THIS  SYMMETEY. 

In  the  foregoing  particulars  we  have  presented  a  concise  sketch 
of  the  wonderful  system  which  prevails  in  the  messages.  We 
have  seen  that  this  system  characterizes  the  order  in  which  the 
churches  are  introduced;  it  marks  the  structure  of  each  message; 
it  is  seen  in  certain  things  which  are  common  to  them  all;  it  is 
made  more  striking  by  a  few  slight  deviations;  and  it  is  crowned 
by  the  beautiful  gradation  which  prevails  in  almost  every  part. 
Most  of  these  points  will  come  up  hereafter  for  more  full  consid- 
eration, but  we  have  seen  enough  already  to  assure  us  that  in 
the  elaborate  presentation  of  this  extraordinary  system  there  must 
have  been  some  special  purpose  in  the  mind  of  our  Lord.  There 
must  have  been  some  motive  far  higher  than  merely  to  make 
the  revelation  well  rounded  out.  It  was  designed,  among  other 
things,  to  be  a  special  intimation  that  a  well-ordered  plan  would 
prevail  in  conducting  the  affairs  predicted  in  revelation — the  affairs 
of  the  Church  and  of  the  world. 

(1)  It  manifests  an  attractive  attribute  of  Jehovah.  It  shows 
that  he  is  a  God  of  order.  The  observance  of  exact  system  in 
his  works  is  not  beneath  him.  This  is  his  nature.  Every  page 
and  element  of  revelation  makes  this  evident!  Every  word  and 
point  in  these  messages  makes  it  manifest  that  this  belongs  to 
his  nature.  This  thought  is  most  comforting  in  the  midst  of  our 
anxious  anticipations  concerning  the  future. 

(2)  We  see  that  the  same  mind  reigns  in  nature  and  in  the  Bible. 
The  whole  passage  is  a  counterpart  of  that  regularity  of  plan  which 
we  find  in  the  natural  world.  It  is  most  exalting  to  trace  the  evi- 
dences that  the  same  mind  presides  in  both  kingdoms.  The  same 
perfect  order  which  we  find  here  is  also  found  in  all  history  and 
In  all  the  works  of  creation. 

We  glance  at  a  few  instances;  probably  the  widest  range  of 
investigation  would  show  it  to  be  invariable.  We  behold  an 
exact  and  wonderful  system  prevailing  in  the  realm  of  nature, 
in  the  facts  which  science  is  day  by  day  bringing  to  light.  We 
see  it  in  the  grand  operations  of  the  material  universe — in  that 
the  law  of  gravitation,  with  its  invariable  measures,  prevails 
throughout  the  whole — in  that  the  revolutions  of  the  heavenlj' 
bodies  are  so  exactly  ordered  that  the  ages,  years,  months,  days, 
hours,  even  minutes,  which  they  measure  continue  with  most 
perfect  regularity — in  that  occultations  and  eclipses  can  be  calcu- 
lated centuries  before  as  to  the  moment  of  their  occurrence.    We 


90  INAUGURAL  OF  TIIE   ENTHRONED  KING. 

see  it  in  tlie  aiTangenients  that  jDertain  to  our  earth— in  the  exact 
adjustment  of  summer  and  winter,  of  seed-time  and  harvest,  of 
day  and  night — in  the  fixed  numbers  and  proportions  of  chem- 
istry—in the  exact  shapes  into  whicli  crystals  form  tliemseives. 
We  see  it  in  the  arrangements  of  the  vegetable  world,  in  the  simi- 
larity of  form,  proportion,  function,  use,  that  prevail  respectively 
in  the  several  genera  and  species.  We  see  it  in  the  animal  world, 
especially  in  the  structure  and  characteristics  of  the  human  race 
— in  the  arrangements  of  the  several  members  and  organs  of  the 
body,  so  symmetrical  and  so  invariable  in  their  uses  and  in  their 
relations  each  to  the  other  and  to  the  whole — in  that  the  average 
length  of  life,  not  merely  of  the  entire  period,  but  of  its  several 
stages,  remains  so  nearly  the  same — in  that  the  numbers  of  the 
sexes  are  so  nearly  the  same,  not  merely  at  birth,  but  at  the  sev- 
eral periods  of  existence.  We  behold  it  in  innumerable  instances, 
in  the  contemjDlation  of  which  we  become  bewildered  and  de- 
lighted— in  the  octaves  of  music,  in  the  vibrations  of  sound,  and 
in  the  waves  of  light.  Everywhere  among  the  works  of  God  we 
find  the  same  exact  order — everywhere  the  same,  and  yet,  amidst 
all,  a  diversity  which  makes  the  system  the  more  conspicuous 
and  the  beauty  the  more  charming. 

Who  can  for  one  moment  doubt  but  that  these  perfect  plans 
everywhere  found — the  one  in  the  works  of  nature  and  the  other 
in  the  wonderful  system  of  the  numbers,  proportions,  and  grada- 
tions in  these  messages— are  both  from  one  and  the  same  glorious 
mind,  even  that  of  the  Most  High  God?  Infidelity  may  deny, 
doubt,  and  speculate,  but  there  are  the  facts  which  their  madness  can- 
not overthrow.  There  are  the  unchangeable  proportions,  laws,  and 
order,  and  we  are  sure  that  they  are  all  from  the  same  eternal, 
unchangeable,  and  all-perfect  wisdom  and  power  of  Jehovah. 

(3)  In  every  feature  and  line  of  this  amazingly  perfect  system 
we  find  indubitable  proof  that  the  book  which  contains  it  must 
have  been  divinely  inspired.  From  it  we  know  assuredly  that 
the  Bible  sprung  from  the  heart  and  mind  of  God.  This  word 
which  our  Lord  spake,  which  the  inspired  pen  recorded,  which  gen- 
eration after  generation  of  the  holiest  and  most  blessed  of  saints 
has  studied  with  rapture, — this  word  is  true,  unchangeable,  and 
all-perfect  as  a  revelation  of  the  innermost  heart  of  that  God 
with  whom  we  have  to  do.  Sceptics  might  as  well  reason  against 
the  laws  which  govern  gravitation  or  bring  about  the  eclipse  or 
cause  the  morning  dew  as  against  the  principles  involved  in  this 
system,  more  perfect  than  uninspired  wisdom  ever  conceived. 


MESSAGES,  SYMBOLS,   SYMMETRY,   AND  SEVEN.  97 

( t)  We  have  the  assurance  that,  since  the  messages  are  from  our 
enthroned  Lord,  tlie  perfect  system  of  divine  government  revealed 
therein  will  be  realized  in  all  coming  events  in  the  Church,  in  the 
world,  in  the  whole  future  track  of  human  destiny.  How  blessed 
beyond  imagination  that  it  will  be  so!  Sad,  indeed,  would  be  the 
outlook  for  humanity  were  it  not  for  this  prospect!  To  look  for- 
ward with  the  thought  that  there  is  no  plan  in  the  changes  which 
are  awaiting  our  race,  no  divine  mind  to  direct  its  progress,  no 
protection  from  the  anarchy  of  selfishness  and  cruelty  and  lies,  no 
safe  bourne  toward  which  we  are  tending, — this  would  crush  out 
all  hope  and  fill  every  heart  with  despair!  But  this  significant 
system  of  the  me.ssages  gives  us  a  strangely  impressive  intimation 
that  it  will  be  otherwise.  It  is  itself  a  type  of  the  well-ordered 
plan  which  will  guide  the  whole  future  of  the  Church,  of  the 
world,  of  the  souls  of  individuals,  and  of  the  whole  human  race! 
From  it  we  have  an  assurance  that  all  the  affairs  of  the  Church, 
for  which  the  world  stands,  will  be  conducted  according  to  a  pre- 
arranged plan  of  heavenly  wisdom.  In  no  sense  is  the  future 
of  Christ's  kingdom  to  be  at  haphazard  or  dependent  on  the 
mere  caprice  of  men.  All  is  under  the  unerring  control  of  God. 
He  has  planned  every  feature  of  the  coming  ages.  All  will  be 
moulded  by  his  all-wise  providence. 

10.    SEVEN. 

The  climax  of  this  remarkable  system  in  the  messages  is  reached 
in  the  strange  prominence  given  to  the  number  seven.  As  we  read 
the  messages  we  are  impressed  with  the  significant  use  of  this  num- 
ber at  every  point.  There  are  seven  spirits  before  the  throne,  seven 
golden  candlesticks,  seven  stars  in  the  right  hand  of  the  Son  of 
man,  seven  churches  of  Asia,  and  seven  points  or  elements  in  each 
of  the  seven  messages.  As  we  read  on  through  the  book  of  Reve- 
lation this  peculiarity  becomes  more  and  more  striking.  We  find 
the  lamb  with  seven  horns  and  seven  eyes,  the  book  with  seven 
seals,  the  seven  angels  with  seven  trumpets,  the  seven  thunders, 
the  seven  vials  with  the  seven  last  plagues,  the  seven  heads  of  the 
dragon  and  the  seven  crowns  upon  those  heads,  the  seven  moun- 
tains and  the  seven  kings,  the  earthquake  destroying  seven  thou- 
sand men,  the  witnesses  prophesying  in  sackcloth  the  half  of  seven 
years  and  lying  unburied  the  half  of  seven  days.  In  still  other 
instances  we  find  this  number  used  in  the  Apocalypse.  In  no 
part  of  the  Scriptures  is  it  made  so  prominent  as  in  this. 

At  the  same  time,  however,  it  does  prevail  strangely  through- 
7 


98       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

out  all  the  pages  of  the  Bible.  This  is  well  worthy  of  close  study. 
We  begin  with  God  resting  from  the  work  of  creation  on  the 
seventh  day.  Among  the  Israelites  every  seventh  day  was  a  Sab- 
bath; every  seventh  year  was  a  sabbatical  year;  seven  times 
seven  years  brought  the  Jubilee;  the  i)aschal  lamb  was  killed  on 
the  twice  seventh  day  of  the  month,  the  feast  lasted  seven  days, 
and  seven  times  seven  days  after  the  passover  was  the  feast  of 
weeks;  the  feast  of  tabernacles  lasted  seven  days;  persons  sus- 
pected of  leprosy  were  shut  up  seven  days,  and  when  cleansed 
they  were  sprinkled  seven  times ;  at  the  taking  of  Jericho  there 
were  to  be  seven  priests  with  seven  trumpets,  who  would  march 
around  the  city  for  seven  days,  but  on  the  last  day  seven  times; 
Naaman  was  to  wash  in  the  Jordan  seven  times;  in  the  writings 
of  Solomon,  wisdom  had  her  seven  pillars ;  Jeremiah  predicted  a 
captivity  to  his  people  of  seven  times  ten  years;  Daniel  foretold 
a  period  of  seven  times  ten  weeks  to  the  anointing  of  the  Most 
Holy.  Matthew  divided  the  time  from  Abraham  to  Christ  into 
three  periods  of  twice  seven  generations  each ;  our  Lord  had 
seven  times  ten  disciples;  there  were  seven  deacons  in  the  early 
church ;  and  our  Lord  enjoined  it  on  Peter  that  he  should  "  for- 
give not  until  seven  times,  but  seventy  times  seven." 

Whatever  may  be  the  special  significance  of  this  number  as  a 
symbol,  or  whatever  may  be  the  reasons  for  its  use,  it  is  eminently 
the  number  of  the  Bible.  It  must  be  evident  to  every  thoughtful 
reader  of  the  Scriptures  that  certain  numbers  are  frequently  used 
therein  with  special  significance,  and  also  that  seven  is  the  most 
prominent  of  those  thus  employed. 

11.    MEANING  OF   THE  NUMBER  SEVEN. 

The  constant  use  of  seven  in  the  messages  must  be  significant 
and  instructive.  Not  for  a  moment  can  we  supi)ose  that  our  Divine 
Lord  would  make  such  remarkable  use  of  a  number  without  an 
instructive  purpose. 

What,  then,  is  the  origin,  and  what  the  meaning,  of  seven  as 

^jused  in  these  messages?  The  usual  explanation  of  the  frequent 
use  of  this  nuinber  in  the  Scriptures  is  that  God  rested  from  his 
creative  work  on  the  seventh  day,  and  hence  its  constant  use  ever 

[afterward  in  the  Sacred  Book.  This  is  correct  so  far  as  it  goes;  but 
it  is  certainly  permissible  that  we  should  go  farther  and  search 
whether  there  may  not  be  wise  reasons  why  he  rested  on  the 
seventh  day  rather  than  on  the  sixth,  the  eighth,  or  any  other. 


MESSAGES,  SYMBOLS,  SYMMETRY,   AND  SEVEN.  99 

All  the  ways  of  Jehovah  are  guided  by  infinitely  wise  reasons. 
What  were  the  reasons  here?  What  is  known  concerning  his 
glorious  designs  in  creation  and  redemption,  in  Scripture  and 
providence,  and  especially  in  that  grand  announcement  concern- 
ing his  everlasting  Son:  "For  by  him  were  all  things  created, 
that  are  in  heaven,  and  that  are  in  earth,  visible  and  invisible, 
whether  they  be  thrones,  or  dominions,  or  principalities,  or  powers; 
all  things  were  created  by  him,  and  for  him," — all  these  have  begot- 
ten in  the  mind  of  the  writer  the  conviction  that  the  number  of  the 
day  of  rest  was  determined  in  view  of  the  great  work  of  that  Son 
— namely.  Redemption.  ^'' All  things  icere  created  for  /tim,^^  the 
seventh  day  of  rest,  amongst  other  things. 

There  is  a  peculiarity  in  the  number  sevoi  which  makes  it  espe 
cially  applicable  to  the  great  work  of  redemption,  which  by  divine 
covenant  was  contemplated  from  the  beginning.  Not  only  are  the 
Plebrew  words  for  seven  and  oath  (by  which  the  covenant  was  con- 
firmed) from  the  same  root,  but  the  number  seven  is  in  itself  an 
appropriate  symbol  for  redemption  or  the  covenant  thereof.  Tins'* 
matter  is  worthy  of  special  attention. 

A  few  words,  however,  at  this  point  concerning  two  other  sacred 
numbers  in  the  Scriptures  will  aid  us  materially  in  reaching  the 
full  significance  of  the  numbers  in  question.  Certain  numbers  oc- 
cupy too  prominent  a  place  on  the  inspired  pages,  are  used  in  too 
many  different  connections,  and  too  evidently  have  they  a  special 
purpose,  for  us  to  slight  them  or,  as  many  do,  to  sneer  at  an  earnest 
effort  to  interpret  them.  That  wild  and  absurd  applications  have 
been  made  of  them  will  not  justify  us  in  tossing  them  aside  as 
meaningless.  If  we  apply  rational  methods  to  the  interpretation 
of  these  scriptural  numbers,  examining  their  significance  in  all 
the  various  connections  in  which  they  are  found,  it  cannot  be  an 
impossible  or  even  a  very  difficult  thing  to  discover  the  intent  of 
the  Holy  Spirit  in  their  use.  They  nuist  mean  something.  As 
divinely-used  symbols  they  must  mean  much;  as  such  they  teach 
and  impress  important  truths.  We  now  look  at  a  few  of  them, 
the  understanding  of  which  may  aid  us  in  more  clearly  compre- 
hending why  the  number  seven  is  made  so  much  use  of  in  all 
the  messages. 

Attention  is  first  directed  to  the  number  three.  On  this,  how- 
ever, we  need  not  dwell,  as  nothing  is  more  palpable  than  that 
it  is  tlie  symbol  of  God— Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost— the 
Trinity. 

Next  to  this  we  look  at  the  number  four.    Of  this  we  find  not 


100      INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

very  many  applications.  Tliose,  however,  wliich  we  do  find  are 
empliatic  and  plain  in  their  meaning.  Let  us  take  a  single  exam- 
ple in  full  as  we  find  it  in  the  book  of  Daniel,  7:2,  3:  "Daniel 
spake  and  said,  I  saw  in  my  vision  by  night,  and,  behold,  the  four 
winds  of  the  heaven  strove  upon  the  great  sea,  and  four  great  beasts 
came  up  from  the  sea,  diverse  one  from  another."  More  briefly,  in 
other  places  we  have  "  four  rivers  of  Paradise ;"  "  four  living  crea- 
tures;" "four  Avinds;"  "four  notable  horns;"  "four  workmen;" 
"four  chariots;"  "four  corners  of  the  earth."  We  can  scarcely 
mistake  the  significance  of  this  number  as  it  thus  lies  before  us. 
Everything  in  its  use  points  to  the  world,  earth,  man.  Four  is  the 
number  of  the  world,  of  which  mankind  is  the  head.  Four  is  the 
Scriptural  symbol  for  man,  as  three  is  for  God. 

We  now  return  to  the  consideration  of  the  number  seven 
with  the  aid  we  may  derive  from  some  knowledge  of  the  other 
sacred  numbers  just  considered.  We  have  suggested  that  it  is  the 
sviXLhoL^of  the  covenairt_£)f  redemption  hi  CTtrtst:    'V^  have  said 

/that  an  indication  of  its  being  the  covenant  number  is  that 
the  very  word  seven  and  the  word  for  oath  are  from  the  same 
Hebrew  root.    But  how  comes  it  that  seven  rather  than  any  other 

\  number  should  be  the  symbol  of  the  covenant  or  of  the  atonement? 
We  have  already  seen  that  the  established  and  well-understood 
numerical  symbol  for  God  is  three.  We  have  also  seen  that  the 
undoubted  scriptural  symbol  for  man  is  four.  But  three  and  four 
brought  together,  or  added,  are  seven.  Hence  it  seems  to  be  appro- 
l^riate  that  seven  should  be  used  as  the  symbol  of  God  and  man 
brought  together  or  reconciled.  In  symbolic  language  this  could 
not  be  more  impressively  set  forth. 

The  great  object  contemplated  in  the  covenant  of  redemption 
is  God  and  man  reconciled — and  reconciled  in  Christ.  It  is  God 
and  man  brought  together.  This  is  the  fundamental  thought  in 
the  whole  gospel,  in  the  whole  Bible.  It  is  the  very  central  and 
all-essential  idea  of  all  religion,  and  the  very  word  religion — to 
bind  back  or  bind  anew — implies  it.  It  means  to  bind  again,  to 
bind  back,  God  and  man  whom  sin  had  separated.  It  is  the  very 
thought  and  substance  of  the  atonement — the  at-one-ment — God  and 
man  united;  three  and  four  brought  together;  seven.  The  essential 
idea  of  the  atonement,  the  covenant,  the  reconcilement  effected 
by  the  mediation  and  death  of  Christ,  is  God  and  man  at  one. 
Most  appropriately,  then,  and  most  significantly  is  sei^en,  in  Scrij)- 
fure,  the  invariat)te  sijmliol  of  the  atonement.  All  the  Bible  through 
it  is  used  in  connection  with  atonement  and  reconciliation.    In 


MESSAGES,  SYMBOLS,  SYMMETKY,  AND  SEVEN.  101 

proof  of  tins  we  find  that  seven  is  the  number  of  all  sacrifices 
by  which  the  atonement  was  typified,  of  all  sacrifices  and  devote- 
ments  connected  with  the  covenant,  and  of  all  in  the  old  economy 
which  illustrated  or  set  forth  forgiveness. 

This  theory  of  the  significance  of  seven  is  the  theory  of  many 
of  the  most  reliable  and  best  of  scholars,  such  as  Stuart,  Hengsten- 
berg,  and  others.  It  is  not,  therefore,  a  mere  untried  and  ephem- 
eral conjecture. 

1-2.    COMPREHENSIVENESS  OF  THE  MESSAGES. 

This  is  a  general  characteristic  of  Scripture.  We  may  specify  the 
writing  of  God  on  the  two  tables  of  stone,  which,  in  ten  brief  pre- 
cepts,  contains  all  the  great  duties  of  religion,  or  we  may  point  to 
the  "Sermon  on  the  Mount,"  which,  in  three  chapters,  contains  a 
complete  manifestation  of  all  the  great  principles  which  distin- 
guish the  kingdom  of  Christ  on  earth ;  or  we  may  name  still  more 
comprehensive  passages  which  contain  the  sum  of  the  gospel  in 
a  single  sentence,  such  as,  "  God  so  loved  the  world,  that  he  gave 
his  only  begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  in  him  should  not 
perish,  but  have  everlasting  life."  All  these  are  wonderfully  com- 
prehensive, but  hardly  any  of  them  are  so  full  as  the  passage  which 
contains  these  messages.  We  may  mention  two  or  three  particulars 
in  which  this  characteristic  is  seen. 

(1)  General  principles,  either  good  or  bad,,  are  laid  down,  and 
then,  under  each  of  them,  many  particulars  of  the  same  class  are 
presented.  For  instance,  in  the  message  to  the  church  of  Per- 
gamos  we  have:  "Thou  hast  there  them  that  hold  the  doctrine 
of  Balaam,  who  taught  Balak  to  cast  a  stumblingblock  before 
the  children  of  Israel,  to  eat  things  sacrificed  unto  idols,  and  to 
com;ait  fornication."  This  presents  the  general  sin  of  tampering 
with  evil.  Then  every  degree  and  form  and  offspring  of  the  evil 
is  condemned  in  it.  On  the  other  side,  to  the  church  of  Philadel- 
phia we  have  the  commendation :  "  Thou  hast  a  little  strength,  and 
hast  kept  my  word,  and  hast  not  denied  my  name."  Here  is  the 
general  principle  of  fidelity,  and  under  it  are  embraced  every 
aspect  and  particular  of  that  virtue.  This  peculiarity  is  found 
to  pervade  all  the  messages  and  to  make  them  exceedingly  pro- 
lific in  instruction.  It  will  sometimes  be  found  that  a  general 
principle  extends  to  other  things  which  are  not  of  the  same  sort, 
as  when  Paul  advises  the  abstaining  from  meat  that  had  been 
offered  to  idols  if  a  brother  was  thereby  offended,  and  then  car- 
ries the  principle  so  far  as  to  teach  that  we  should  deny  ourselves 


102       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

even  in  lawful  things  if  tliey  should  appear  to  be  stumbling-blocks 
to  others. 

(2)  In  these  messages  every  word  becomes  a  germ  of  thought. 
These  germs,  under  the  quickening  influence  of  diligent  study, 
soon  grow  and  bring  forth  abundance  of  fruit.  As  a  mere  act 
of  the  intellect  there  is  a  peculiar  fascination  in  following  out 
these  jjrinciples,  germs,  beginnings,  and  tracing  out  the  exuber- 
ance into  which  they  develop. 

If  we  take  any  one  of  the  messages  and  give  it  even  a  suj^er- 
ficial  investigation,  we  shall  be  astonished  at  the  number  of  points 
or  particulars  it  comprises.  Let  us  make  the  trial.  There  is  (a) 
a  declaration  that  God  is  observant  of  the  course  pursued ;  (6)  some 
attribute  of  the  glorified  Lord  adduced;  (c)  something  in  the  church 
rebuked ;  (d)  some  approbation  expressed ;  (e)  some  advice  given ; 
(/)  a  threatening  uttered  against  unfaithfulness;  (g)  a  promise 
extended  to  those  who  obey ;  (A)  a  solemn  caution  to  give  good 
heed ;  (/)  and  then  often  an  emphatic  warning  that  the  Lord 
would  soon  come.  Then  each  one  of  these  seven  or  eight  points 
may  itself  be  extended  out  into  a  multitude  of  other  subordinate 
ones.  This  is  in  a  single  message;  but  when  we  take  the  several 
points  as  they  are  found  in  the  various  messages,  and  compare 
them,  classify  them,  and  search  out  the  different  shades  in  which 
they  present  each  thought,  as  well  as  the  different  thoughts,  then 
the  field  which  is  opened  up  seems  absolutely  boundless. 

To  the  writer,  in  the  whole  passage  there  is  nothing  more  won- 
derful than  the  amount  of  matter  which  is  comjjressed  into  such 
narrow  bounds.  Look  closely  into  it.  Look  at  the  agreement 
of  all  parts  with  each  other,  at  the  symbols  gathered  from  every 
quarter,  at  the  reference  to  Old  Testament  incidents,  at  the  progress 
of  both  promises  and  threatenings  from  the  lowest  to  the  highest, 
at  the  attributes  of  the  Son  of  God,  at  the  censures,  praises,  counsels, 
threatenings,  promises,  at  the  general  principles  brought  out  in 
hints,  at  the  character  of  God,  at  the  prospects  of  men,  at  the  doc- 
trines and  duties,  at  the  historical  events,  at  the  predictions  and 
lessons  of  instructions; — all  these  are  presented  to  us  by  the  same 
language  and  in  the  compass  of  a  very  few  verses.  The  compre- 
hensiveness of  the  passage  is  indeed  wonderful. 

13.   A   CENTRAL   POINT  IN   EACH   MESSAGE. 

We  now  come  to  another  important  feature  of  the  messages. 
In  each  of  them  there  is  a  central  point  around  which  everything 
else  is  arrayed,  upon  which  everything  else  has  a  bearing,  and 


MESSAGES,   SYMBOLS,   SYMMETRY,   AND  SEVEN.  ]()3 

whicli  gives  color  and  shape  to  all  else.  There  was  a  well-de- 
fined and  peculiar  message  to  each  church.  There  was  some  one 
thing  intended  to  be  communicated  to  each,  which  pertained 
to  something  special  in  it,  and  which  could  not  have  been 
addressed  to  any  other.  There  was  some  evil  to  be  corrected, 
some  virtue  to  be  acknowledged,  or  some  information  to  be  im- 
parted, which  formed  the  substance  of  each  communication.  In 
each  case  there  was  something  definite  and  paramount  to  every- 
thing else.  Every  point  has  an  exact  purpose,  and  receives  its 
special  character  from  the  great  central  thought  of  the  message. 
The  titles  applied  to  our  Lord,  the  censures,  the  approvals,  the 
counsels,  the  threatenings,  the  promises,  are  all  moulded  accord- 
ing to  the  character  of  the  particular  church  which  has  called 
forth  the  message  from  its  great  Head. 

It  is  instructive,  and  makes  the  whole  matter  more  distinct,  to 
place  these  central  points  of  the  various  messages  together,  so  that 
they  can  be  compared,  their  shades  of  ineaning  be  analyzed,  and 
their  full  significance  be  comprehended.  Accordingly,  the  central 
definite  messages  to  the  various  churches  are— to  Ephesus,  "  Thou 
hast  left  thy  first  love;"  to  Smyrna,  "  I  know  thy  works,  and  tribu- 
lation, and  poverty;"  to  Pergamos,  "Thou  hast  there  them  that 
hold  the  doctrine  of  Balaam,"  or  tolerating  evil;  to  Thyatira, 
"Thou  sufferest  that  woman  Jezebel,  which  calleth  herself  a 
prophetess,  to  teach  and  to  seduce  my  servants,"  or  yielding  to 
evil ;  to  Sardis,  "  Thou  hast  a  name  that  thou  livest,  and  art  dead ;" 
to  Philadelphia,  "Behold,  I  have  set  before  thee  an  open  door;" 
and  to  Laodicea,  "  Thou  art  neither  cold  nor  hot." 

This  central  point  is  eminently  the  message  of  God  to  the 
particular  church.  It  conveyed  to  the  church  that  special  thing 
which  caused  the  message  to  be  sent.  With  this  key  there  need 
not  be  much  difficulty  in  interpreting  the  mind  of  God  to  that 
particular  church. 


CHAPTER   V. 

THE   STAR-ANGELS. 

1.   SUBJECT  OF  THE  CHAPTER. 

At  the  very  beginning  of  our  study  of  the  seven  messages  to  the 
churches  we  meet  with  two  terms  which  occupy  a  conspicuous  place 
throughout  the  whole  passage.  They  are  the  two  words  stars  and 
angels.  We  find,  moreover,  that  they  are  applied  to  the  same 
object,  whatever  that  object  is.  They  are  important,  inasmuch 
as  they  are  the  chief  object  addressed,  from  first  to  last.  In  the 
first  chapter  they  have  the  pre-eminence  of  denoting  something 
which  was  in  the  i-ight  hand  of  the  Son  of  God.  They  stand  first 
in  each  of  the  seven  messages.  That  which  they  designate  has 
the  solemn  position  of  being  responsible  for  the  condition  of  the 
churches.    Who  or  what  were  they? 

The  very  word  awp'^^,  "messenger" — messenger  from  heaven,  as 
it  is  used  here — gives  us  a  glimi:)se  into  the  constitution  of  the 
Church  in  that  early  age,  and  as  it  was  undoubtedly  intended 
to  be  in  all  ages  afterward.  If  we  could  ascertain  with  certainty 
what  office  or  offices  the  word  means,  we  would  have  so  much 
positive  authority  for  that  feature  in  the  organization  of  the  Church. 
As  a  matter  of  fact,  this  use  has  been  made  of  it  by  more  than  one 
branch  of  the  Church,  and  hence  it  becomes  imi^ortant  that  we 
understand  the  ground  on  which  we  rest. 

Words  are  not  inconsiderately  used  in  these  important  communi- 
cations to  the  people  of  God.  They  are  significant.  "  Every  word, 
if  rightly  viewed,  effects  a  special  jjurpose."  Perhaps  nowhere  in 
the  Bible  are  words  used  with  so  much  discrimination  as  here ;  for 
often  the  whole  import  of  a  passage  is  dependent  on  an  emblem, 
on  a  word,  or  on  the  arrangement  of  words.  Every  syllable  was 
selected  by  the  divine  Revealer  for  the  instruction  and  guidance 
of  the  Church  in  all  her  earthly  career.  The  merest  glance  will 
convince  us  that  here,  in  this  word  anr/el  and  in  others,  there  are 
involved  questions  of  great  practical  importance  for  the  Church 
of  God  as  now  in  its  militant  state.  The  Church  as  light-bearer 
in  the  world,  the  stars  or  lights  in  the  right  hand  of  Christ,  the 

104 


THE  STAR-ANGELS.  105 

messages  sent  from  heaven,  the  angels  or  representatives  of  the 
Church  as  commissioned  from  on  high,  the  authority  that  rules 
in  the  kingdom  of  Christ  on  earth, — all  these  things,  which  are 
of  unspeakable  importance,  are  touched  by  the  inspired  pen  as 
either  named  or  implied,  and  all  more  or  less  directly  connected 
with  the  word  angel. 

2.    PRINCIPLES  GUIDING  OUR  INVESTIGATION. 

In  our  investigation  of  this  point,  on  wiiich  so  many  diverse 
opinions  have  been  advanced  and  which  is  of  so  much  practical 
importance,  we  nuist  be  guided  by  sonje  fixed  principle  or  rule. 
If  we  apply  the  right  key,  if  we  follow  the  right  rule,  we  must 
ultimately  reach  the  mind  of  the  Spirit. 

Our  one  simple  rule  must  be  to  let  the  passage  speak  for  itself 
and  be  its  own  interpreter.  Unlike  most  passages,  we  can  find 
no  aid  in  the  investigation  by  reference  to  other  scriptures,  for 
in  no  other  place  in  the  Bible  is  there  any  reference  to  angels  as 
an  order  or  class  of  ministers.  The  only  place  where  there  is 
anything  like  it  is  in  Malachi  2 : 7,  and  there  obviously  the  refer- 
ence is  to  the  class  collectively.  Neither  can  we  rely  on  imagined 
likeness  in  the  words  stars  and  angels  to  something  else,  for  fancy 
is  boundless  in  its  vagaries.  Moreover,  the  opinions  of  eminent 
students  of  the  Bible  will  not  give  us  much  satisfaction,  for  the 
writings  of  prominent  interpreters  can  be  quoted  for  every  view 
that  has  been  advanced  on  this  subject. 

3.   VIEWS   OF  OTHERS  TO   BE  STUDIED. 

The  simple  question  before  us  is.  To  what  does  the  term  angel 
refer  ?  What  office  or  offices  or  feature  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ 
does  it  denote?  It  is  much  more  difficult  to  reach  a  satisfactory 
answer  to  this  question  than  might  at  first  be  anticipated.  In  a 
point  which  the  enthroned  King  makes  so  prominent,  it  is  well 
to  study  what  has  been  taught  by  the  wise,  the  learned,  and  the 
devout.  The  chief  opinions  which  have  been  held  concerning  it 
are  worthy  of  being  considered  in  detail.  We  shall  thereby  reach 
a  more  comprehensive  knowledge  of  the  whole  subject.  We  shall 
see  that  it  has  been  very  carefully  studied  out  by  the  best  of  minds, 
and  its  various  aspects  fully  explained.  Theories  which  have  been 
advanced  and  supported  by  some  of  the  most  judicious  of  commen- 
tators, as  they  are  certainly  entitled  to  careful  consideration,  can- 
not be  thoroughly  investigated  without  profit. 


106       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

4.  VAEIOUS  THEORIES. 
On  this  subject  of  the  meaning  and  reference  of  the  term  angels 
in  this  passage  there  are  seven  prominent  theories  other  than  the 
one  we  liave  adopted,  eacli  of  them  supported  by  eminent  students 
of  the  Bible.  We  will  state  each  of  these  theories  as  distinctly  and 
as  fairly  as  in  our  power. 

(1)  The  angels  are  apostles,  inspired,  possessed  of  the  gift  of 
tongues,  and  capable  of  working  miracles,  the  successors  of  the 
apostles  of  our  Lord  in  every  sense.  This  was  the  doctrine  of 
Edward  Irving  and  his  followers. 

(2)  The  angels  were  the  genius  of  the  Church,  its  aninms,  the 
personified  character  or  spirit  of  the  Church.  This  is  the  view  of 
Farrar,  Lange,  DeWette,  and  others. 

(3)  The  angels  were  celestial  angels  in  some  way  connected  with 
the  churches.  They  were  angels  literally.  Among  the  advocates 
of  this  opinion  were  Origen,  Jerome,  and  Alford. 

{A)  The  angels  were  deputies,  one  of  whom  was  sent  from  each 
of  the  seven  churches  to  carry  their  salutations,  their  sympathy, 
and  their  gifts  to  John,  a  prisoner  in  Patmos.  In  addition  to 
Ebrard  and  others,  the  chief  advocate  of  this  view  is  the  Rev. 
Dr.  W.  D.  Killen. 

(5)  The  angels  were  officers  in  the  church  corresponding  to  the 
readers  or  heralds  in  the  synagogue.  This  was  the  theory  of 
Vitringa,   Lightfoot,   Bengel,   Adam  Clarke,  and   others. 

((>)  The  angels  were  moderators,  or  temporary  presiding  officers 
of  the  Presbytery,  who  were  the  proper  representatives  of  the 
Church.  This  view  was  advocated  by  Dr.  Cummings,  Hengsten- 
berg,  and  other  eminent  students  of  the  Bible. 

(7)  The  angels  were  the  diocesan  or  permanent  bishops  of  the 
churches.  This  is  the  view  advocated  by  most  Episcopal  writers, 
such  as  Trench  and  Plumptre. 

The  great  names  connected  with  these  theories  and  the  plau- 
sible appearance  of  some  of  them  are  such  that  they  deserve 
to  be  fairly  weighed.  We  will  consider  each  of  them  in  suc- 
cession. 

(1)  Real  Apostles. — Like  the  twelve  apostles,  they  were  inspired, 
and  possessed  the  gift  of  tongues  and  the  power  of  working  mira- 
cles. This  was  the  doctrine  of  that  splendid  but  erratic  genius  Rev. 
Edward  Irving  and  those  who  affiliated  with  him.  The  theory 
is  so  wild,  so  contrary  to  the  facts  of  experience,  and  so  generally 
repudiated  by  the  soundest  of  biblical  scholars  that  we  need  not 
dwell  upon  it. 


THE  STAR-ANGELS.  107 

(2)  Genius  of  the  Church.— The  angels  were  the  personified  char- 
acter, spirit,  or  genius  of  the  Church.  This  opinion  seems  plau- 
sible, and  it  is  supported  by  names  that  give  it  great  weight.  It 
explains  many  of  the  allusions  in  the  messages;  and  it  is  a  not 
unusual  thing  in  Scripture  for  the  word  angel  to  be  applied  to 
abstract  ideas  or  objects.  Moreover,  it  is  perfectly  consistent  to 
regard  the  angel  as  the  spirit,  the  character,  the  very  essence  of 
the  Church. 

But  there  are  insuperable  objections  to  the  theory,  (a)  It  can- 
not be  that  the  angels  are  the  spirit  or  genius  of  the  Church,  one 
with  it,  because  all  through  the  messages  the  angels  and  the  churches 
are  distinguished  from  each  other.  Everywhere  it  is  "The  angel 
of  the  church."  The  Son  of  man  was  in  the  midst  of  the  seven 
candlesticks  or  churches,  and  he  held  in  his  right  hand  the  seven 
stars  or  angels.  The  angel  is  one  thing,  the  church  another. 
They  are  not  identical,  as  this  theory  would  make  them,  (b)  The 
peculiar  language  of  the  messages  forbids  this  opinion.  It  could 
not  be  said  with  proper  sense  that  the  animus  or  genius  of  a  church 
was  in  the  hand  of  the  Son  of  man.  (c)  The  genius  of  the  Church 
is  not  real  enough,  not  substantial  enough,  to  meet  the  objects  that 
are  here  praised  or  blamed,  censured  or  warned,  (c?)  The  addresses 
are  not  made  to  an  animus  or  to  a  character,  but  to  rational  objects, 
(e)  Such  promises  would  not  be  made  to  a  character  or  to  the  spirit 
of  a  church  as:  "Be  thou  faithful  unto  death,  and  I  will  give  thee 
a  crown  of  life."  The  mere  naming  of  these  several  objections 
shows  that  this  theory  is  untenable. 

(3)  Heal,  Celestial  Aiigels.— The  angels  of  the  churches  were  real, 
celestial  angels.  This  theory  has  been  advocated  by  many  able 
commentators,  and  it  is  not  to  be  rejected  without  good  reasons. 
Origen  and  Jerome  among  the  ancients  and  Alford  among  modern 
biblical  scholars  held  this  opinion.  This  usage  of  the  word  angel 
is  sanctioned  by  other  parts  of  Scripture,  as  in  the  words  of  our 
Lord  concerning  the  little  ones  of  his  kingdom:  "Their  angels 
do  always  behold  the  face  of  my  Father  which  is  in  heaven."  And 
the  theory  most  admirably  meets  many  of  the  teachings  and  coun- 
sels of  the  messages. 

On  the  other  hand,  however,  many  things  in  the  whole  passage 
are  of  such  a  nature  as  to  render  the  interpretation  inadmissible. 
(a)  The  explanation  of  the  Son  of  man  in  the  last  verse  of  the  pre- 
vious chapter  forbids  it.  There  the  golden  candlesticks  are  inter- 
preted as  meaning  the  churches — the  churches  as  something  seen, 
human,  earthly ;    analogy  requires  that  the  stars  be  of  the  same 


108       INAUGUEAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

nature,  hence  they  must  be  interpreted  by  something  knoicn, 
human,  earthly.  That  literal  or  celestial  angels  would  not  do. 
(b)  The  entire  use  of  the  word  angel  in  the  passage  looks  like 
something  well  known  and  familiar  to  the  churches,  wiiich  celes- 
tial angels  certainly  would  not  be.  (c)  The  charges  of  evil,  of 
usury,  of  sin,  brought  against  the  angels  of  some  of  the  churches 
make  it  impossible  that  they  could  be  pure,  heavenly  angels.  "  I 
have  somewhat  against  thee,  because  thou  hast  left  thy  first  love" 
— could  not  be  charged  against  a  sinless  angel,  {d)  The  prediction 
could  not  be  uttered  to  a  celestial  angel:  "The  devil  shall  cast 
some  of  you  into  prison;"  or,  "I  will  come  on  thee  as  a  thief, 
and  thou  shalt  not  know  what  hour  I  will  come  upon  thee."  This 
theory,  then,  must  also  fall  when  tested  by  the  messages  in  detail. 

(4)  Deputies  from  the  Churches. — The  angels  w^ere  deputies  or 
messengers  sent  from  the  seven  churches— one  from  each— to  bear 
their  sympathy,  their  consolations,  and  their  gifts  to  John  the 
prisoner  in  his  affliction,  and  to  minister  to  him  in  his  feeble  old 
age.  The  name  of  Rev.  AVm.  D.  Killen,  so  careful,  so  learned, 
and  so  judicious,  is  calculated  to  give  weight  to  this  opinion.  It 
is  also  fortified  by  the  strong  probability  of  the  case  arising  from 
the  veneration  in  which  the  aged  apostle  must  have  been  held 
and  the  affection  which  the  churches  must  have  cherished  toward 
him. 

But  here  again  the  investigation  of  the  messages  in  detail  reveals 
difficulties  which  seem  to  be  insuperable,  {a)  John  would  not  be 
commanded  to  write  to  the  angels  or  messengers  when,  according 
to  this  theory,  they  were  visiting  him  in  person,  and  could  therefore 
receive  the  words  from  his  lips;  for  we  must  bear  in  mind  that  the 
messages  were  sent  to  the  angels,  {h)  There  is  not  one  word  in  the 
entire  passage  to  support  this  view,  (c)  Such  a  person  as  a  mere 
deputy  or  messenger  would  not  come  up  to  the  dignity  of  those 
who  were  specially  in  the  right  hand  of  the  >Son  of  man,  and  who 
are  charged  as  responsible  for  the  character  of  the  churches,  {d) 
Considering  the  toil,  the  expense,  and  the  danger  of  the  times, 
it  is  extremely  improbable  that  there  would  be  so  many  persons 
as  seven  sent  as  a  deputation  to  the  apostle  when  one  or  two 
from  the  body  of  the  churches,  which  were  not  far  apart,  would 
have  done  just  as  well.  We  are  thus  forced  to  give  up  this  theory 
also. 

(5)  An  Office  borroired  from  the  Stjnagogue. — The  angels  in  the 
churches  were  men  who  held  an  office  bearing  that  name  borrowed 
from  the  Jewish  synagogue.    It  corresponded  with  that  of  reader 


THE  STAE-ANGELS.  109 

or  clerk  in  the  synagogue— an  officer  who  also  had  charge  of  the 
sacred  rolls  and  other  holy  things.  This  theory  is  rendered  plau- 
sible from  the  great  probability  that  such  office,  in  substance,  would 
be  transferred  to  the  Christian  Church,  and  from  the  fact  that  other 
offices  were  undoubtedly  so  transferred.  Moreover,  it  is  supported 
by  the  names  of  some  biblical  scholars  who  ai'e  of  the  very  first 
authority,  such  as  Vitringa,  Lightfoot,  and  Bengel. 

But  the  objections  to  it  seem  to  be  fatal.  («)  There  is  not  else- 
where a  word  or  hint  or  allusion  to  lead  to  the  belief  that  such  office 
had  been  transferred  from  the  Jewish  to  the  Christian  Church,  {b) 
There  is  nothing  to  sustain  the  opinion  but  the  supposed  prob- 
ability of  the  case  and  the  similarity  of  the  name.  (c)  The 
decisive  objection,  however,  is  that  the  synagogue  officer  was  one 
of  an  inferior  character,  being  a  mere  reader,  clerk,  or  messenger 
whose  business  it  was  to  perform  the  errands  of  the  sanctuary, 
whereas  the  angel  in  the  messages  is  evidently  the  head  of  the 
church,  and  as  such  responsible  for  its  character  and  condition. 
This  theorj^  must  therefore  be  abandoned,  inasmuch  as  it  fails  to 
meet  this  point  so  evidently  implied  in  the  messages. 

(6)  Moderators  of  Presbyteries. — The  angels  were  moderators  of 
presbyteries,  or  temporary  presiding  officers  over  the  collective 
bodies  of  churches  in  the  various  cities.  It  is  more  than  probable 
that  in  some  of  the  cities  at  least  there  were  several  churches,  and 
in  conducting  the  religious  interests  of  the  community  it  would 
become  necessary  to  have  a  presiding  officer  for  the  time  being. 
But  such  officer  would  be  nothing  more  nor  less  than  the  mode- 
rator as  of  one  of  our  presbyteries.  Then  in  any  communication 
to  the  Christian  people  of  that  community  he  would  be  the  natui-al 
representative  to  be  addressed,  and  hence  be  called  the  angel,  or 
God's  messenger  there.  This  tlieory  w;is  advocated  by  Dr.  John 
Cummings  and  by  many  other  writers  of  other  denominations  as 
well  as  Presbyterians. 

But  the  obvious  and  decisive  objection  to  it  is  that,  excepting  its 
fulfilling  most  of  the  requisites  of  the  messages,  it  is  not  supported 
by  one  hint  or  word  in  the  whole  passage.  It  dejjends  solely  upon 
its  supposed  fitness  to  explain  the  word.  Nowhere  else  in  the  whole 
passage  have  we  any  information  about  the  existence  of  such  an 
officer.  There  is  nothing  in  the  message  to  support  it,  and  there- 
fore we  must  give  up  the  theory  as  untenable. 

(7)  Diocesan  Bis/wps. — The  angels  were  diocesan  bishops  in  the 
various  cities.  In  each  of  the  cities,  with  the  surrounding  country, 
were  several  churches,  and,  according  to  the  theory,  it  had  become 


110       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

necessary  in  all  their  ecclesiastical  affairs  to  have  a  permanent  pre- 
siding bisliop  or  pastor.  Originally  the  bishoj)  and  presbyter  or 
elder  held  precisely  the  same  office,  but  as  the  clmrches  in- 
creased in  number  one  of  the  presbyters  had  been  elevated  to 
a  permanent  presidency.  This  change  had  been  made  gradually, 
and  under  apostolic  sanction,  inasmuch  as  the  apostle  John  was 
still  living.  This  permanent  or  diocesan  bishop,  according  to 
the  usage  of  the  times,  was  called  the  "bishop  of  the  church," 
and  to  him,  as  a  matter  of  course,  the  messages  from  Heaven 
were  addressed.  Moreover,  the  fact  that  these  special  addresses 
were  sent  to  him  from  tlie  great  Head  of  the  Church  established 
still  more  firmly  the  doctrine  of  the  episcopate  as  it  now  exists 
in  all  Episcopal  churches.  The  angel  of  the  church,  therefore,  was 
its  diocesan  bishop,  and  the  messages  were  of  course  addressed  to 
him ;  and  every  point  in  the  whole  passage  is  met  by  this  expla- 
nation. 

This  is,  we  think,  a  fair  statement  of  this  theory  which  is  so 
extensively  adopted.  This  is  the  theory;  but  will  it  explain  all 
the  facts,  statements,  and  teachings  of  the  messages?  It  must  be 
subjected  to  that  test,  for  we  cannot  rely  simply  upon  its  supposed 
fitness  to  interpret  the  word  anrjel.  It  is  the  theory  discussed  or 
more  generally  assumed  by  most  Episcopalian  writers,  and  is 
sustained  by  such  authorities  as  Trench,  Plumptre,  Canon  Cook, 
and  many  others.  Because  it  is  supported  by  such  honored  names, 
and  by  so  many  of  them,  it  demands  more  consideration  than  any 
of  the  preceding  theories. 

We  would  therefore  present  very  briefly  the  substance  of  the 
objections  which  seem  to  us  to  be  absolutely  fatal  to  it. 

{a)  This  theory  is  advocated  by  most  Episcopal  writers,  but  not 
by  them  all;  for  such  eminent  scholars  as  Farrar  and  Lightfoot, 
with  many  others,  held  different  views. 

(Jj)  There  is  not  one  word  in  all  the  seven  messages,  not  one 
hint,  not  one  allusion,  to  the  existence  of  any  such  office  as 
that  of  diocesan  bishoi^s  or  permanent  presidents  of  the  various 
churches. 

(e)  It  could  hardly  be  that  in  so  short  a  time  as  since  the  age 
of  the  apostles— so  short  a  time  as  since  Paul  said  to  the  elders 
of  the  church  of  Ephesus,  "Take  heed  ....  to  all  the  flock  over 
the  which  the  Holy  Ghost  hath  made  you  overseers"  (or  bishops), 
when  evidently  the  office  of  elder  and  that  of  bishop  were  the 
same — until  the  writing  of  these  messages  (a  period  of  only  thirty 
years)  so  great  a  change  could  have  occurred  as  the  establishment 


THE  STAR-ANGELS.  Ill 

of  a  new  order  in  the  ministry— and  that  because  of  a  gradually 
recognized  want  in  the  churches. 

(d)  The  angel  could  not  have  been  the  one  bishop  in  each  church, 
since  in  the  messages  the  angel  is  sometimes  addressed  in  the  singu- 
lar and  sometimes  in  the  plural.  Whatever  the  reference  was,  the 
word  used  must  have  been  a  collective  term.  We  find  such  expres- 
sions addressed  to  the  angels  as:  "Shall  cast  so7ne  of  you  into 
prison,"  and,  "I  will  give  unto  every  one  of  you  according  to 
your  works."  This  plural  form  could  not  be  used  unless  the  terra 
angel  were  a  collective  one.  In  the  fifty-one  verses  of  the  two 
chapters  there  are  at  least  eleven  instances  where  the  angel  is 
addressed  in  the  plural,  Avhich  could  not  be  if  the  term  meant 
one  bishop.  We  might  conceive  of  the  angel  being  addressed  in 
the  plural  as  representative  of  the  body  of  the  people,  but  this 
could  hardly  be  in  so  many  places  and  different  connections. 
Then,  in  another  view  it  was  impossible.  The  angel  is  some- 
times spoken  to  as  one  and  sometimes  as  more  than  one  in  the 
same  address  to  a  single  church.  This  precludes  the  supposition. 
In  the  single  message  to  the  church  in  Thyatira  we  have  first  the 
singular:  ''I  know  thy  works,  and  charity,"  and  then  the  plural: 
"But  that  which  ye  have  already,  hold  fast  till  I  come."  If  the 
plural  were  always  used,  then  it  might  be  that  angel  or  bishop 
could  be  taken  as  the  representative  of  the  people.  AVhen,  how- 
ever, in  the  very  same  address  to  Smyrna  we  have  at  one  time  the 
singular  gov  and  at  another  the  plural  vjiuv,  then  we  know  positively 
that  the  word  angel  is  a  collective  term  in  all  the  messages.  Hence 
it  cannot  be  a  sole,'  permanent  bishop,  but  something  that  can  be 
addressed  as  either  singular  or  plural.  This  point  well  considered 
must  be  fatal  to  the  theory. 

{e)  As  a  matter  of  fact,  it  is  very  plain  that  the  term  does  not 
denote  a  person  at  all,  but  an  office,  or  the  collective  body  holding 
the  office.  This  we  gather  from  the  repeated  summons,  "  Let  him 
hear  what  the  Spirit  saith  to  the  churches."  Hence  it  is  not  an 
individual  that  is  addressed,  but  a  body  of  individuals. 

(/)  We  have  no  evidence  whatever  that  there  were  several  con- 
gregations in  some  of  the  cities  or  in  any  of  them,  and  if  not,  there 
could  not,  of  course,  be  diocesan  bishops,  whose  office  it  is  to  preside 
over  one  church.  The  eminent  commentator  Rev.  Thomas  Scott, 
himself  an  Episcopalian,  declares,  "There  is  nothing  said  about 
different  congregations,  either  in  the  cities  or  about  them,  though 
elders  are  named ;  hence  there  cannot  be  any  reference  to  bishops." 

ig)  It  could  hardly  be  that  there  was  more  than  one  congregation 


112  INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED   KING. 

in  some  of  the  cities,  as,  for  instance,  in  Thyatira  or  Philadelphia, 
and  yet  the  theory  requires  that  there  should  be.  A  diocesan  bishop 
over  no  more  than  one  congregation !  The  very  supposition  upsets 
the  theory. 

(h)  It  is  little  less  than  ludicrous  to  suppose,  as  the  theory  does, 
that  there  were  seven  bishops  with  seven  dioceses  in  so  small  a  terri- 
tory as  that  in  which  the  seven  cities  were  located.  If  each  one  of 
these  seven  cities  had  its  diocese,  then  surely  some  of  the  other  cities 
not  named,  such  as  Magnesia,  Metropolis,  and  Miletus,  must  have 
had  one  also.  Then  there  must  have  been  ten  or  twelve  bishops 
in  a  space  of  country  not  so  large  as  West  Virginia.  This  supposi- 
tion, which  necessarily  flows  from  the  theory,  perfectly  upsets  it. 

From  all  this,  most  certainly  it  cannot  be  that  the  angels  corre- 
sponded with  what  are  called  diocesan  bishops. 

5.    THE   TRUE   THEOEY. 

We  have  now  passed  in  review  these  seven  theories,  and  have 
seen  that  to  each  of  them  there  are  fatal  objections.  It  cannot  be 
that  the  terra  angel  is  explained  by  any  one  of  them.  To  what, 
then,  does  the  term  angel  refer?  This  is  the  question  before  us, 
and  we.  get  answers  to  it  from  ^/wce  separate  lines  of  investigation. 
The  three  processes  are — exegesis  of  the  passage  in  its  various  words 
and  connections,  and  their  bearing  on  the  interpretation ;  a  careful 
analysis  of  the  passage,  and  an  exhibition  of  the  way  in  which  it 
contains  every  element  of  the  proposed  theory;  a  detailed  state- 
ment of  the  facts  which  corroborate  this  interpretation,  harmonize 
every  element  of  it,  and  bring  out  the  wealth'of  its  instruction. 

First  Process. 

An  examination  of  the  jxtssage  in  its  various  words,  p/trases,  and 
connections,  and  the  interpretations  to  ivhich  this  leads.  What  does 
the  whole  passage  teach  as  to  the  term  angel,  as  we  may  gather 
from  its  most  obvious  meaning,  without  any  mere  conjectures  and 
without  reference  to  other  scriptures? 

In  the  first  chapter,  verses  12  and  16,  we  have  two  symbols,  seven 
golden  candlesticks  and  seven  stars,  which  are  plainly  connected  and 
related  to  each  other.  In  the  20th  verse  of  the  same  chapter  the 
Son  of  man  himself  explains  these  two  symbols  as  so  connected : 
"The  seven  stars  are  the  angels  of  the  seven  churches,  and  the 
seven  candlesticks  are  the  seven  churches."  Now,  as  to  the  can- 
dlesticks there  is  no  difficulty-.  They  signified  the  seven  churches. 
This  cannot  be  mistaken.     But  "the  seven  stars  are  the  angels 


THE  STAR-ANGELS.  113 

of  the  seven  churches" — here  is  the  question  which  perplexes. 
To  what  did  the  Son  of  man  refer  by  "the  angels"?  Of  course, 
analogy  at  once  leads  to  the  assurance  that,  as  the  candlesticks 
were  explained  by  something  well  known,  something  familiar 
and  earthly,  so  also  must  stars  be  explained  by  something  famil- 
iar and  human.  The  second  symbol  is  explained  by  the  earthly, 
the  human  thing,  the  Church;  then  the  first  symbol,  the  stars, 
must  be  explained  by  some  earthly  and  well-known  thing.  Obvi- 
ously, the  symbol  stars  will  not  be  explained  by  some  other  symbol, 
such  as  angels — if  angels,  as  found  here,  were  a  mere  symbol.  That 
would  not  be  an  explanation,  nor  would  it  be  analogous,  as  it  clearly 
should  be,  to  the  other  explanation.  Consequently,  angel  here  can- 
not be  used  as  another  symbol — as  any  symbol  at  all.  It  must  be 
something  human,  definite,  well  known.  It  must  be  related  to  the 
Church,  as  the  whole  connection  shows.  It  must  be  human  and 
familiar.  It  must  have  been  something  well  understood  at  the 
time,  just  as  the  term  "churches"  was. 

Now,  these  conditions  were  fulfilled  in  the  ministry  of  the 
Church  as  in  nothing  else.  Plainly,  the  angels  were  the  ministry 
sent  down  from  the  great  Head  of  the  Church.  Moreover,  as  in 
the  divine  explanation  of  the  seven  golden  candlesticks  the  Church 
is  taken  in  a  comj)rehensive  sense,  so  also  must  the  angels  be  taken 
in  a  comprehensive  sense,  without  designating  their  special  nature 
and  rank.  The  angel  of  any  church,  then,  denoted  its  ministry  in  its 
whole  comprehensive  character. 

But  the  analogy  leads  us  to  another  important  elenient  in  the 
explanation.  The  ministry  is  first  symbolized  by  the  emblem  stars, 
and  the  precise  signification  of  stars — especially  in  connection  with 
candlesticks — is  that  of  lights.  This  symbol  therefore  tells  of  the 
ministry  as  lights  in  the  Church.  But  the  Church  is  the  kingdom 
of  Christ  as  well  as  the  light-bearer  in  the  world.  Then,  as  a  king- 
dom implies  government,  authority,  officers,  the  angels  must  mean 
the  authority  in  the  Church,  taking  authority  in  its  comprehensive 
form.  As  the  ministry  are  "stars"  in  the  Church,  they  are  lights 
or  light-bearers;  as  they  are  "angels"  sent  and  commissioned  from 
the  great  Head,  they  are  the  spiritual  authority  in  the  Church. 
All  the  messages  corroborate  this  very  fully. 

From  the  exegetical  study  of  the  passage,  then,  the  general 
deduction  is  manifest— namely,  that  the  angels,  as  the  term  is 
used  here,  are  the  spiritual  authority  of  the  Church  in  the  aggregate. 
The  candlesticks  are  the  churches,  and  the  stars  are  the  angels  or 
spiritual  authority,  without  stating  its  specific  nature.    Then,  being 


114      INAUGUKAL  OF  THE  ENTHEONED  KING. 

the  commissioned  authority,  the  angels  are  the  natural  recipients 
of  these  messages,  or  of  any  other  communications  from  the  throne 
of  God.  They  were  simply  the  government  of  the  respective 
churches,  to  whom  the  messages  would  naturally  be  addressed, 
without  any  hint  whatever  as  to  whether  a  single  person,  a  bench 
of  elders,  a  moderator  of  presbytery,  a  diocesan  bishop,  or  some 
other  body  was  invested  therewith  ; — that  question  must  be  decided 
from  other  evidence. 

We  are  confident  this  is  the  true  theory;  but  as  on  the  other 
opinions  we  have  demanded  the  strongest  evidence,  so  here  we 
should  have  a  "Thus  saith  the  Lord."  According  to  the  sym- 
bolism of  Scripture,  the  office  is  transferred  from  the  heavenly 
to  the  earthly  ministry  of  God:  for  this  reason  the  ministry  is 
termed  the  angel  of  the  Church.  This  thought  was  rightly  ex- 
pressed by  Jonathan  Edwards:  "As  one  mystical  person,  the 
ministry  is  called  the  angel  of  the  Church."  By  another,  "The 
l^astors,  because  of  the  unity  and  sameness  of  their  work,  are 
sometimes  spoken  of  as  one;  but  sometimes  as  more  than  one, 
because  they  are  the  mouth  of  the  people."  Moreover,  the  specific 
nature  of  their  office  is  wisely  withheld.  The  stars  are  the  minis- 
try as  lights  merely,  without  designating  how  they  are  to  be  em- 
ployed or  how  they  are  to  let  their  light  shine;  the  angels  are 
the  ministry  denoting  their  authority — the  authority  of  the  Church, 
in  whomsoever  it  is  invested.  The  essential  idea  of  angel  is  that  of 
being  sent  or  commissioned  from  the  heavenly  Head  of  the  Church, 
in  his  place  and  by  his  authority.  This  theory  is  highly  satisfac- 
tory, both  from  the  nature  of  the  words  and  from  their  relation 
to  each  other;  and  we  must  remember  that  words  here  are  used 
with  perfect  discrimination.  There  could  not  be  anything  indef- 
inite in  words  which  express  messages  from  Heaven — in  words 
every  syllable  of  which  is  designed  by  Infinite  Wisdom  to  influ- 
ence the  destiny  of  the  world. 

Stars  as  Lights.  Angels  as  Spiritual  Authority. 
In  order  to  make  this  interpretation  as  plain  as  in  our  power, 
we  will  rejieat  its  substance  in  a  form  somewhat  difl'erent.  When 
we  say  that  the  term  angcl  as  used  here  means  the  si)iritual  author- 
ity of  the  Church  in  a  comprehensive  form,  we  express  a  fact  that 
will  explain  every  point  in  the  whole  passage.  The  Son  of  man 
interprets  the  stars  and  the  angels  as  being  the  same.  Why  then 
are  the  two  titles  used?  Why  does  the  unerring  Interpreter  use 
the  two,  and  explain  the  one  by  the  other? 


THE  STAR-ANGELS.  115 

The  ministry  is  set  fortli  by  two  titles — one  a  symbol,  and  the 
other  an  object  well  known  to  those  early  churches.  They  are  the 
same  thing,  and  the  two  terms  must  refer  to  two  functions  of  the 
office,  and  both  of  them  must  be  connected  with  the  churches. 
The  term  stars  refers  to  the  function  of  the  ministry  as  lights  or 
teachers.  They  are  called  angels  as  expressing  the  si^iritual  author- 
ity they  have  received  from  Christ.  The  Church  is  a  light-bearer, 
and  as  such  her  ministers  are  stars.  The  Church  is  also  a  kingdom 
— the  kingdom  of  Christ,  having  the  authority  of  her  divine  Head, 
exercised  or  administered  under  his  commission.  In  this  respect 
her  ministry  are  angels,  or  the  commissioned  or  sent  of  Christ.  As 
the  Church  holds  up  the  light  of  Christ  to  the  world,  her  ministri/  are 
stars;  as  she  is  a  kingdom,  they  are  angels. 

Then,  as  the  term  stars  is  used  without  designating  how  the  light 
is  to  be  emitted,  so  angels  are  the  ministry,  denoting  the  authority 
of  the  Church,  in  whomsoever  it  may  be  invested.  The  word  angel, 
then,  is  a  general  term ;  neither  in  the  vision  nor  in  any  other  i)art 
of  Scripture  is  there  a  single  hint  or  allusion  to  the  particular  kind 
of  church  office  that  is  intended.  The  essential  idea  it  contains  is 
that  of  being  sent  or  of  being  commissioned  from  the  divine  Head 
of  the  Church,  in  his  place  and  by  his  authority. 

Thus  the  study  of  this  whole  passage,  we  believe,  fully  estab- 
lishes this  theory.  This  view  of  the  term  angel  as  found  in  the 
messages  meets  every  difficulty,  explains  every  point,  and  carries 
with  it  a  flood  of  light  concerning  the  Church  of  God  as  she  is 
now  established. 

Second  Process. 

We  now  enter  upon  the  second  process  of  our  investigation. 
This  consists  of  analyzing  the  passage  throughout,  and  ascertain- 
ing whether  it  contains  all  the  various  elements  of  the  interpre- 
tation which  we  have  already  reached  by  explaining  the  teriris 
in  their  various  connections.  Our  investigation  will  consist  of 
several  distinct  steps,  and  every  step  we  shall  find  terminating 
in  the  same  satisfactory  resting-place. 

First  Step.— The  angels  are  ministers  of  God.  On  this  all  are 
agreed,  though,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  it  is  the  only  point  in  all  tlie 
messages  which  is  not  here  distinctly  brought  out.  A  very  high 
authority  explains:  "The  term  angel  in  the  proper  signification 
of  the  word  does  not  import  the  nature  of  any  being,  but  only  an 
office,  in  which  seven  angels  are  called  the  ministers  of  God  and 
ministering  spirits."  On  this  point  there  can  be  no  diversity  of 
opinion.    Angels  are  ministers— are  the  ministry. 


116       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

Second  Step. — Angels  are  the  ministry  in  the  Church.  This  fact 
is  obvious  from  the  connection  of  the  stars  with  the  candlesticks — 
the  angels  with  the  churches.  They  are  placed  together  in  both 
the  16th  and  20th  verses  of  the  first  chapter.  They  are  insepara- 
ble.   There  is  a  vital  connection  between  them. 

Third  Step. — The  angels  are  the  ministry  in  the  Church  as  a 
human  or  earthli/  thing.  They  are  not  here  a  part  of  the  Church 
triumphant.  They  are  not  celestial  angels.  This  assurance  clearly 
results  from  Christ's  explanation  :  "  The  seven  stars  are  the  angels 
of  the  seven  churches."  The  candlesticks  were  the  churches  as  a 
human  or  earthly  thing.  By  analogy,  the  angels  also  must  have 
been  something  human,  earthly,  visible,  familiar. 

Fourth  Step. — The  angels  are  the  ministers  of  the  Church  on 
earth,  by  divine  appointment.  The  stars  in  this  respect  were  in 
the  right  hand  of  the  Son  of  man,  dear  to  him,  protected  by  him, 
and  in  every  way  at  his  command.  The  very  word  angel  carries 
with  it  the  idea  of  being  appointed  and  sent  by  him.  The  essen- 
tial thing  concerning  them  here  is  that  they  were  sent  by  God, 
that  he  appointed  them,  and  that  they  are  his  representatives. 

Fifth  Step. — The  angels  as  earthly  ministers  in  the  churches, 
appointed  of  God,  are  clothed  ivith  spiritual  authority — the  author- 
ity of  the  Church.  The  Church  is  a  kingdom,  and  therefore  must 
have  officers  and  authority  lodged  somewhere.  Here  is  that  author- 
ity. Throughout  the  whole  of  the  messages  the  angels  are  spoken 
of  as  responsible  for  the  admission  and  retention  or  exclusion  of 
members  from  the  churches.  They  are  responsible  for  the  char- 
acter of  the  churches.  As  those  in  authority,  they  are  either 
praised  or  blamed  according  as  one  or  the  other  is  merited.  All 
these  messages  are  addressed  to  them  as  the  authorities  repre- 
senting the  various  churches.  It  is  therefore  plain  that  the  spirit- 
ual authority  and  power  of  the  churches  were  lodged  in  these 
angels. 

Sixth  Step. — The  angels  as  the  earthlj^^  ministry  of  the  churches, 
appointed  of  God  and  clothed  with  spiritual  authority,  are  here  set 
forth  in  a  collective  form.  They  are  the  spiritual  authority  personi- 
fied. They  are  the  spiritual  rule  in  a  comprehensive  aspect,  so  as 
to  be  addressed  as  either  one  or  several,  as  may  be  most  convenient. 
The  angel  is  the  spiritual  authority  of  the  Church  as  such,  without 
any  intimation  of  the  persons  or  class  of  persons  by  whom  it  is  to 
be  exercised.  According  to  the  fundamental  idea  of  angel,  it  is  an 
office  rather  than  an  officer.  Sometimes  it  is  spoken  of  as  singular 
and  sometimes  as  plural  in  the  same  address.    In  the  very  same 


THE  STAR-ANGELS.  117 

address  it  is  sometimes  spoken  to  as  the  angel  and  sometimes  as 
the  Church.  For  instance,  in  the  same  address  we  have:  "Unto 
the  angel  of  the  church  in  Sardis  write,"  and,  "He  that  hath  an 
ear,  let  him  hear  what  the  Spirit  saith  to  the  churches,"  showing 
unmistakably  that  the  word  does  not  refer  to  an  individual,  but 
that  it  is  a  collective  or  comprehensive  term.  The  angel  denotes 
the  body  of  elders.  Tlie  several  elders  of  (he  church  are  rejyresented 
as  one  mystical  person,  and  all  are  called  "  the  angel  hi  the  church.''^ 

We  have  thus  followed  closely  the  inductive  process,  and  have 
found  from  the  facts  or  teachings  of  the  passage  that  the  angels 
are  the  ministry — the  ministry  in  the  Church — the  ministry  in  the 
C'hurch  as  an  earthly  thing — the  ministry  in  the  Church  as  an  eartlily 
thing,  appointed  of  God — the  ministry  in  the  Church  as  a  human 
thing,  appointed  of  God  and  clothed  with  spiritual  authority — the 
ministry  in  the  Church  as  a  human  thing,  appointed  of  God,  clothed 
with  spiritual  authority,  and  taken  in  a  collective  form.  Each  step  is 
distinct,  clear,  positive,  and  connected  with  all  the  rest.  Nothing 
is  taken  for  granted  or  merely  assumed  because  probable.  All  put 
together  make  the  meaning  of  the  term  angel  as  used  here  perfectly 
clear  and  satisfactory.  It  is  a  collective  term  denoting  the  spiritual 
authority  of  the  Church,  in  tvho?nsoever  that  authority  may  he  lodged 
— authority  which  entails  responsibility,  which  is  directly  from  the 
great  Head  of  the  Church,  which  is  lodged  in  human  hands,  which 
is  connected  most  intimately  with  all  the  great  interests  of  the 
Church,  and  which  constitutes  the  Christian  ministry.  In  brief, 
the  angels  are  the  spiritual  authority  in  the  Church,  in  whosesoever 
hands  it  may  be  lodged. 

All  the  six  points  we  have  named  are  contained  in  this  explana- 
tion. All  of  them  must  be  met  in  any  explanation  that  will  satisfy 
us.  Single  points  of  the  messages  are  explained  in  each  of  the  other 
theories  which  have  been  presented.  Some  of  the  theories  contain 
several  of  these  essential  elements  of  the  true  explanation.  But 
when  we  find  that  all  these  six  points  are  fully  satisfied  by  the 
theory,  that  they  all  harmonize  in  it,  that  it  requires  no  straining 
of  the  thought,  no  mere  conjecture,  in  order  to  remove  difficulties, 
then  we  cannot  hesitate  for  a  moment  as  to  this  being  the  true 
interpretation. 

Third  Process. 
There  is  a  third  process,  by  which  our  confidence  in  this  theory 
becomes,  if  possible,  still  more  firmly  established.    In  this  third 
process  we  shall  of  course  find  many  points  that  are  similar  to 


118       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

those  we  have  already  presented,  but  they  come  to  us  in  a  differ- 
ent form  and  in  different  connections.  It  assumes  the  interpre- 
tation of  the  term  angel  as  the  spiritual  authority  of  the  Church, 
and  traces  the  manner  in  which  that  view  is  corroborated  tlirougli- 
out  the  messages. 

(a)  The  angels  being  the  responsible  spiritual  authority  in  the 
churches,  it  becomes  manifest  why  the  various  messages  were 
addressed  to  them. 

(6)  Angel  being  a  collective  term  denoting  tliis  church  authority, 
we  understand  why  the  angels  are  addressed  sometimes  in  the  sin- 
gular and  sometimes  in  the  plural  form. 

(e)  Angels  being  the  collective  human  head,  and  so  being  respon- 
sible, there  is  no  difficulty  in  comprehending  why  they  are  praised 
or  blamed  for  the  respective  characters  of  the  various  churches. 

{d)  Inasmuch  as  they  bear  the  title  angel,  meaning  sent,  or  com- 
missioned from  heaven,  we  are  instructed  that  spiritual  authority 
in  the  Church  is  real,  abiding,  heavenly  in  its  origin,  neither  to 
be  taken  up  nor  to  be  set  aside  by  mere  human  whim  or  fancy  or 
conjecture. 

(e)  This  explanation  in  the  messages  from  God  harmonizes  with 
the  teaching  of  our  Lord  in  the  days  of  his  fiesh,  when,  in  com- 
missioning his  disciples,  he  said,  "  I  will  give  unto  thee  the  keys 
of  the  kingdom  of  heaven;  and  whatsoever  thou  shalt  bind  on 
earth  shall  be  bound  in  heaven ;  and  whatsoever  thou  shalt  loose 
on  earth  shall  be  loosed  in  heaven." 

(/)  This  view  of  the  term  angel  makes  intelligible  the  exj^lana- 
tion  of  the  Son  of  man  in  verse  20  of  the  first  chapter,  for  the  angels 
are  the  recognized,  the  well-known  thing,  the  spiritual  authority 
needed  in  every  church. 

(r/)  The  general  term  angel  was  selected  in  divine  wisdom  so  as 
neither  to  exclude  nor  to  include  (as  alone  sanctioned)  any  particu- 
lar class  in  the  ministry.  All  that  is  essential  here  is  sent — sent  of 
God. 

{h)  Angels,  which  are  the  stars,  are  the  ministry  of  the  Church, 
and  they  are  in  the  right  hand  of  the  Son  of  man.  Hence  the 
ministry  is  from  Christ,  appointed  by  him  and  dear  to  him;  they 
are  cherished  by  him,  and  not  only  their  authority,  but  their  safety 
also,  is  very  precious  in  his  sight. 

(/)  Finally,  this  interpretation  is  absolutely  necessary  in  order 
to  give  any  meaning  to  one  point  in  the  passage.  In  ch.  1 :  IG 
we  read:  "And  he  had  in  his  right  hand  seven  stars."  Now  let 
us  take  the  most  current  one  of  all  the  other  theories — the  theory 


THE  STAR-ANGELS.  119 

that  the  angels  meant  the  diocesan  bishops — and  ask,  What  does 
this  mean?  Pie  had  in  his  right  hand  seven  stars — angels — dio- 
cesan bishops.  Were  only  the  diocesan  bishops  in  his  hand?  What 
then  are  we  to  do  with  the  rest  of  the  ministry?  Has  the  great 
Head  of  the  Church  special  care  over  only  the  bishops?  Far  from 
us  is  the  purpose  of  turning  a  theory  so  venerable  into  ridicule, 
but  surely  this  aspect  of  the  matter  must  have  been  overlooked 
by  the  advocates  of  this  theory. 

6.   SUM   OF   THE   WHOLE   ARGUMENT. 

We  gather,  then,  from  the  whole  passage  concerning  this  much- 
disputed  and  very  important  word  that  stars  or  angels  is  a  collec- 
tive term  denoting  the  spiritual  authority  in  the  Church,  com- 
mitted to  the  people  of  God  for  the  welfare  of  his  cause,  and  that 
it  has  been  sent  from  heaven  and  lodged  in  the  hands  of  Christ's 
ministers,  and  exercised  by  them  as  one  body.  This  does  not  leave 
out  a  single  element  of  the  teaching  of  the  passage  concerning  it ; 
it  meets  and  explains  every  point;  it  harmonizes  with  every 
affirmation;  it  covers  the  whole  subject,  and  that  without  strain- 
ing any  point  in  the  interpretation  or  relying  on  any  mere  con- 
jecture. 

There  may  be  other  good  reasons  for  the  use  of  the  word  angels 
in  designating  the  spiritual  authority  that  is  conmiitted  to  the 
ministry,  but  these  will  suffice  to  show  that  no  other  word  would 
be  so  appropriate,  and  that  the  selection  of  this  one  was  in  nothing 
less  than  divine  wisdom.  Of  all  possible  designations,  it  is  the 
wisest,  the  most  expressive,  and  the  best. 

To  gather  all  into  one  view:  When,  in  studying  the  message, 
we  reach  the  conclusion  that  the  star-angels  denote  the  spiritual 
authority  committed  to  the  ministry  by  the  great  Head  of  the 
Church,  then  we  are  enabled  to  see  clearly  how  the  angels  could 
be  praised  or  blamed  in  the  various  messages;  how  they  could 
be  addressed  sometimes  as  one  and  sometimes  as  more  than  one; 
how  this  name  could  be  applied  to  them  as  those  clothed  witli 
authority  from  the  great  Head  of  the  Church  ;  how  the  stars  could 
be  explained  as  the  angels,  or  human  ministers  of  God  to  his  peo- 
ple; how  the  same  officers  could  be  spoken  of  as  stars  when  the 
Church  is  regarded  as  the  liglit-bearer,  and  as  angels  when  she  is 
looked  upon  as  a  kingdom ;  how,  by  the  use  of  such  a  comprehen- 
sive term,  provision  is  made  for  embracing  either  a  Congregational 
pastor,  a  Presbyterian  moderator,  or  an  Episcopalian  bishop;  how 
every  church  is  addressed  in  these  messages— whether  a  single  con- 


120       INAUGUEAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

gregation  or  a  body  of  them  together ;  how  Christ's  appointment, 
wiien  he  gave  the  keys  to  liis  disciples,  was  not  abrogated,  but 
ratlier  confirmed;  how  cliurch  government  or  authority  is  real, 
is  from  God,  and  is  abiding  from  generation  to  generation ;  how 
the  ministry  is  an  honored,  responsible,  divine,  and  glorious  call- 
ing ;  how  ministers,  because  commissioned  from  on  high,  should 
be  holy  in  life,  and  held  in  honor  for  their  work's  sake ;  and  how 
the  ministry,  though  vilified  by  infidelity  of  every  name  and  degree, 
is  perfectly  safe  in  the  hand  of  the  Son  of  God. 

7.   DIGNITY  OF  THE   MINISTERIAL   OFFICE. 

No  man  can  engage  in  the  earnest  study  of  this  subject  without 
rising  to  a  more  exalted  impression  of  the  dignity  and  responsi- 
bility of  the  ministerial  office.  As  we  investigate  the  import  of 
the  terms  stars  and  angels  we  learn  to  look  upon  the  office  in  a 
very  solemn  light.  If  our  attention  to  this  point  shall  serve  no 
other  purpose  than  to  exalt  the  office  in  our  esteem,  it  will  not 
have  been  in  vain. 

How  can  any  language  exaggerate  the  honor  of  those  who  are 
called  stars  by  the  divine  Head  of  the  Church?  What  human 
dignity  will  compare  with  that  of  those  whom  God  terms  the 
angels  in  the  churches?  They  are  placed  here  in  the  forefront 
of  the  grand  objects  of  the  revelation.  They  are  the  recipients  of 
these  wonderful  communications.  In  a  connection  which  embraces 
things  that  are  vital  and  grand  in  the  Church  they  hold  the  first 
place.  As  the  ministry  of  God,  this  office  is  not  a  humanly-devised 
institution.  It  was  appointed  of  Heaven.  It  was  as  directly  from 
God  as  was  the  Church  herself.  The  position  of  the  ministry  is 
therefore  stable  and  safe.  How  could  this  stability  and  thiu  dig- 
nity be  more  expressively  asserted  from  the  divine  throne  than 
in  the  declaration  that  the  stars  or  angels  or  ministers  are  in  the 
right  hand  of  the  glorified  Son  of  man  ? 

If  such  be  the  dignity  of  the  ministerial  office,  must  not  its 
responsibility  be  correspondingly  great?  If  holiness  can  be  found 
on  earth,  surely  it  ought  to  be  found  in  those  who  have  been 
exalted  so  highly  and  called  to  such  a  sacred  work.  In  him 
who  is  an  angel  in  the  Church  of  God,  his  holiness  is  his  honcr, 
his  power,  his  glory.  Unholiness  in  a  minister  is  apostasy  to  Lis 
God — it  is  a  shocking  crime.  He  cannot  be  unholy  alone.  Pre- 
eminently is  it  true  of  him  that  if  he  goes  downward  in  guilt  he 
draws  others  after  him.  He  who  enters  the  ministry  or  Mho  con- 
tinues in  that  exalted  calling  without  a  correspondingly  high  appre- 


THE  STAK-ANGELS.  121 

ciation  of  its  sacredness  commits  a  great  error:  he  stands  in  great 
danger.  There  is  no  man  who,  if  true  to  his  Master  and  true  to 
his  calling,  may  rise  so  high  and  shine  so  brightly  in  the  firma- 
ment of  glory  eternal ;  but  there  is  none  who,  if  seliish  and  sinful, 
will  sink  so  low  and  be  so  deeply  despised  by  both  God  and  man. 

In  the  ministry  nothing— neither  friends  nor  talents  nor  influ- 
ence nor  wealth  nor  position  nor  learning  nor  anything  else- 
will  make  up  for  the  want  of  holiness.  If  this  be  wanting,  all 
is  wanting.  If  the  minister  be  a  holy  man,  nothing  can  long- 
prevent  him  from  becoming  a  useful  and  an  honored  man.  If 
he  be  not  righteous,  it  will  in  the  end  be  seen,  and  his  whole  life 
and  work  and  influence  will  be  blighted  and  be  a  blight.  Above 
all  things,  then,  should  the  minister  seek  to  be  holy.  He  should 
covet  the  honor  which  attaches  to  his  high  calling,  but  it  should 
be  through  a  life  of  holiness. 

If  such  be  the  high  calling  of  the  ministry  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  and  such  the  urgent  motives  for  them  to  be  holy  in  heart 
and  life,  their  messages  ought  to  be  listened  to  with  deference,  and 
they  should  receive  that  honor  which  is  their  due.  Christian  men 
should  honor  them,  so  that  they  may  be  the  more  successful  in  the 
holy  work  to  which  they  have  been  appointed.  Although  they  be 
not  beloved  for  their  own  sake,  yet  surely,  for  the  sake  of  Him 
whose  commission  they  bear,  they  should  be  looked  to  and  spoken 
of  as  loved  and  honored.  On  the  other  hand,  what  a  reckless  and 
dangerous  thing  to  treat  the  ambassadors  of  Christ  with  ridicule 
and  despite!  It  is  true  that  sometimes  there  are  those  of  them 
who  prove  unworthy  in  life  and  base  in  character,  and  thereby 
incur  enormous  guilt ;  but  is  it  not  also  guilt  and  treason  to  mag- 
nify their  sins,  and  in  so  doing  to  wound  our  Lord,  who  tolerated 
even  a  Judas?  To  make  war  on  them  is  to  make  war  on  Him 
who  sent  them.  To  dishonor  them  is  to  dishonor  him.  For  the 
Master's  sake  therefore — the  divine  Master,  of  whom  they  are 
the  ambassadors — the  ministry  should  be  held  in  high  esteem. 

This  dignity  of  the  ministerial  office  imposes  a  very  grave 
responsibility  upon  the  ecclesiastical  bodies  by  which  men  are 
inducted  into  it.  Upon  no  mortals  is  a  more  solemn  obligation 
laid.  Every  new  man  who  is  ordained  into  that  office  is  to  take 
an  essential  part  in  giving  character  to  the  Church.  His  influ- 
ence is  to  bring  honor  or  dishonor  to  the  cause  of  Christ. 

There  is  nothing  over  which  the  Church  should  be  more  sensi- 
tive than  over  the  character  of  her  ministry,  nothing  for  which 
she  should  pray  more  fervently  or  watch  more  affectionately.    She 


122       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

needs  to  awake  to  a  more  lively  interest  in  her  ministry.  Increase 
the  degree  of  respect  for  them,  based  on  their  increasing  spiritual- 
ity and  devoteduess  and  power  in  their  work,  and  then  without 
a  question  will  Zion  prosper  in  every  element  of  her  enterprise. 
The  Church's  whole  tone,  character,  safety,  honor,  and  useful- 
ness are  bound  up  with  those  of  her  ministry.  The  preaching, 
the  soundness  in  faith,  the  tone  of  piety,  the  example,  the  public 
sentiment,  the  activity  in  good  works,  the  power  of  religion  in 
the  world, — all  largely  depend  on  the  ministry.  Will  not  minis- 
ters themselves,  ecclesiastical  bodies,  churches,  parents,  praying- 
people,  all  awake  to  this  subject  on  which  so  much  depends? 
Will  they  not  keep  near  the  tlirone,  pleading  that  the  angels  may 
be  pure  and  mighty  and  godly,  faithful  to  their  message,  and 
true  to  Him  who  sent  them  as  ambassadors  to  their  fellow-men, 
and  who  holds  them  as  stars  in  his  right  hand? 


CHAPTER    VI. 
THE  BEACON  ON  THE  SHORES. 

1.    EVERY   PART  OF  SCRIPTURE  A   SPECIAL   PURPOSE. 

Not  only  has  the  Bible  as  a  whole,  as  its  one  great  object,  to 
testify  of  Christ  and  his  salvation,  but  every  part  of  it  also  has 
its  own  special  end  in  the  plan  of  God's  revelation.  No  part  of 
it  but  has  its  definite  aim.  No  book  or  part  of  a  book  is  redun- 
dant. No  fragment  of  the  Bible  can  be  spared,  or  have  its  place 
made  up  by  some  other  portion.  No  part,  moreover,  is  immaterial 
or  of  but  little  moment.  No  matter  when  or  where  or  by  whom 
any  portion  of  it  was  written,  it  is  always  significant  and  definite. 

This  is  what  might  be  expected  because  of  the  extensive  field 
M'hich  the  teachings  of  the  Sacred  Book  are  intended  to  cover. 
Its  mission  is  to  make  the  Christian  man  complete  in  all  his  doc- 
trines, works,  and  character.  So  it  is  asserted  very  positively  on 
the  inspired  pages,  "All  scripture  is  given  by  inspiration  of  God, 
and  is  profitable  for  doctrine,  for  reproof,  for  correction,  for  instruc- 
tion in  righteousness ;  that  the  man  of  God  may  be  perfect,  thor- 
oughly furnished  unto  all  good  works."  It  could  not,  then,  be 
otherwise  than  that  every  part  of  Scripture  should  be  full  of 
specific  meaning.  The  maftifold  perfections  of  him  who  is  our 
Creator,  Preserver,  and  Redeemer,  the  diversified  wants  of  our 
souls,  the  innumerable  manifestations  of  providence  on  behalf 
of  the  Church  of  God  throughout  the  centuries,  and  the  won- 
derful achievements  of  Christ  in  working  out  our  deliverance  from 
death  eternal,— the  revelation  of  all  these  required  that  every 
part  of  Scripture  should  be  freighted  with  the  most  momentous 
information. 

2.    THIS   END  SHOULD   BE   DISCOVERED. 

It  is  a  matter  of  very  great  importance  that  we  ascertain  the 
specific  end  aimed  at  in  each  of  the  various  portions  of  the 
Sacred  Book.  In  a  general  way  this  discovery  is  not  difficult 
to  make.  For  instance,  it  is  easy  to  see  that  the  book  of 
Genesis  was  given  to  make  known  the  origin  of  man  and  the 

123 


124       IXAUGUEAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

commencement  of  sin  in  our  world ;  that  the  laws  of  Moses 
are  given  in  so  much  detail  in  order  to  manifest  the  purity  of 
God  and  man's  utter  helplessness  in  himself;  that  the  historical 
books  were  designed  to  describe  the  long  and  careful  preparation 
of  the  nations  for  the  advent  of  the  great  Deliverer;  that  the 
Psalms  are  the  Church's  book  of  experience,  containing  a  por- 
traiture of  the  regenerated  soul  under  every  phase  of  its  earthly 
progress;  that  the  books  of  Proverbs  and  Ecclesiastes  are  a  treas- 
ury of  inspired  practical  wisdom ;  and  that  the  Prophecies  are 
the  light  which  God  has  seen  fit  to  throw  over  the  future,  so  far 
as  it  was  needed  for  the  guidance  and  comfort  of  his  people.  This 
is  the  Old  Testament ;  the  Xew  is  still  more  easily  understood.  It 
is  the  portion  of  Scripture  in  which  the  Holy  Ghost  has  conveyed 
to  the  world  the  knowledge  of  the  birth,  life,  death,  and  ascension 
of  its  Redeemer,  of  the  setting  up  of  his  kingdom  among  men, 
of  the  doctrines  of  his  great  salvation,  and  of  the  destiny  of  his 
Church  through  the  nations  of  the  world  until  time  shall  end. 
This  is  a  general  statement  concerning  the  ends  contemplated  by 
the  principal  portions  of  the  Scriptures,  but  the  designs  of  the 
minor  parts  may  be  traced  out  just  as  distinctly. 

There  is  a  special  purpose  comtemplated  by  every  portion  of  the 
Word  of  God.  Hence  it  becomes  an  object  of  the  highest  moment 
to  ascertain  what  that  purpose  is.  If  we  have  not  that  knowledge, 
it  will  be  almost  impossible  to  make  any  progress  in  the  correct 
understanding  of  the  passages.  Not  comprehending  the  end  in 
view,  it  cannot  be  expected  that  we  shall  rightly  interpret  the 
meaning  of  the  various  passages  that  lead  up  to  it.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  great  object  of  the  given  •portion  of  the  Word  being 
distinctly  before  our  minds,  we  shall  then  have  the  key  by  which 
to  open  every  part.  Many  a  passage  that  would  otherwise  have 
been  inscrutable  will  lie  perfectly  plain  and  open  before  us.  We 
shall  have  in  our  hands  a  thread  that  will  lead  us  unerringly 
through  every  labyrinth.  A  definite  object  will  lie  before  us  in 
the  study  of  the  whole  passage  that  will  give  method  and  mean- 
ing and  force  to  every  sentence.  It  is  impossible,  therefore,  to 
over-estimate  the  importance  of  making  this  our  first  earnest 
search,  and,  having  made  the  discovery,  keeping  it  impressively 
before  us.  What  was  the  design  of  the  Spirit  in  this  portion 
of  the  inspired  Book?  AVhat  end  is  it  designed  to  accomplish? 
What  defect  would  there  be  without  it?  What  niche  does  it 
occupy  ? 


THE  BEACON  ON  THE  SIIOKES.  i'Zb 

3.    HOW  IS  THE  PUEPOSE  TO  BE   DISCOVERED? 

How  are  we  to  discover,  with  any  degree  of  certainty,  what  the 
niche  is  of  any  given  portion  of  the  Sacred  Book?  How  is  the  key 
to  be  found?  Generally,  it  is  not  difflcult  to  make  the  discovery. 
There  are  a  few  rules  that  may  guide  us  in  searching  for  it :  (a)  The 
general  scope  and  bearing  of  the  whole  passage  will  very  often  show 
clearly  what  great  purpose  it  was  intended  to  accomplish.  (6)  The 
convergence  of  the  several  elements  of  the  passage  in  some  obvious 
end,  and  their  harmonizing  therein,  will  in  most  cases  make  the 
object  sufficiently  clear,  (c)  Hints,  allusions,  and  inferences,  when 
carefully  studied,  will  frequently  indicate  what  is  the  bearing  of 
the  whole,  (d)  But,  best  of  all,  many  times  a  statement  or  state- 
ments will  be  found  which  explicitly  declare  what  the  object  is. 
Sometimes  two  or  three  or  even  all  these  indexes  may  be  found, 
and  these  leave  no  uncertainty  as  to  the  intent  of  the  passage. 
Above  all  things  should  this  key  to  the  given  portion  be  sought  for 
and  used  at  every  point  of  the  investigation.  When  if  is  surely  founds 
so  as  to  be  understood  and  applied,  half  the  icor/c  is  done. 

4.   PURPOSE  OF  THESE   MESSAGES  TO  THE  SEVEN  CHURCHES. 

We  have  dwelt  so  long  on  this  point,  and  made  it  so  emphatic, 
because  there  are  few  portions  of  Scripture  where  its  application  is 
so  much  needed  as  in  these  two  chapters  of  the  Apocalypse  which 
contain  the  messages  of  God  to  the  seven  churches  of  Asia  Minor, 
The  opening  of  these  messages  and  the  right  understanding  of  their 
contents  depend  upon  our  having  the  true  key.  The  interpretation 
of  every  part  of  them  depends  upon  the  end  for  which  they  were 
given.  At  the  same  time,  there  is  hardly  any  portion  of  the  Bible 
as  to  the  intention  of  which  opinions  have  been  so  much  divided. 
This  is  not  to  be  wondered  at.  Their  conspicuous  place  in  the 
book  of  Revelation,  their  unique  structure,  the  novelty  of  their 
imagery,  and  the  valuable  matter  they  contain  are  such  as  natu- 
rally to  excite  speculation.  These  diverse  opinions  may  be  ranged 
under  two  general  classes:  First,  those  which  regard  the  whole 
passage  as  simply  historical,  and  its  chief  end  to  be  the  conveying 
of  information  as  to  the  state  of  the  Church  at  that  time;  second, 
those  which  look  upon  the  seven  messages  as  chiefly  prophetical, 
so  that  they  foretell  the  different  characteristics  of  seven  consecu- 
tive periods  of  the  Church's  history  as  they  would  be  developed 
through  the  ages.    These  two,  more  or  less  sharply  defined,  and 


126       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

more  or  less  moclifled  by  running  into  each  other  or  by  other 
views,  are  the  leading  theories. 

It  does  not  come  under  our  plan  to  enter  into  the  discussion 
of  these,  or  of  any,  disputed  points.  In  no  sense  and  to  no  degree 
is  our  work  intended  to  be  controversial.  We  give  the  mind  of 
the  Spirit  as  it  appears  to  us,  and  leave  it  to  be  confirmed  by  the 
harmony  it  gives  to  all  the  elements  of  the  passage  and  by  its  con- 
formity to  the  whole  teaching  of  the  inspired  pages. 

Under  these  various  cautions  would  we  therefore  announce  our 
belief  that  these  messages  to  the  seven  churches  of  Asia  xoere  intended 
as  a  beacon  for  the  warning  and  giddance  of  the  people  of  God  in  all 
subsequent  ages.  This  was  the  object,  not  exclusively,  but  chiefly, 
wliile  other  subordinate  ends  were  also  accomplished.  In  that 
first  short  period  of  time,  while  all  was  fresh,  and  in  that  favor- 
able location,  the  experiment  was  made  of  the  effect  of  the  gospel 
on  the  Gentile  world,  and  that,  among  other  purposes,  as  a  guide 
for  the  Church  until  the  end  of  the  world.  The  experiment  was 
purposely  made,  and  made  under  the  special  direction  of  Provi- 
dence, so  that  ever  afterward  the  Christian  world  might  know 
what  to  expect,  what  to  avoid,  what  to  seek  after,  and  what  to 
do.  It  was  made  under  divine  direction  and  put  on  record  by 
the  divine  Spirit,  and  that  in  a  most  conspicuous  place,  in  order 
that  there  might  be  a  reliable  light  on  which  every  believing  eye 
could  look  as  the  ages  rolled  away. 

In  all  the  gospel's  subsequent  vicissitudes  this  experiment  made 
at  the  first,  and  made  under  the  very  best  circumstances  for  the 
purpose,  would  serve  to  warn,  to  animate,  and  to  guide  all  the 
faithful.  It  would  be  the  chart  to  guide  through  the  dangerous 
seas,  and  the  lighthouse  to  cast  its  beams  over  the  stormy  shores 
of  the  later  ages  of  time.  To  vary  the  imagery  and  to  make 
the  idea  as  distinct  as  possible,  it  was  setting  forth  at  the  beginning, 
and  in  a  form  that  could  be  grasped,  the  tendencies,  good  and  bad, 
ichich,  aftenvard  carried  out,  icould  produce  the  trhole  of  the  scenes 
depicted  in  the  Apocalypse.  When  looked  at  in  this  view  it  will 
be  seen  that  the  practical  value  of  this  portion  of  Scripture  cannot 
be  over-estimated.  It  is  the  New  Testament  book  of  experience 
in  the  most  condensed  form.  In  the  book  of  Psalms  we  have  a 
portraiture  of  tlie  varied  experience  of  the  individual  believer; 
in  these  messages  we  have  a  description  of  the  experience  of 
masses.  In  the  ei)istles  of  the  New  Testament  we  have  the  doc- 
trines of  salvation ;  in  these  two  chapters  we  have  the  doctrines 
carried  out  into  practice. 


THE  BEACON  ON  THE  SHORES.  127 


5.    HISTOEICAL  DESIGN. 

It  must  first  be  observed  that  the  portion  of  Scripture  under  con- 
sideration had  a  very  important  historical  object.  These  two  chap- 
ters contain  an  epitome  of  the  chief  effects  of  the  gosjwPs  first  great 
encounter  with  the  Gentile  world.  Up  to  that  time  the  gospel  had 
been  confined  mainly  to  the  Jews,  but  now  the  barrier  is  leaped 
and  the  world-wide  struggle  with  the  uncircumcised  nations  is 
commenced.  We  have  here  an  authentic  record  of  how  the  truth 
as  it  is  in  Christ  Jesus  was  received  by  communities  to  which 
the  very  idea  of  Jehovah  was  new ;  of  how  it  was  welcomed 
by  some  and  persecuted  by  others;  of  how  it  upturned  hoary 
systems  of  superstition  and  revolutionized  the  whole  moral  aspect 
of  society;  and  of  the  eflects  which  it  produced,  sometimes  puri- 
fying and  ennobling,  and  sometimes  uncovering  in  its  enemies 
a  spirit  that  Avas  diabolic.  In  these  two  compact  chapters  we 
have  a  description  of  the  debased  moral  state  in  which  our  heav- 
enly Deliverer  found  the  most  cultivated  communities  in  the  world, 
and  what  an  amazing  change  he  wrought  among  them  in  the  short 
period  of  sixty-six  years. 

This  information  as  to  the  state  of  the  Church  was  needed  as  a 
foundation  for  the  higher  jDurposes  of  the  messages.  We  must 
know  what  the  gospel  was,  and  what  it  was  doing  then ;  how 
the  world  received  it,  and  how  it  aflfected  the  world.  We  know 
from  the  gospel  what  it  w'as  in  the  days  of  Christ;  the  body  of 
the  Apocalypse  reveals  what  it  would  be  in  the  last  days;  but 
what  was  it  in  the  eventful  period  of  its  first  introduction  to 
the  pagan  world?  This  was  a  question  we  needed  to  have  an- 
swered. At  least  a  glimpse  into  the  history  was  essential  in 
order  that  we  inight  understand  the  state  of  the  Church  when 
the  great  King  sent  down  to  it  these  messages.  Who  were  they 
upon  whom  this  great  honor  was  conferred  ?  AVhat  sort  of  people 
were  they  to  whom  these  counsels,  threatenings,  and  promises 
were  sent?  What  influence,  what  celestial  power,  was  that  which 
had  taken  an  immense  population,  whose  fathers  had  been  gross 
idolaters,  and  had  so  dignified  them  that  the  charge  is  laid  on 
them  by  God  himself,  "He  that  hath  an  ear  to  hear,  let  him 
hear  what  the  Spirit  saith  unto  the  churches "  ? 

For  these  and  other  similar  reasons  it  is  necessary  that  these 
messages  should  be  looked  upon  as  an  inspired  record  of  the  state 
of  the  Church  as  it  then  was.  In  this  view  they  form  a  sort  of 
background   for  the  magnificent   panorama  of  revelation  that  is 


128       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

to  pass  over  them.    This  historical  intent  was  needed  first;    but 
that  was  preparatory  to  a  far  higher  aim. 

6.   PEOPHETICAL  DESIGN. 

It  must  not  be  forgotten  that  these  messages  had  also  a  pro- 
phetical mission.  This  was  not  their  leading  purpose,  but  it  was 
a  very  important  one.  It  was  subordinate  to  the  chief  design, 
and,  like  the  historical  one,  was  necessary  to  the  higher  purpose. 
There  were  two  great  lines  of  instruction  which  were  valuable 
then  and  are  valuable  still.  We  have  here,  first,  the  tendencies 
which,  when  carried  out  or  fully  developed,  would  produce  the  vast 
results  that  are  depicted  on  the  pages  of  the  Apocalypse;  and,  sec- 
ond, the  rules  or  principles  according  to  which  God  would  conduct 
the  affairs  of  the  Church  and  the  world  until  time  ivould  end. 

According  to  the  first  of  these,  the  events  themselves  were  pro- 
phetic. As  soon  as  the  gospel  touched  the  masses  of  the  heathen 
world,  tendencies  were  manifested  which  would  either  prove 
mighty  powers  in  the  redemption  of  mankind,  or  result  in  utter 
apostasy.  These  first  movements  of  the  kingdom  were  so  guided 
that  they  became  great  living  predictions  whose  issues  are  por- 
trayed in  the  rest  of  the  book  of  Revelation.  This  is  what  makes 
these  messages  the  appropriate  opening  of  the  Apocalypse.  They 
are  the  living  portraitures  of  tendencies,  good  or  evil,  the  unfold- 
ing of  which  fills  the  rest  of  the  book.  IMoreover,  Xhey  also  inci- 
dentally contain  predictions  of  events  that  would  come  to  pass 
in  after-ages.  For  instance,  we  cannot  look  upon  the  sad  ruins 
of  Ephesus  to-day  without  recalling  the  ominous  words,  "I  will 
come  unto  thee  quickly,  and  will  remove  thy  candlestick  out  of 
his  place;"  or  upon  the  utter  desolation  of  Laodicea  without  the 
foreboding  admonition  coming  back,  "Because  thou  art  lukewarm, 
and  neither  cold  nor  hot,  I  will  spue  thee  out  of  my  mouth ;"  or 
upon  faithful  PhiladeliDhia,  still  alive,  without  going  back  to  the 
promise,  "  I  will  make  him  a  pillar  in  the  temple  of  my  God, 
and  he  shall  go  no  more  out." 

The  other  line  of  prophetic  instruction  in  this  portion  of  Scrip- 
ture is  still  more  remarkable.  Almost  the  first  impression  made 
when  we  begin  the  study  of  these  messages  is  their  exact  method 
and  regularity— a  regularity  that  extends  to  the  most  minute  part 
as  well  as  to  the  great  outlines.  There  is  no  portion  of  Scripture 
that  is  so  manifestly  framed  upon  a  beautiful  and  well-defined 
plan.  This  could  not  have  been  accidental.  It  was  not  without 
a  purpose.    It  must  indicate  some  great  design  in  the  mind  of 


THE  BEACON   ON  THE  SHOEES.  129 

God  concerning  the  Church,  or  some  great  feature  of  his  methods 
of  dealing  therewith.  Nor  is  it  very  difficult  to  conceive  with 
tolerable  certainty  what  the  intention  must  have  been.  The  extra- 
ordinari/  order,  system,  regularity,  and  tJie  numerical  and  other  pre- 
cise rules  found  in  these  messages,  must  have  been  intended  to  be  a 
type,  an  intimation,  a  ^jredietion,  a  pledge,  that  the  destiny  of  the 
Church  as  revealed  in  the  rest  of  the  Apocalypse  would  be  conducted 
according  to  God^s  most  exact  and  undeviating  plan.  Of  this  there 
can  scarcely  be  any  question,  and  it  is  a  point  worthy  of  profound 
study.  It  unfolds  a  beauty  in  the  conducting  of  God's  providence 
over  his  Church  that  should  fill  our  hearts  with  wonder  and  glad- 
ness. It  makes  the  whole  plan  of  these  messages  and  of  God's 
providences  in  the  early  churches  a  prophecy,  intensely  interest- 
ing and  instructive,  of  all  the  after-ages.  The  destinies  of  the 
churches  through  the  ages  would  be  to  no  degree  accidental.  No 
unforeseen  or  unprovided-for  events  would  ever  shake  God's  proj- 
ects of  mercy.  Dark  days  of  persecution  or  of  apostasy  might 
come,  but  they  would  not  lower  without  order  or  control.  The 
exact  plan  was  contrived  in  all  its  parts,  and  even  the  gates  of 
hell  would  not  prevail  against  it. 

7.  CHIEFLY  AS  A  BEACON. 
We  now  enter  more  fully  into  what  we  believe  to  be,  according 
to  the  scheme  of  the  revealed  will  of  God,  the  chief  object  of  these 
two  chapters  of  the  Apocalypse.  We  must  look  at  this  in  connec- 
tion with  the  subordinate  ends  which  we  have  just  mentioned. 
As  we  have  shown,  it  was  needed  that  we  should  have  some  knowl- 
edge of  the  state  of  the  Church  in  those  early  days;  it  was  also 
important  that  in  that  impressive  way  God  should  give  us  a  pro- 
phetic picture  of  the  manner  in  which  he  would  conduct  the  affairs 
of  his  kingdom  ;  and  there  are  doubtless  other  deep  prophetic  pur- 
poses involved ;  but  the  chief  value  of  this  portion  of  Scripture  is 
that  in  the  beginning  it  was  intentionally  set  tip  as  a  beacon  for  the 
learning  and  guidance  of  all  the  subsequent  ages  of  time.  These  first 
few  years  of  the  Church's  history,  divinely  overruled  and  divinely 
recorded,  were  the  great  "ensample"  for  all  the  coming  ages.  It 
is  true  that  the  whole  of  Scripture  was  given  to  us  for  that  purpose, 
for  we  read,  "  Now  all  these  things  happened  unto  them  for  ensam- 
ples;  and  they  are  written  for  our  admonition,  upon  ivhom  the  ends 
of  the  icorld  are  come.''''  But  this  portion  is  pre-eminently  our  "  en- 
sample."  It  is  made  so  of  special  design.  In  every  respect  it  is 
suited  as  our  warning  and  guide.    On  this  point  we  lay  very  great 


130       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

stress,  because  we  believe  it  to  be  the  very  key  to  the  whole  of  this 
remarkable  passage  of  Scripture. 

Christ  had  come  down  to  our  world,  and  by  his  life,  his  example, 
and  his  death  had  opened  the  way  for  the  salvation  of  mankind. 
The  Holy  Ghost  had  descended  to  his  Church  and  entered  upon 
the  blessed  work  of  applying  the  purchased  redemption.  The 
Church  had  been  organized,  and  religious  ideas  and  doctrines  had 
been  defined,  chiefly  among  the  Jewish  people  who  had  been 
prepared  therefor.  Now  the  gospel  was  ready  to  be  launched 
out  among  the  nations  whom  it  was  to  revolutionize  and  save. 
It  was  of  immense  importance  that  a  beacon  should  be  erected 
just  then  for  the  guidance  of  the  Church  in  that  most  eventful 
career  which  lay  before  her.  Such  a  beacon,  set  up  then  at  the 
beginning,  framed  under  divine  guidance,  in  a  form  that  would 
attract  attention,  and  signaling  every  kind  of  want, — its  value 
to  the  cause  of  Christ,  throughout  the  vicissitudes  which  lay  before 
that  cause,  no  tongue  could  tell.  It  would  be  like  a  lighthouse 
keeping  watch  over  some  boundless  waste  of  ocean  where  the 
half-hidden  rocks  dash  up  the  waves  raving  aloft,  and  the  dark- 
ness fills  every  heart  with  horror,  and  no  longed-for  relief  dare 
venture  out  amid  the  tempest,  and  many  a  wail  from  sinking 
barks  is  lost  amid  the  roar  of  the  storm.  Oh,  for  the  friendly 
beacon  there  to  warn  other  bewildered  mariners  to  keep  away 
from  that  tempestuous  wilderness  of  wreck  and  foaming  waters! 
Just  such  a  moral  beacon  did  God  set  up  here,  at  the  beginning, 
for  the  warning  of  his  Church  as  she  launched  out  over  the 
stormy  ages  of  time  during  which  many  a  dark  night  would 
threaten,  many  a  wild  tempest  spread  desolation,  and  many  an 
immortal  soul  be  swept  away  a  helpless  ruin. 

But  we  may  go  farther.  This  portion  of  Scripture  was  not 
only  intended  to  warn,  but  it  was  also  framed  as  a  chart  to  guide 
amid  the  wild  and  lurking  dangers  of  that  dread  ocean  over  which 
the  Church  must  pass  before  her  mission  on  earth  shall  be  closed. 
This  thought  was  finely  expressed  by  that  brilliant  though  eccen- 
tric genius  Rev.  Edward  Irving:  "This  is  my  view  of  the  Apoca- 
lypse. It  was  intended  to  be  at  once  the  chart,  the  pole-star,  and 
the  light  of  the  Christian  Church  over  the  stormy  waves  of  time 
until  the  great  Pilot  who  walketh  upon  the  water  and  stilleth 
the  waves  should  again  give  himself  to  the  sinking  ship,  and 
make  her  his  abode,  his  ark,  his  glory  for  ever  and  ever."  In 
the  coming  centuries  of  error  and  apostasy  and  persecution,  of 
bitter  enemies  and  faithless  friends,  the  Church  would  need  such 


THE  BEACON  ON   THE  SHORES.  131 

a  guide.  She  was  entering  upon  a  wide,  wild  ocean,  and  God 
made  tliis  provision  for  lier  many  wants  on  tliat  tempestuous 
voyage.  Here  were  buoys  to  tell  of  shoals  unseen  and  danger- 
ous, here  lightships  to  warn  of  rocks  that  would  rake  away  the 
stoutest  keel,  and  here  the  majestic  lighthouse  sending  its  beams 
afar  over  the  reefs  where  sure  destruction  lurked. 

8.  THE  FIRST   EXPERIMENT  OF  THE   GOSPEL  WITH   THE   PAGAN 
WORLD  CONSTITUTED  THIS   BEACON. 

Now  this  God-ordained  beacon  for  the  warning  and  guidance 
of  the  Church  consisted  of  the  first  great  experiment  as  to  the 
influence  of  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Christ  Jesus  upon  the  pagan 
world — an  experiment  which  extended  over  sixty  years,  and  the 
results  of  which  were  registered  in  these  two  most  instructive 
chapters.  The  gospel's  first  contact  with  the  world  on  an  ex- 
tended scale  formed  this  momentous  experiment.  It  was  provi- 
dentially made  in  the  heathen  world,  because  henceforward  not 
the  Jewish  people  only,  but  the  whole  race  of  mankind,  was  to 
be  the  theatre  for  the  development  of  the  heavenly  kingdom. 
The  experiment  could  not  be  made  among  the  Jews,  for  their 
existing  prejudices  and  training  would  inevitably  warp  their 
minds  as  the  gospel  reached  them.  It  could  not  be  confined  to 
them,  because  the  truth  from  heaven  was  now  to  sweep  away  all 
national  barriers  and  to  extend  to  the  whole  human  race.  Besides, 
the  day  of  Judaism  was  over  for  many  a  century  to  come.  The 
other  nations  were  now  to  be  the  actors  in  the  grand  moral  move- 
ments of  the  world.  "Since  the  day  when  the  Galilean  apostle 
John  slept  his  last  sleep  under  the  walls  of  Ephesus,  no  son  of 
Israel  has  ever  exercised  any  widespread  or  lasting  control  over 
the  general  condition  of  mankind." 

That  experiment  of  sixty  years  among  the  pagan  population 
of  Asia  Minor,  made  under  the  special  direction  of  Providence 
and  recorded  with  perfect  truthfulness,  was  to  be  the  great  warn- 
ing light  for  all  the  subsequent  vicissitudes  of  the  Church  of  God. 
In  those  sixty  years  there  \A'ould  be  manifested  all  the  important 
tendencies,  good  and  bad,  which  would  develop  into  such  stupen- 
dous results  during  the  centuries  which  were  to  follow.  These 
tendencies  were  controlled  and  put  on  record  with  care  that  they 
might  afterward  be  the  guide  of  the  people  of  God.  They  were 
a  sample  of  fidelity  to  God  and  to  trutli,  or  of  errors  and  apostasies 
that  over  and  over  again  would  be  seen  during  the  coming  genera- 
tions.   The  trial  was  made  under  the  most  suitable  circumstances, 


132       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

and  the  results  in  the  sixty-three  years  were  very  different  in  the 
diflPerent  churches  of  the  seven  tliat  were  selected  as  representa- 
tives of  all.  Some  of  them  were  faithful  amid  every  kind  of 
opposition  and  trial.  Some  of  them,  out  of  love  to  Christ,  w&re 
ready  to  lay  down  their  life  in  a  martyr's  death.  Some  of  them 
had  become  guilty  of  foul  apostasy.  Some  of  them  had  fallen 
into  immoral  practices  and  such  gross  error  as  wellnigh  to  efface 
in  them  the  glory  of  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Christ  Jesus.  Some  of 
them  had  grown  to  be  so  lukewarm  as  to  be  positively  odious  in 
the  sight  of  God.    Some  of  them  were  wellnigh  dead  in  heart. 

The  trial  extended  over  sixty  years,  and  most  of  the  develop- 
ments of  the  gospel's  contact  with  the  natural  heart  would  be 
seen  in  that  time.  The  variform  courses  of  these  seven  would 
be  ever  recurring  in  other  churches  all  the  centuries  through. 
The  dangers  which  they  encountered  would  be  for  ever  rising  up 
to  meet  others.  God,  in  making  his  Word  absolutely  perfect  for 
the  guidance  of  his  people,  lets  us  see  these  first  and  ever-recurring 
trials  of  the  truth  when  encountering  the  depraved  heart,  that 
we  might  be  warned  thereby.  He  set  up  this  beacon  at  that 
early  day  that  the  Church  might  behold  it  all  through  the  trou- 
bled centuries,  and  so  be  the  more  safely  guided.  The  adorable 
King  lifts  the  veil  from  those  early  movements  of  his  kingdom 
and  allows  us  to  understand  how  they  appear  in  his  sight. 

Inasmuch  as  this  experiment  was  not  made  among  prejudiced 
Jews  nor  in  an  indurated  Christian  community,  we  have  in  it  a 
sample  of  the  natural  reception  which  may  be  expected  for  the 
gospel  whenever  it  comes  in  contact  with  the  unrenewed  hearts 
of  men.  It  is  almost  the  only  sample  of  the  kind  that  ever  was, 
or  ever  can  be,  obtained.  In  those  lands  there  did  not  as  yet  exist 
any  prepossession  in  favor  of  Christianity,  neither  had  there  grown 
up  any  prejudice  against  the  cause  of  Christ.  No  currents  of  error 
had  then  sprung  up  to  soil  the  truth  as  it  first  touched  the  hearts  of 
men.  They  were  neither  gospel-hardened  nor  Jewish-blinded  in 
treating  the  cause  of  Christ  as  they  did.  All  was  natural  and  spon- 
taneous with  them.  Their  reception  of  the  gospel  was  indicative 
of  the  character  of  the  human  heart  in  its  native  dejiravity.  In 
no  after-age  could  there  be  such  a  genuine  manifestation  of  the 
unchanged  nature  of  mankind.  There  could  not  be  such  an  exhi- 
bition of  it  now.  Everywhere  throughout  the  civilized  world 
there  are  at  the  present  established  feelings  of  like  or  dislike 
to  the  gospel. 


THE  BEACON   ON   THE  SHORES.  133 

9.   PEOCONSULAR  ASIA   A  SUITABLE   COUNTEY   FOE  THAT 
EXPEEIMENT. 

There  were  two  things  which  made  Asia  Minor  tlie  suitable  place 
in  the  world,  at  that  time,  for  an  experiment  with  the  gospel  that 
would  stand  as  a  beacon  throughout  all  generations — viz.  the  com- 
position of  the  people,  and  the  location  of  the  country.  As  we 
have  already  seen,  the  population  was  made  up  of  v.arious  races 
and  classes.  Composing  it  were  cultivated  Greeks  from  the  other 
side  of  the  ^Egean,  Orientals  from  the  regions  of  the  Euphrates 
and  the  Indus,  Gauls  who  had  descended  from  the  wild  hordes 
of  the  north,  and  Jews,  who  even  at  tliat  day  were  dwellers  in 
every  laud.  Both  Grecian  and  Oriental  paganism  iiad  to  be  en- 
countered among  them.  Among  such  a  cosmopolitan  people  was 
the  very  place  in  which  to  make  an  experiment  that  was  intended 
for  the  race.  Moreover,  the  character  of  the  people,  as  well  as  their 
composition,  was  admirably  adapted  to  that  i)urpose.  Their  intel- 
ligence, which  would  enable  them  to  understand  the  new  religion ; 
their  incessant  efforts  after  a  higher  degree  of  culture ;  their  restless 
activity,  which  would  incessantly  urge  them  forward  after  the  un- 
tried and  the  startling;  and  their  spirit  of  enterprise,  that  would 
perpetually  lead  them  to  grasp  after  all  that  was  novel  in  tliought 
or  action,— all  these  were  calculated  to  constitute  them  the  very 
people  that  were  fitted  for  an  experiment  that  would  benefit  all 
mankind. 

Tlie  location  of  the  country  w^as  tlie  best  imaginable  for  the  same 
purpose.  It  was  in  the  very  heart  of  the  civilization  of  the  nations. 
It  could  not  have  been  better  situated  for  sending  out  influences 
through  all  the  more  important  habitations  of  men.  Moreover,  it 
was  a  centre  of  attraction  to  thousands  from  other  lands  because 
of  its  renowned  institutions  of  learning,  its  celebrated  shrines  of 
heatlien  worship,  its  far-famed  games,  its  arts,  its  splendid  archi- 
tecture, and  its  noted  establishments  for  health  and  recreation. 
Its  manuuictured  articles  were  used  far  and  near  throughout  other 
lands.  Merchants  and  other  travelers  thronged  tfie  great  roads 
which  traversed  it  in  every  direction.  Its  harbors  were  filled 
with  ships  which  had  been  wafted  to  it  over  many  a  sea.  The 
experiment  made  in  such  a  land  and  among  such  a  people  would 
touch  the  springs  of  thousands  of  intelligent  hearts  and  awaken 
higher  impulses  that  would  soon  be  felt  throughout  the  habita- 
tions of  mankind.  As  was  intended  of  the  gospel  itself,  all  would 
be  comforting  and  ennobling,  all  would  be  impressive,  so  that  the 
true  character  of  the  religion  of  Christ  would  soon  be  brought  out, 


134  INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

and  the  first  great  experiment  would  be  wrought  into  a  beacon 
that  would  stand  for  the  blessing  of  mankind  so  long  as  the  world 
should  endure. 

10.   A   SPECIAL   PROVIDENCE   IN  PEOVIDING  THIS  BEACON. 

Everything  about  these  messages  makes  it  evident  tliat  there 
was  a  special  providence  in  providing  them,  and  the  state  of 
things  which  led  to  them,  for  the  benefit  of  the  people  of  God 
in  all  after-time.  Of  course  there  was  a  general  providence  over 
them,  as  there  is  over  all  the  events  of  the  world.  But  what  we 
see  beaming  out  here  in  a  most  impressive  manner  is  that  there 
was  a  special  forthputting  of  providence,  and  that  for  a  very  special 
end.  The  same  Wisdom  that  contrived  the  great  pentecostal  day, 
and  endowed  his  servants  with  the  gift  of  tongues,  and  bestowed 
upon  them  the  power  of  working  miracles,  also  arranged  all  the 
circumstances  connected  with  these  messages  for  the  furtherance 
of  his  glorious  gospel.  That  Wisdom  reigned  in  the  i)lanting 
of  the  seven  churches,  in  guiding  them  to  the  peculiar  charac- 
teristics they  bore,  and  in  allowing  or  leading  them  to  be  what 
they  were.  By  him  were  they  established,  through  his  apostles 
or  through  apostolic  men.  Not  only  did  that  providence  enjoin 
the  writing  of  "the  things  which  are,  and  the  things  which  shall 
be  hereafter,"  but  it  also  guided  to  the  existence  of  the  things 
which  were  to  be  thus  put  upon  record.  The  whole  form  of  the 
history  here  presented  leads  us  to  believe  in  this  special  provi- 
dence. The  object  in  view  was  of  sufficient  importance  to  call 
forth  such  intervention  of  Him  who  doeth  all  things  according 
to  the  counsel  of  his  own  will.  Besides,  in  those  early  days, 
while  believers  walked  closer  with  God,  while  the  power  of 
working  miracles  was  yet  vouchsafed,  and  while  the  apostolic 
functions  yet  lingered,  such  special  providences  were  in  accord 
with  the  wants  of  the  times. 

This  providence  was  marvelously  displayed  by  its  being  so 
ordered  that  in  these  churches  we  have  pictures  to  the  life  of 
what  would  be  found  among  Christians  until  the  end  of  time. 
Evex-y  characteristic  here  was  planned  for  the  benefit  of  all 
readers.  Tlie  good  \\'as  fostered  so  that  it  might  stand  forth  for 
the  encouragement  of  the  true  people  of  God.  The  evil  was 
allowed  to  exist  and  to  be  so  prominent  in  order  that  it  might 
warn.  All,  both  good  and  bad,  were  overruled  by  the  omnipo- 
tent Head  of  the  Church,  that  we  might  see  them  and  be  pre- 
pared beforehand  for  similar  influences  that  would  most  certainly 


THE  BEACON   ON  THE  SHORES.  135 

be  encountered.  It  was  not  without  an  intention  loolcing  forward 
through  many  a  century  that  Ephesus  was  permitted  to  "leave 
its  first  love,"  or  that  Philadelphia  was  so  preserved  tliat  it  could 
be  said  to  her,  "Thou  hast  a  little  strength,  and  hast  kept  my 
word,  and  hast  not  denied  my  name." 

The  perfection  of  that  providence  will  be  the  better  appreciated 
when  we  consider  that  it  has  to  do  with  principles,  both  in  the  ever- 
lasting God  and  in  our  depraved  hearts,  that  are  always  the  same. 
The  sinful  nature  of  man  is  unaltered  through  all  ages  and  in  all 
places.  The  temptations  to  which  we  are  exposed  are  essentially 
the  same  temptations  which  believers  met  with  in  the  days  of  David 
and  Solomon,  and  when  the  gospel  was  beginning  to  get  a  foothold 
among  the  inhabitants  of  Smyrna,  and  that  are  this  day  embar- 
rassing our  missionaries  in  Ningpo  and  Calcutta.  The  Son  of 
man  whose  glories  flash  out  in  these  first  encounters  of  the  gos- 
pel in  the  seven  cities  and  the  everlasting  Father  who  directed 
them  are  "the  same  yesterday,  to-day,  and  for  ever."  The 
workings  of  grace  as. displayed  in  those  eventful  days  are  the 
offspring  of  principles  that  nmst  be  the  same  ev^ermore.  Hence 
the  wisdom  of  the  plan  which  directed  the  first  manifestations 
of  these  immutable  peculiarities  of  both  the  Creator  and  the  fallen 
creature,  and  then  constituted  them  an  enduring  guide  for  his 
Church  through  all  her  militant  days. 

11.   ALL   FOEMS   OF   CHURCH   LIFE   EXEMPLIFIED. 

Our  admiration  of  the  providential  structure  of  this  beacon  in- 
creases as  we  study  the  provision  it  makes  for  all  possible  exigencies 
that  might  arise  in  the  experience  of  believers.  For  this  purpose  all 
forms  of  church  life  were  then  and  there  passed  through  and  exem- 
plified. The  seven  churches  were  used,  not  because  they  were  all 
the  churches  that  existed  in  that  country,  but  because  that  num- 
ber would  furnish  a  sufficient  variety.  Moreover,  those  particular 
ones  are  chosen,  and  not  the  churches  of  Magnesia  or  Miletus  or 
any  other  cities,  because  in  these  were  found  the  requisite  speci- 
mens of  church  experience.  This  point  is  so  vital  to  the  correct 
understanding  of  our  subject  that  we  shall  cite  a  few  most  appro- 
priate sentences  from  the  pen  of  Archbishop  Trench :  "  These  seven 
churches  of  Asia  are  not  an  accidental  aggregation,  which  might 
just  as  conveniently  have  been  eight  or  six  or  any  other  number. 
On  the  contrary,  there  is  a  fitness  in  this  number,  and  these  seven 
do  in  some  sort  represent  the  universal  Church.  We  have  a  right 
to  contemplate  the  seven  as  offering  to  us  the  great  and  leading 


136  INAUGDKAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING, 

aspects,  moral  and  spiritual,  which  churches  gathered  out  of  the 
world  in  the  name  of  Christ  will  assume.  .  .  .  Though  not  exhaus- 
tive, they  give  us  on  a  small  scale  the  grander  and  more  recurring 
features  of  that  life.  They  are  not  fragmentary,  fortuitously  strung 
together,  but  they  have  a  completeness,  a  many-sidedness,  being 
selected  probably  for  that  very  cause.  .  .  These  churches  are  more 
or  less  representative  churches,  and  selected  because  they  are  so. 
They  form  a  complex  within  and  among  themselves,  mutually 
fulfilling  and  completing  one  another.  The  great  Head  of  the 
Church  contemplates  them  for  the  time  being  as  symbolical  of 
the  universal  Church,  implying  as  much  in  the  mystic  seven, 
and  giving  many  other  indications  of  the  same  " 

12.   VARIOUS  CLASSES   ENCOUNTERED. 

In  order  to  perfect  the  first  experiment,  and  consequently  the 
warning  signal,  the  gospel,  even  in  those  few  years  and  in 
that  limited  territory,  was  brought  into  contact  with  all  sorts 
and  all  peculiarities  of  people.  This  was  the  reason  why  the 
mystic  number  of  seven  cities  and  seven  churches  was  used. 
The  number  would  be  complete,  and  would  serve  to  represent 
the  world.  A  glance  will  reveal  how  complete  the  experiment 
was  in  this  respect.  At  Ephesus  the  gospel  encountered  the 
most  attractive  but  gross  idolatry.  In  Smyrna  it  came  in  con- 
tact with  a  people  absorbed  in  commerce — with  Jews  and  with 
strangers  from  every  land.  In  Pergaraos  it  met  the  learned  and 
cultivated,  with  their  schools  of  science  and  their  deep  philoso- 
phy. In  Thyatira  it  came  upon  those  who  were  sunken  in  immo- 
rality and  given  to  all  that  was  vile  and  low.  In  Sardis  it  con- 
fronted an  aristocratic  people,  proud  of  their  history  and  wodded 
to  the  world.  In  Philadelphia  it  came  ui^on  a  j^eople  who  were 
poor  and  weak,  humble,  and  overlooked  by  the  self-important 
cities  around  them.  In  Laodicea  it  faced  those  who  were  rich 
and  haughty  and  fully  satisfied  with  themselves.  It  will  thus 
be  seen  how  thoroughly  the  religion  of  Chri.st  in  those  cities  was 
tried  with  the  world  in  all  its  leading  forms,  and  how  fully  that 
experience  was  fitted  to  instruct  believers  for  ever  afterward. 

13.    LIFE-PICTURES. 

The  seven  churches  being  selected  so  as  to  give  a  sufficient 
variety,  and  these  i^articular  ones  because  there  was  in  each  of 
them  some  sj^ecial  form  of  church  experience  arising  from  the 
diversified  kinds  and  characters  of  people  encountered,  it  follows 


THE  BEACON  ON  THE  SHORES.  137 

that  we  have  the  wonderful  life-pictures  which  are  contained  in 
these  two  chapters  of  Revelation.  Most  carefully  should  we  study 
what  they  are — how  distinct,  how  striking,  how  well  adapted  to 
warn  or  guide  in  every  conceivable  state  of  the  Church  or  church 
work  or  church  experience.  Behold  what  a  rich  and  instructive 
variety  we  have  in  these  seven  specimens  of  what  was  experi- 
enced in  those  early  formative  days!  In  Ephesus  we  have  the 
examjjle  of  a  church  that  is  sadly  declining  from  its  first  warm 
love;  in  Smyrna,  a  church  that  was  enduring  tribulation  and 
poverty  and  bitter  reproach  for  the  name  of  Christ  which  it 
could  not  be  forced  to  betray;  in  Pergamos,  a  church  that  was 
steadfast  in  the  faith,  but  at  the  same  time  guilty  of  more  than 
tolerating  practices  that  were  evil  and  destructive;  in  Thyatira, 
a  church  that  was  active  in  doing  good,  but  at  the  same  time 
afflicted  with  gross  error  and  immorality;  in  8ardis,  a  church 
that  was  utterly  dead  and  hypocritical,  though  still  orthodox  in 
its  profession  of  the  faith ;  in  Philadelphia,  a  church  that  was 
small  *id  weak,  but  still  approved  of  God  because  of  its  great 
fidelity;  in  Laodicea,  a  church  that  was  proud  and  lukewarm, 
and,  because  of  that,  disgusting  in  the  sight  of  both  God  and 
man.  When  these  characteristics  are  looked  into  closely,  it  will 
be  seen  that  they  cover  every  conceivable  phase  of  church  life, 
whether  good  or  bad. 

It  may  be  objected  that  the  portraits  are  so  meagre,  the  experi- 
ence so  little,  the  characteristics  so  brief,  that  only  little  can  be 
gathered  from  them.  But  let  it  be  remembered  that  only  germs  are 
given — germs  that  under  the  quickening  power  of  earnest  thought 
will  soon  expand  into  forms  of  abundant  luxuriance.  It  is  with 
these  messages  to  the  seven  churches  precisely  as  it  is  with  the 
Ten  Commandments.  In  the  Decalogue  only  the  great  principles 
are  given,  but  these  cover  the  whole  subject.  Thej^  have,  in  fact, 
been  developed  into  many  a  grand  system  or  code  of  laws.  So 
here  the  essential  points  of  either  doctrine  or  practice,  good  or 
evil,  are  given,  and  then  comes  the  duty  of  every  lover  of  the 
divine  Word  to  follow  them  out  into  their  various  developments. 
This  makes  these  hints,  allusions,  and  germs  most  valuable  in 
their  instructions. 

14.   MINUTE   PHASES  OF  CHURCH   EXPERIENCE. 

A  close  scrutiny  of  the  passage  reveals  to  us  not  only  these 
general  features  of  church  life,  but  also  its  various  phases,  to  an 
astonishing  degree  of  minuteness.    It  is  marvelous  how  so  much 


138       INAUGUKAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

could  have  been  compressed  into  so  few  verses.  Very  minute 
and  particular  are  the  dangers  and  duties  which  are  here  brought 
to  light  in  the  form  of  living  examples.  All  points  and  features 
are  selected  "as  types  of  church  life  then  existent  and  that  would 
continue  to  exist  until  Christ  should  come  again." 

Let  us  look  carefully  at  some  of  these  samples  of  the  early 
experience  of  the  Church,  both  good  and  evil.  Here  we  have 
love  and  fViith  and  zeal  declining,  with  all  the  evils  attendant 
on  that  sad  state;  here,  cold-heartedness  in  religion,  so  discour- 
aging to  men  and  so  offensive  to  God;  here,  hateful  selflsbness 
that  keeps  the  soul  poor  and  unprofitable  to  the  great  cause  of 
Christ;  here,  dead  orthodoxy  that  withers  up  all  life  and  energy 
and  purity;  here,  a  yielding  to  the  world  and  to  sin  in  little  things 
that  is  sure  to  harden  the  heart  and  to  lead  farther  and  farther 
away  from  God;  here,  a  tampering  with  idolatry  and  other 
forms  of  opposition  to  the  truth  that  must  before  long  contami- 
nate the  soul;  here,  a  reckless  perverting  of  the  liberty  of  the 
gospel  into  licentiousness;  he^e,  deplorable  instances  whicH  prove 
that  the  inevitable  result  of  error  in  doctrine  is  soon  seen  in  cor- 
ruption of  life;  here,  evidence  that  small  beginnings  of  impurity 
soon  degenerate  into  gross  transgressions;  and  here,  the  deeply 
significant  fact,  made  most  manifest,  t/iaf  licentiousness  is  pre-emi- 
nently  the  crime  into  ichich,  in  the  end,  unfaithfulness  to  God  and 
his  truth  ivill  lead. 

On  the  other  hand,  we  liave  in  this  Heaven-provided  guide 
beautiful  and  attractive  instances  of  the  influence  of  the  gospel 
in  producing  works  of  faith  and  charity  that  honor  God  and 
bless  our  fellow-men;  noble  patience  under  delay  and  opposition 
and  provocation  of  every  kind;  heroic  endurance  of  poverty  and 
suffering  and  persecution  for  the  name  of  Jesus;  perseverance  in 
toil  and  weariness  and  hardship  and  hardness  in  duty;  fortitude 
under  reproach  and  wrongs  and  imprisonments  and  tortures  for 
the  sake  of  Him  who  shed  his  heart's  blood  for  his  people; 
fidelity  to  the  blessed  Master  in  the  face  of  danger  and  anguish 
and  death;  determined  repugnance  to  evil  and  approach  to  evil 
of  every  kind ;  adherence  to  the  divine  will,  and  walking  in  the 
light  that  was  sent  down  from  heaven;  and  carefulness  to  shun 
the  least  contamination  of  evil  or  the  least  defilement  of  sin. 
All  these  are  produced  by  the  power  of  the  gospel  in  the  heart, 
and  all  tend  to  produce  holiness  of  life  and  conformity  to  Him 
who  is  the  high  and  holy  example.  These  are  specimens  of  the 
varied  tendencies  which  were  at  once  manifested  when  the  gospel 


THE  BEACON   ON  THE  SHORES.  139 

was  first  planted,  and  they  were  providentially  erected  into  a  beacon 
for  the  directing  of  the  Church  in  all  her  subsequent  vicissitudes. 

15.   THE  SPIRIT  RECOEDED  THE   EXPERIMENT  IN  A  SPECIAL 

MANNER. 

It  is  worthy  of  careful  study  that  not  only  did  the  special  provi- 
dence of  God  guide  in  this  first  great  experiment  of  the  gospel,  so 
that  it  might  be  fitted  for  a  beacon  in  all  after-time,  but  that  the 
Spirit  of  God  also  made  a  special  record  of  it,  in  order  that  it 
might  be  read  and  known  while  the  world  stands.  After  a  full 
trial  had  been  made,  God,  by  special  communication,  sent  it  down 
to  that  world  which  was  to  be  benefited  thereby.  The  Holy  Ghost 
placed  it  here  in  the  Sacred  Book,  and  in  a  conspicuous  jjlace  in 
that  book,  so  that  it  might  convey  instruction  that  would  always 
be  applicable.  In  this  inspired  record  of  the  first  encounter  of 
the  truth  as  it  is  in  Christ  Jesus  with  the  representatives  of  th.e 
pagan  world  there  are  certain  remarkable  things  which  have  not, 
perhaps,  received  sufficient  attention. 

There  is,  first,  the  fact  that  at  the  same  time  with  making  the 
record  God  also  stored  away  the  proof  of  its  being  authentic — 
proof  that  would  be  brought  to  light  in  after-days.  Thus  it 
stands.  His  providence  guided  the  experiment,  his  Spirit  put 
it  upon  record,  and  then  God  allowed  time  and  the  commotions 
of  wars  and  the  blight  of  Mohammedanism  to  cover  up  in  the 
ruins  of  those  old  cities  the  evidence  of  the  authenticity  of  every 
word,  and  to  keep  it  there  ready  to  be  exhumed  in  these  last  days, 
for  the  confounding  of  infidelity,  the  comfort  of  believers,  and  the 
aid  of  the  student  of  Scripture  in  comprehending  the  riches  of  the 
eternal  Word. 

In  the  second  place,  this  record  comes  to  us  in  a  form  that  is 
calculated  to  make  the  deepest  possible  impression.  It  might 
have  been  made  in  plain  didactic  language  which  we  could  easily 
have  understood,  but  the  Spirit,  on  the  other  hand,  sends  it  to  us 
in  such  a  novelty  of  form,  in  such  unusual  kind  of  language,  and 
in  such  impressive  imagery  that  attention  must  be  arrested  and 
the  mind  interested.  Everything  conspires  to  make  it  most  im- 
pressive. We  see*  John,  the  aged,  di-awing  near  to  the  time  of 
his  reunion  with  his  beloved  Lord ;  we  are  taken  to  the  solitary 
island  of  Patmos;  we  behold  the  sublime  manifestations  of  the 
Deity;  every  element  of  our  souls  is  aroused  by  the  wondrous 
names  that  are  given  to  the  enthroned  Son  of  God;  from  heaven 
we  hear  the  stirring    command,   "  Write  the  things  which   thou 


140       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

hast  seen,  and  the  things  which  are,  and  the  things  which  shall 
be  hereafter;"  then  we  behold  the  grand  panorama  of  living 
men  in  the  seven  living  churches.  All  these  conspire  to  make 
the  most  deep  and   abiding  impression. 

In  the  third  place,  the  record  is  made  in  the  most  brief  manner 
that  we  can  imagine.  A  full  description  of  the  first  great  contact 
of  the  gosjDel  with  the  representatives  of  the  pagan  world  in  two 
chapters!  This  was  wisely  ordered.  Because  of  its  brevity  the 
record  will  be  more  certainly  read  and  grasped  and  remembered. 

In  the  fourth  place,  such  points  of  duty  or  danger  or  privilege 
are  here  brought  forward  as  are  calculated  to  cover  great  unchang- 
ing principles.  The  special  thing  presented  in  the  record  may 
not  at  first  appear  of  much  importance  in  itself,  but  as  a  sample 
of  tendencies  upward  or  downward  it  may  be  most  valuable. 
It  may  look  forward  to  vast  results  which  it  covers  in  all  their 
essential  features.  These  small  generic  elements  may  embrace 
applications  that  are  boundless  in  number  and  degree.  This  is 
a  characteristic  of  these  messages  ^^ilich  is  \^'orthy  of  close  atten- 
tion. It  may  not  in  itself  be  of  much  consequence,  but  the  prin- 
ciple involved  is  often  of  immense  moment.  Every  feature  of 
church  life  at  the  present  time  may  be  traced  back  to  some  one 
of  these  germs  of  the  gospel's  earliest  experience.  In  very  small 
points  found  here  we  often  have  principles  presented  which  are 
of  eternal  obligation.  Jn  all  these  peculiarities  of  the  messages  ice 
have  unmistakable  evidence  that  they-  are  framed  in  a  special  man- 
ner, so  that  there  might  be  a  suitable  and  reliable  guide  for  the 
Church  in  all  her  coming  vicissitudes. 

16.    THE   BEACON   TO  BE   MADE   CONSPICUOUS. 

It  is  worthy  of  special  attention  that  the  charge  is  made  very 
emphatic  that  the  beacon  formed  by  these  messages  be  raised  up 
conspicuously  in  the  sight  of  the  whole  Church  of  every  age  and 
country.  The  light  was  to  be  made  so  bright  and  to  be  held  so 
liigh  that  the  whole  world  could  see  it;  then  the  Church  need 
not  launch  out  upon  the  unknown  sea  of  the  centuries  in  utter 
darkness.  Tliere  would  be  at  least  this  Heaven-ordained  light 
to  relieve  the  gloom.  It  was  to  throw  its  radiance  over  every 
track  of  ocean,  over  every  rock  and  quicksand,  over  every  cur- 
rent and  drift,  over  every  headland  and  harbor.  There  was  to 
be  guidance  on  every  point  of  privilege  and  duty  and  danger. 

The  constant  use  of  the  number  seven  in  every  element  of  the 
messages  shows  that  this  full  guidance  to  all  believers  on  every 


THE  BEACON  ON  THE  SHORES.  141 

point  was  intended.  Seven  was  the  number  of  absolute  complete- 
ness, and  its  remarkable  use  in  these  messages  makes  it  very  cer- 
tain that  here  is  full  provision  for  all  the  guidance  of  all  the 
people  of  God.  All  was  to  be  through  and  for  Christ,  whose 
symbol  is  seven.  The  light  of  this  blessed  beacon  was  to  illumi- 
nate all  that  should  be  done  or  avoided.  Moreover,  it  was  to 
extend  to  every  branch  and  age  and  country  of  the  Church.  This 
is  made  singularly  emphatic.  There  is  deep  meaning  in  the  words, 
*^  And  all  the  churches  shall  know  that  I  am  he  ichich  searclieth  the 
reins  and  hearts.^^  Still  more  significant  is  it — so  significant  that 
we  cannot  dwell  on  it  too  much— that  seven  times  over,  that  is, 
at  the  close  of  each  message,  we  have  the  stirring  call,  "7/t;  that 
hath  an  ear,  let  hhn  hear  what  the  Spirit  saith  imto  the  churches^ 
He  that  hath  the  power  of  hearing,  let  him  give  good  heed.  He 
that  hath  eyes,  let  him  look  with  all  attention.  Whoever,  all 
the  world  over,  all  the  ages  through,  hath  ears,  let  him  listen, 
for  the  message  is  addressed  to  him  as  directly  as  if  there  were 
not  another  man  to  hear  it.  The  message  is  for  all.  It  is  to 
receive  the  closest  attention  and  to  be  followed  practicallj^  by 
every  soul. 

The  position  on  the  pages  of  the  Book  of  God  of  these  seven 
messages  is  calculated  to  make  them  prominent.  They  are  hung 
up  on  the  very  front  of  the  Apocalypse.  In  the  most  conspicuous 
part  of  this  great  book  of  the  future— the  book  which  contains 
the  mysterious  roll  of  Providence,  the  book  which  the  Lion  of 
the  tribe  of  Judah  alone  could  open,  the  book  with  which  Reve- 
lation closes — on  the  very  brow  of  this  book  does  this  beacon  of 
God  stand  in  brightness  and  glory.  Is  it  not  deeply  significant 
that  this  mere  fragment  of  the  Church's  first  history  should  be 
inserted  here  so  strangely  between  the  sublime  description  of 
Deity  in  the  first  chapter  and  the  magnificent  prophetic  unfold- 
ing of  the  kingdom  of  God  which  fills  the  rest  of  the  book? 
What  a  noble  elevation  for  this  light  which  God  would  throw 
over  all  the  ocean  of  human  destiny!  What  adoration  is  due  to 
our  God,  that  this  light  of  the  gospel,  simple  and  unadulterated 
as  it  w^as  at  first,  should  have  been  raised  so  very  high  on  the 
very  headland  of  the  Church's  history ! 

17.   LESSONS  OF  THE   BEACON. 

These  two  chapters  are  eminently  the  practical  part  of  the  book 
of  Revelation,  and  as  such  they  have  a  peculiar  value  for  all  the 
people  of  God.    The  practical  life  of  the  churches,  in  its  various 


142       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

forms  and  degrees,  is  brought  out  here  in  a  manner  which  must 
necessarily  make  an  impression  of  a  deep  and  abiding  character. 
Forms  of  church  government  and  polity  are  not  described  or  incul- 
cated here.  Even  doctrines  are  not  specially  taught.  Not  these, 
but  the  life  of  Christ  in  the  soul  and  through  individual  souls 
in  the  Church — perchance  that  life  as  founded  on  doctrines  and 
order  elsewhere  inculcated, — this  is  that  which  the  Holy  Ghost 
here  portrays.  Its  aim  is  to  describe  the  results  of  the  truths 
and  principles  of  the  gospel  when  they  are  brought  home  with 
living  power  to  the  soul. 

It  is  manifest  that  ivhat  God  has  communicated  to  us  in  such 
an  especial  way  ought  to  7'eceim  from  us  especial  study.  To  say 
that  this  portion  of  the  Apocalypse  is  a  special  message  to  us 
from  God  in  heaven  is  to  say  the  very  highest  that  could  be 
said  of  its  value  and  its  claims.  A  message  from  God,  whose 
knowledge  of  our  wants  is  perfect,  whose  rectitude  is  most  trust- 
worthy, and  whose  benevolence  is  illimitable!  And  such  is 
this  message  standing  at  the  commencement  of  the  revelation  of 
all  the  future,  and  almost  at  the  close  of  the  Book  of  God— a  mes- 
sage to  all  the  churches  on  earth  and  pertaining  to  all  the  vital 
interests  of  the  kingdom.  Shall  God  speak  to  us  in  such  a  way, 
and  we  not  attend?  Shall  he  send  us  a  most  momentous  com- 
nuinication,  and  we  not  give  good  heed?  All  our  reverence,  all 
our  love,  all  our  gratitude,  all  that  is  high  and  holy  within  us, 
exclaim  against  such  treatment  of  a  message  from  our  God. 

Moreover,  would  God  speak  to  us  in  such  a  special  way  had 
he  not  corresponding  blessings  ready  to  go  with  his  words?  Oh 
no!  Earnest  as  are  the  words  he  utters,  in  keeping  with  them 
would  be  the  benefits  he  would  heap  on  those  who  would  heed 
them. 

Then  most  deeply  should  we  study  each  one  of  these  messages 
which  come  to  us  with  such  impressiveness  from  our  loving  Lord. 
We  should  study  them  with  our  whole  soul  quickened  to  know 
exactly  what  their  meaning  is,  to  fathom  their  wondrous  words 
which  have  come  down  to  us  through  the  centuries,  to  rise  near 
to  the  very  heart  of  that  dear  Saviour  who  so  greatly  cared  for 
us,  to  reach  all  the  provisions  which  God  has  made  for  our  sojourn 
here  on  earth.  We  should  carefully  study  tlie  messages  for  these 
reasons,  as  well  as  to  aid  in  raising  the  Church  which  Christ  has 
redeemed  with  his  own  blood  to  that  beauty  and  majesty  for 
which  slie  was  intended. 

It  should  be  carefully  noted  that  this  is  the  great  panacea  which 


THE  BEACON   ON  THE  SHOEES.  143 

God  has  provided  for  all  the  wants  of  the  Church,  even  at  the  present 
time.  And  then,  warned  of  Heaven  in  this  direct  and  impressive 
manner,  we  should  follow  the  divine  signals  wherever  they  may 
point — follow  them,  whether  the  world  approves  or  disapproves, 
whether  it  be  fashionable  or  unfashionable,  customary  or  not  cus- 
tomary— follow  them,  whether  at  the  time  it  be  according  to  our 
feelings  or  not — follow  them,  come  life  or  come  death.  Oh,  with 
what  heart  and  soul  should  we  intently  study  and  carefully  follow 
the  messages  which  our  enthroned  King  sends  us  through  his 
light-  and  life-giving  Spirit! 

In  this  matter  it  would  be  wise  for  us  to  follow  a  well-remem- 
bered saying  of  Rev.  Dr.  Archibald  Alexander.  His  rich  experi- 
ence and  sanctified  common  sense  always  made  his  counsel  on  prac- 
tical religious  things  specially  valuable.  When  consulted  concern- 
ing novel  plans  for  the  advancement  of  the  kingdom,  or  doubtful 
schemes  of  work,  his  reply  in  tones  not  soon  forgotten  would  be, 
"You  cannot  improve  upon  Go"d's  plans."  The  very  essence  of 
practical  wisdom  and  obedience  was  here.  God's  plans  for  the 
advancement  of  his  cause  cannot  be  improved.  He  knows  as  crea- 
ture cannot  know  the  weakness,  the  wants,  the  trials,  and  temp- 
tations of  men,  and  in  his  Word  he  has  made  full  provision  for 
them  all.  From  his  exalted  throne  he  looks  down  and  beholds 
all  the  efforts  that  men  have  made,  all  the  experiments  they  have 
tried;  and  with  all  this  lying  plainly  before  him,  and  with  a  heart 
yearning  in  love  over  his  people,  and  a  wisdom  that  never  makes 
any  mistake,  he  gives  these  plans  in  the  messages  as  the  substance 
of  all  his  people  should  do  in  helping  forward  the  work  of  his  king- 
dom. Is  not  this  his  counsel?  Had  he  not  beheld  all  the  efforts 
which  his  children  had  ever  made?  Was  not  his  wisdom  infalli- 
ble to  judge  of  what  was  best?  Did  not  a  love  which  passeth  all 
understanding  prompt  him  to  dictate  these  plans  for  all  his  people 
to  follow?  And  have  they  not  been  tested  a  thousand  times  and 
always  proved  effectual  in  accomplishing  our  Lord's  heavenly  pur- 
poses of  love?  How  well  then  might  it  be  said  to  us,  "You  can- 
not improve  upon  God's  plans."  We  may  sometimes  think  other- 
wise. We  may  sometimes  imagine  that  these  plans  and  these  words 
are  antiquated — that  they  were  given  for  a  condition  of  the  Church 
so  utterly  different  from  the  present  times  that  others  much  more 
appropriate  can  be  used  now.  We  may  imagine  that  we  can  meet 
the  present  wants  of  men  with  efforts  more  direct  and  with  plans 
more  modern,  and  with  language  better  understood.  It  is  all  a 
great  mistake !    Did  not  our  Lord,  with  all  the  experience  of  man' 


144       INAUGUEAL  OF  THE  ENTHEONED  KING. 

kind  before  him,  with  a  lieart  yearning  over  us  in  infinite  love,  and 
with  a  wisdom  that  could  not  err,  lay  down  for  us  these  plans  of 
the  messages;  and  can  we  improve  on  his  way?  Is  there  for  us 
any  plan  so  docile,  so  wise,  and  so  loving  and  loyal,  as  to  take 
these  heavenly  counsels  as  our  guide  at  every  point,  and  our  light 
in  all  darkness  and  perplexity?  We  may  rest  assured  that  his 
plans  of  duty  and  of  privilege  are  always  the  best.  If  we  follow 
them  we  shall  make  no  mistake.  The  Holy  Spirit  will  assuredly 
bless  the  use  of  his  own  methods.  His  Word  has  been  spoken, 
and  we  may  trust  it.  We  need  only  give  good  heed  and  follow, 
and  soon  we  shall  find  that  "the  word  of  God  is  quick  and  power- 
ful, and  sharper  than  any  two-edged  sword,  piercing  even  to  the 
dividing  asunder  of  soul  and  spirit,  and  of  the  joints  and  mar- 
row, and  is  a  discerner  of  the  thoughts  and  intents  of  the  heart." 


EPHESUS. 


THE  LIGHT  OF  ASIA. 
THE  HOME  OF  THE  HOLY  THEOLOGIAK 


10 


THE  MESSAGE. 

Unto  the  angel  of  the  church  of  Ephesus  write :  These  things  saith  he  that 
holdeth  the  seven  stars  in  his  right  hand,  who  walketh  in  the  midst  of  the  seven 
goklen  candlesticks ; 

I  know  thy  works,  and  thy  labour,  and  thy  patience,  and  how  thou  canst  not 
bear  them  which  are  evil :  and  thou  hast  tried  them  which  say  they  are  apostles, 
and  are  not,  and  hast  found  them  liars : 

And  hast  borne,  and  hast  patience,  and  for  my  name's  sake  hast  laboured,  and 
hast  not    fainted. 

Nevertheless  I  have  somewhat  against  thee,  because  thou  hast  left  thy  first 
love. 

Eemember  therefore  from  whence  thou  art  fallen,  and  repent,  and  do  the 
first  works ;  or  else  I  will  come  unto  thee  quickly,  and  will  remove  thy  candle- 
stick out  of  his  place,  except  thou  repent. 

But  this  thou  hast,  that  thou  hatest  the  deeds  of  the  Nicolaitanes,  which 
I  also  hate. 

He  that  hath  an  ear,  let  him  hear  what  the  Spirit  saith  unto  the  churches ;  • 
To  him  that  overcometh  will  I  give  to  eat  of  the  tree  of  life,  which  is  in  the 
midst  of  the  paradise  of  God. 


CHAPTER   VII. 
THE    LIGHT    OF    ASIA. 

In  ancient  times  Ephesus  was  deservedly  named  "The  Light 
of  Asia."  For  excellent  reasons  it  was  termed  by  Pliny  one  of 
the  eyes  of  Asia,  Smyrna  being  the  other.  According  to  no  less 
authority  than  that  of  Strabo,  it  was  "  one  of  the  best  and  most 
glorious  of  cities,  and  the  greatest  emporium  of  the  proper  Asia." 
To  the  Christian  world  it  has  a  place  of  equal  importance,  among 
other  considerations,  because  it  was  the  home,  in  his  latter  years, 
of  the  beloved  disciple  John,  "  the  holy  theologian." 

Among  the  cities  of  antiquity  there  were  few  more  renownec 
than  it.  In  the  early  history  of  the  gospel  it  stood  next  to  Jeru/ 
salem  in  its  influence  upon  the  glorious  cause.  It  was  justly  re- 
nowned because  under  the  Romans  it  was  the  capital  of  Asia 
Minor;  because  it  was  the  centre  of  the  vast  commerce  which 
moved  all  the  adjacent  lands  and  seas;  because  many  of  the 
most  momentous  wars  of  the  age  made  bloody  the  fields  by 
which  it  was  surrounded;  because  within  its  walls  was  contained 
one  of  the  world's  seven  great  wonders ;  because  it  was  the  scene 
of  the  most  successful  toils  of  Paul,  of  John,  of  Timothy,  of  Apol- 
los,  and  of  others  beloved  of  the  Lord;  and  because  in  it  and 
through  it  the  gospel  made  some  of  its  earliest  and  grandest 
advances. 

In  an  important  sense  and  at  a  momentous  crisis  Ephesus  was 
the  metropolis  of  Christianity,  as  Christianity  then  was  in  the 
world.  As  Jerusalem  had  been  at  the  first,  as  Antioch  became 
soon  afterward,  as  Constantinople  was  at  a  later  day,  and  as  Rome 
was  for  many  centuries,  so,  at  that  period  when  the  gospel  first 
came  in  contact  .with  paganism,  and  when  the  institutions  of  the 
Church  were  receiving  their  shape  for  all  after-time,  Ephesus  held 
the  position  of  being  the  centre,  the  capital,  of  the  movements  of 
the  kingdom  among  men. 

It  was  in  Ephesus  that  the  gospel  was  first  preached  with  the 
leading  aim  of  reaching  the  pagan  world ;  up  to  that  time  the 
Jews  were  chiefly  aimed  at.  Here  it  was  that  modes  of  church 
work  and  peculiarities  of  church  life  were  first  exemplified.  Here 
it  was  that  the  missionary  enterprise  which  is  yet  to  rescue  the 

147 


148       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

lost  world  first  struck  down  its  roots.  Here  it  was  that  the  gospel 
began  to  illustrate  the  modes  in  which  it  would  save  the  lost.  Here 
it  was  that  the  apostle  of  the  Gentiles  accomplished  the  greatest 
work  of  his  life  by  preaching,  working  wonders,  conquering  the 
enemies  of  the  Cross,  and  establishing  the  Church  in  one  of  the 
very  darkest  realms  of  paganism.  Here  it  was  that  the  beloved 
apostle  John  and  his  noble  contemporaries,  under  the  guidance 
of  wisdom  from  above,  laid  the  foundations  of  the  heavenly  king- 
dom, and  toiled  and  suffered  and  died.  Here  it  was  that  the 
saving  influences  of  the  gospel  were  manifested  in  the  immeas- 
urable benefits  they  impart.  Here  it  was  that  the  word  and 
worships  and  institutions  of  Christianity  assumed  that  fixed  shape 
which  they  have  ever  since  retained.  The  great  truths  on  which 
the  salvation  of  our  souls  depends,  and  which  are  yet  to  mould 
the  destinies  of  the  world,  were  first  manifested  here  in  their 
mighty  influence  upon  a  whole  population  sunk  in  pagan  degra- 
dation. Here  too  it  was  that  the  epistle  bearing  the  city's  name, 
with  its  profound  doctrines  and  teachings,  was  first  read  and  com- 
prehended and  carried  home  to  the  hearts  and  lives  of  those 
whom  God's  own  Spirit  termed  "saints"  and  "the  faithful  in 
Christ   Jesus." 

Every  reminiscence  which  we  can  gather  of  this  old  city  of  the 
Greeks  seems  to  exalt  it  more  and  more  amidst  the  former  habita- 
tions of  mankind.  "  Ephesus  was  more  Grecian  than  Antioch, 
more  Oriental  than  Corinth,  more  populous  than  Athens,  and 
more  wealthy  and  more  refined  than  Thessalonica."  It  lay  two 
miles  in  from  the  sea,  in  the  fair  Asian  meadow  where  the 
myriads  of  swans  and  other  waterfowl  disported  themselves  amid 
the  windings  of  the  Cayster.  Its  buildings  were  clustered  under 
the  protecting  shadows  of  Coressus  and  Prion,  and  in  the  delight- 
ful neighborhood  of  the  Ortygeian  groves.  Its  haven,  which  had 
once  been  among  the  most  sheltered  and  commodious  in  the  INIedi- 
terranean,  had  been  partly  silted  up  by  a  mistake  in  engineering, 
but  was  still  thronged  with  vessels  from  every  part  of  the  civilized 
world.  It  lay  at  the  meeting-i:>oint  of  great  roads  which  led  north- 
ward to  Sardis  and  Troas,  southward  to  Magnesia  and  Antioch,  and 
thus  commanded  easy  access  to  the  great  river-valleys  of  the  Her- 
mus  and  the  Meander,  and  the  whole  interior  continent.  Its  seas  and 
rivers  were  rich  with  fish ;  its  air  was  salubrious,  its  position  un- 
rivaled, its  population  multifarious  and  immense.  Its  markets, 
glittering  with  the  produce  of  the  world's  art,  were  the  Vanity 
Fair  of  Asia.     They  furnished  to  the  exile  of  Patmos  the  local 


THE  LIGHT  OF  ASIA.  149 

coloring  of  those  parts  of  the  Apocalypse  in  which  he  speaks 
of  the  "merchandise  of  gold,  and  silver,  and  precious  stones, 
and  pearls,  and  fine  linen,  and  purple,  and  sill^  and  scarlet,  and 
all  thyine  wood,  and  all  manner  vessels  of  ivory,  and  all  manner 
vessels  of  most  precious  wood,  and  of  brass,  and  iron,  and  marble, 
and  cinnamon,  and  odors,  and  ointment,  and  frankincense,  and 
wine,  and  oil,  and  fine  flour,  and  wheat,  and  beasts,  and  sheep, 
and  horses,  and  chariots,  and  slaves,  and  souls  of  men."  Ephesus 
was  no  less  famous  than  it  was  vast  and  wealthy.  Perhaps  no 
region  of  the  world  has  been  the  scene  of  so  many  memorable 
events  in  ancient  history  as  has  the  shores  of  Asia  Minor.  It  was 
from  Lesbos  and  Smyrna  and  Ephesus  and  Halicarnassus  that 
lyric  poetry  and  epic  poetry  and  philosophy  and  history  took 
their  rise;  nor  was  any  name  more  splendidly  eml)lazoned  in 
the  annals  of  human  culture  than  was  that  of  Ephesus,  the  capital 
of  Ionia.  Such  was  the  city  of  Ephesus  at  the  time  when  these 
messages  were  sent  down  by  the  Son  of  God  to  the  seven  churches. 
These  things  make  Ephesus  dear  to  us  as  Christians.  It 
cannot  be  otherwise  than  one  of  the  most  sacred  spots  of  earth 
to  those  who  love  the  Church,  the  Cross,  and  the  Redeemer. 
Around  that  spot  where  some  of  the  most  memorable  events  of 
tinie  occurred  would  we  linger  reverently,  and  trace  the  footsteps 
of  those  apostolic  men  who  first  planted  the  gospel  amid  the 
gloom  of  i:)agan  darkness;  we  w^ould  follow  out  the  history  of 
his  work  who  was  amongst  the  greatest  of  all  mere  men ;  we 
would  listen  to  the  heavenly  sounds  which  come  wafted  to  us 
over  the  waves  from  the  hallowed  isle  of  Patmos;  we  would  gaze 
upon  the  sparkling  waters  of  the  iEgean,  and  have  our  souls  filled 
with  the  memories  which  linger  around  each  of  its  shores;  and 
we  would  have  our  souls  cheered  and  elevated  by  drinking  of 
the  water  of  life  as  it  issues,  clear  as  crystal,  from  the  heavenly 
fountain  that  was  opened  to  human  view  in  the  visions  that  were 
revealed  in  those  favored  regions  of  the  gospel's  grand  victories. 

1.    WHERE   AND  WHAT   WAS  EPHESUS? 

We  have  made  a  general  statement  concerning  the  renown  of 
this  ancient  city.  A  more  detailed  account  of  it  should  now  be 
given,  in  order  that  its  influence  upon  the  early  Church  may  be 
the  better  appreciated. 

Among  the  ruined  cities  of  the  world,  such  as  Babylon,  Nineveh, 
Samaria,  Thebes,  and  Athens,  Ephesus  holds  a  conspicuous  place. 
In  its  day  it  ranked  among  the  crowded  habitations  of  men.    It 


150       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

was  one  of  the  mighty  arteries  of  humanity  through  which  rushed 
the  life-currents  of  our  race.  Great  men,  great  objects,  great  events, 
great  develoi^ments  of  providence,  and  great  springs  in  the  progress 
of  the  world  were  witnessed  there. 

It  is  difficult  to  arrive  at  reliable  accounts  of  the  leading  events 
in  the  history  of  cities  or  nations  which  existed  so  long  ago.  They 
are  so  mixed  with  tradition  and  fable  that  it  becomes  almost  impos- 
sible to  separate  fact  from  fiction.  So  it  is  with  Ephesus.  The  first 
we  hear  of  it  is  mere  tradition.  The  story  is  that  the  Amazons 
were  its  founders.  At  the  next  stage  of  its  history  the  mists  are 
clearing  away;  but  all  is  unreliable  still,  and  the  echoes  come 
from  the  plains  of  Troy.  Another  stage,  and  we  are  among  the 
deliberations  of  the  Ionian  League,  the  growth  of  Mycale,  and 
the  thousands  of  immigrants  from  Greece.  Next  we  meet  the 
kings  of  Libya  and  Ionia,  the  great  Attalian  dynasty,  and  the 
treasures  of  gold  that  flowed  out  from  Sardis.  The  struggles  for 
pre-eminence  among  the  small  but  mighty  nations  fill  the  next 
records  of  the  land.  Then  sweep  over  it  the  storms  of  wars 
aroused  by  the  ambition  of  Alexander  and  his  successors.  Ages 
of  the  highest  civilization,  with  their  scholars,  philosophers,  and 
artists,  with  their  magnificent  theatres  and  their  matchless  tem- 
ple, form  the  next  stage  of  the  history.  Other  ages  pass  over, 
and  we  are  amid  the  sanguinary  events  that  usher  in  the  domin- 
ion of  Rome  and  keep  the  land  subject  to  that  power.  The 
scenes  again  change,  and  we  witness  great  ecclesiastical  councils 
in  which  the  doctrines  of  C'hristianity  are  discussed  and  defined. 
Times  of  sad  decay  follow.  Coldness  and  moral  desolation  over- 
spread the  land,  whose  glory  seems  to  have  departed.  The  blight- 
ing dominion  of  the  False  Prophet  casts  a  pall  over  it  so  black  and 
so  cheerless  that  scarce  a  ray  of  hoj^e  has  ever  since  been  able  to 
irradiate  its  fairest  regions. 

Meantime,  how  can  we  help  wondering  at  the  strange  history 
which  marks  the  annals  of  that  city,  which  has  made  its  location 
one  of  the  most  memorable  spots  on  this  whole  earth?  In  it 
once  dwelt  great  military  leaders  whose  deeds  of  valor  influenced 
the  destiny  of  mankind;  architects  whose  skill  adorned  the  city 
with  some  of  the  most  perfect  structures  that  mortal  eye  ever 
beheld;  artists  whose  jiencils  and  chisels  produced  works  that 
all  after-time  has  vainly  striven  to  equal ;  poets  and  orators 
whose  glowing  sentences  were  an  important  element  of  the 
richest  literature  of  the  world;  scholars  and  philosophers  whose 
very  names    were    synonyms  of  the   highest   culture;    statesmen 


THE   LIGHT  OF  ASIA.  151 

whose  political  wisdom  wrought  itself  into  the  best  systems  of 
human  government ;  and,  far  above  all,  noble  Christian  martyrs 
and  apostolic  men  who  rendered  important  service  in  laying  the 
foundations  of  that  divine  kingdom  which  is  yet  to  embrace  and 
renew  the  race. 

These  were  among  its  permanent  residents ;  but  then,  as  a  great 
commercial  centre,  how  many  others,  of  almost  every  class  and 
character,  must  have  made  it  a  place  of  temporary  sojourn! 
Among  these,  as  day  by  day  one  walked  through  the  streets 
of  the  beautiful  city,  he  would  meet  now  with  dust-covered 
devotees  coming  from  many  a  distant  city  to  worship  at  the 
shrine  of  Diana;  now  with  pilgrims  from  the  valley  of  the 
Euphrates  and  the  shores  of  the  Indus,  on  their  way  to  the 
temple  at  Jerusalem ;  now  with  invalids  from  distant  regions 
south  and  east,  hastening  to  the  healing  waters  of  Pergamos;  now 
with  laborers  returning  from  the  golden  sands  of  the  Pactolus 
and  the  streams  of  the  fomous  Sardis;  now  with  officers  in  all 
their  proud  array  hastening  to  join '  the  ranks  of  Alexander  or 
his  successors;  now  with  fishermen  loaded  with  fish  taken  from 
the  neighboring  lakes;  now  with  manufacturers  from  the  busy 
mills  and  looms  of  Laodicea;  now  with  farmers  from  every 
region  of  the  interior,  bringing  with  them  the  rich  productions 
of  that  most  fertile  of  earth's  beautiful  fields ;  now  with  mer- 
chants loaded  with  the  overflowing  abundance  of  many  a  goodly 
city  east  and  west;  and  now  with  traders  carrying  of  their  riches 
from  the  districts  of  the  Euphrates  and  the  storehouses  of  the 
Indus. 

Such  was  this  great  city  in  the  days  of  its  glory ;  but  what  is  it 
now,  with  all  these  sources  of  its  greatness  blighted  and  gone? 
We  follow  up  the  little  river  Caicus  for  two  miles  from  the  ^Egean 
Sea,  and  find  ourselves  among  all  that  now  remains  of  that  once 
rich  and  splendid  city.  On  the  spot  even  its  old  name  is  gone, 
and  we  find  a  little  cluster  of  wretched  hovels  called  Ayasaluk. 
A  miserably  slow  and  ill-conducted  railroad  connects  it,  at  a  dis- 
tance of  about  forty  miles,  with  the  great  seaport  of  Smyrna,  and 
is  the  usual  way  of  approaching  the  ruins  of  the  once  famous 
emporium. 

Of  old  it  stood  on  the  brink  of  the  sea  and  constituted  the  great 
rallying-point  of  the  multitudes  of  vessels  whose  sails  whitened  the 
^gean,  and  of  the  vehicles  of  every  description  which  connected 
it  witli  the  fertile  regions  of  the  interior;  but  gradually  the  sea 
has  receded  in  consequence  of  the  sediment  which  for  centuries 


152       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHEONED  KING. 

has  been  deposited  by  the  Cayster.  From  this  cause  it  has  resulted 
that,  instead  of  lying  on  the  shore  of  the  sea,  Ephesus  has  become 
the  wretched  hamlet  named  Ayasaluk.  Instead  of  being  the  seat 
of  earth's  Iiigliest  culture,  it  is  now  the  location  of  a  few  wretched 
huts  of  shepherds  scattered  over  a  pestilential  marsh  about  two 
miles  from  the  mouth  of  the 'Sluggish  stream.  It  was  once  a 
scene  of  active  prosperity,  of  beauty,  and  of  fragrance;  but  now 
the  beauty  is  gone,  and  we  find  nothing  but  wild,  weird,  cheerless 
desolation. 

Our  best  impression  of  its  ruins  will  be  obtained  from  the  words 
of  travelers  who  have  been  amongst  them.  Says  one:  "The  plain 
is  covered  with  a  rank,  burnt-up  vegetation,  and  is  everywhere 
deserted  and  solitary.  A  few  corn-fields  are  scattered  along  tiie 
site  of  the  ancient  city,  which  is  marked  by  some  large  masses 
of  shapeless  ruins  and  stone  walls.  Toward  the  sea  extends  the 
ancient  port,  a  i^estilential  marsh.  Along  the  slope  of  the  moun- 
tains and  over  the  plain  are  scattered  fragments  of  masonry  and 
detached  ruins.  The  ruins  are  of  inmiense  grandeur,  and  show 
how  stupendous  the  buildings  of  the  city  must  have  been."  "The 
Ephesians  are  now  a  few  Greek  i:)easants,"  says  Chandler,  "  living 
in  extreme  wretchedness,  dependence,  and  insensibility,  the  repre- 
sentatives of  an  illustrious  people,  and  inhabiting  the  wreck  of 
their  greatness:  some,  the  substructures  of  the  glorious  edifices 
which  they  raised;  some,  beneath  the  vaults  of  the  stadium, 
once  the  crowded  scene  of  their  diversions;  and  some  in  the 
sepulchres  which  received  their  ashes." 

Arundell,  who  explored  the  whole  country  more  thoroughly 
than  any  other  traveler,  writes:  "I  was  at  Ephesus  in  1824;  the 
desolation  was  then  complete.  A  Turk  whose  shed  we  occupied, 
his  Arab  servant,  and  a  single  Greek  composed  the  entire  popu- 
lation ;  some  Turcomans  excepted,  whose  black  tents  were  pitched 
among  the  ruins." 

Emerson  very  fully  describes  it  as  he  saw  it  in  1828:  "Ephesus 
is  no  more,  and  so  is  its  modern  successor.  Thus  all  the  wealth 
of  Croesus,  the  genius  of  Ctesiphon,  the  munificence  of  Alexander, 
and  the  glory  of  Lysimachus— to  each  of  which  Ephesus  was  in- 
debted—have no  other  representative  than  the  mouldering  castle 

and    the   mud-walled    cottages  of  Ayasaluk The    immense 

area  of  its  stadium  was  under  a  crop  of  wheat,  which,  as  it  bent 
in  graceful  waves  beneath  the  faint  breezes  from  the  valley,  seemed 
to  breathe  a  long-drawn  sigh  over  the  surrounding  scene  of  departed 
grandeur.     When  reclining  upon  one  of  its  mouldering  seats  one 


THE  LIGHT  OF  ASIA.  IfjS 

cannot  avoid  feeling  that  there  is  a  voice  in  its  solitude  and  silence 
which  speaks  louder  to  the  heart  than  the  congregated  shouts  of 
the  multitude  that  once  filled  its  benches."  The  same  author 
says  again  of  this  ruined  city:  "It  is  impossible  to  conceive  a 
more  depressing  or  melancholy  prospect.  On  every  side  the 
speechless  monuments  of  decay,  a  mouldering  arch,  a  tottering 
column,  a  ruined  temple.  Solitude  seems  to  reign  triumijhant; 
the  wretched  inhabitants  of  the  village,  Ayasaluk,  are  seldom 
to  be  seen  save  in  early  morning  or  in  the  cool  of  evening,  when 
they  sally  from  their  muddy  habitations  to  labor  in  the  plains, 
which  would  be  impossible  during  the  burning  meridian  heat; 
neither  motion  nor  sound  is  discernible,  save  the  cry  of  the  sea- 
bird  on  the  slime  or  the  tinkling  of  a  sheep-bell  amid  the  ruins. 

All,  all  is   silence  and    decay Nothing  remains    unaltered 

save  the  eternal  hills  and  the  mazy  Cayster."  Still  further,  the 
same  author  writes:  "A  more  thorough  change  can  scarcely  be 
conceived  than  that  which  has  actually  occurred  at  Ephesus. 
Once  the  seat  of  active  commerce,  the  very  sea  has  shrunk  from 
its  solitary  shores;  its  streets,  once  populous  with  the  devotees 
of  Diana,  are  now  ploughed  over  by  the  Ottoman  serf  or  browsed 
by  the  sheep  of  the  peasant.  It  was  the  early  stronghold  of  Chris- 
tianity, and  stands  at  the  head  of  the  apostolic  churches  of  Asia. 
It  Avas  there  that  Paul  says  'the  word  of  God  grew  mightily,  and 
prevailed.'  Not  a  single  Christian  now  dwells  within  it.  Its 
mouldering  arches  and  dilapidated  walls  merely  whisi^er  the  tale 
of  its  glory,  and  it  requires  the  acumen  of  the  geographer  and 
the  active  scrutiny  of  the  exploring  traveler  to  form  a  i^robable 
conjecture  as  to  the  very  site  of  the  '  first  wonder  of  the  world '.  .  .  . 
That  site  svas  formerly  on  the  edge  of  the  sea;  it  is  now  two  miles 
from  it,  by  the  intervention  of  banks  formed  by  the  stream  of  the 
Cayster."  Thus  utterly  has  the  city  been  changed  and  ruined  by 
the  lapse  of  years. 

2.  AMOUNT  OF  ITS  POPULATION. 
There  is  no  method  by  which  we  can  reach  a  correct  estimate 
of  the  number  of  the  inhabitants  of  this  great  city  at  tlie  time 
when  these  messages  were  sent.  However,  there  are  several  things 
\Aiiie'h  make  it  certain  that  its  population  was  very  large.  At  first 
Ephesus  was  inferior  to  its  neighboring  city,  Miletus,  but  in  process 
of  time  tlie  latter  declined  and  the  other  in  the  same  proportion 
increased.  For  a  long  time  fephesus  Avas  the  largest  and  most 
important  city  of  Asia  Minor.     It  became,  and  long  remained. 


154       INAUGUKAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

the  metropolis  of  Asia.  Its  location  on  the  seaboard,  the  excel- 
lency of  its  harbor,  and  its  facilities  for  reaching  every  part  of 
the  interior,  all  combined  to  make  it  the  great  meeting-place  of 
vessels  engaged  in  the  trade  of  the  Meditei-ranean.  Besides,  the 
fine  roads  running  along  the  coast,  up  the  great  mountain-slopes, 
and  through  the  famous  valleys  of  the  Hernms,  the  Cayster,  and 
the  Meander,  brought  to  it  the  various  activities  of  the  interior. 
From  all  these  causes,  and,  as  we  shall  see,  from  its  temple  wor- 
ship, it  resulted  that  Ephesus  became  the  resort  of  all  classes  and 
characters  of  people  from  the  busy  islands,  cities,  and  shores  of 
the  Levant,  as  well  as  of  the  multitudes  of  Orientals  that  flocked 
from  the  mystic  land  of  the  rising  sun. 

3.   ITS  COMMERCE. 

In  all  the  harbors  which  lined  the  coasts  and  islands  that 
adorned  the  exj^anses  of  the  Mediterranean,  there  was  no  port 
which  attracted  so  much  trade  as  that  of  Ephesus.  It  was  the 
great  commercial  centre  of  the  Levant.  It  held  at  that  day  the 
position  which  subsequently  Smyrna,  and  afterward  Constanti- 
nople, occupied  amid  the  waters  which  then  contained  the  world's 
busiest  markets.  The  great  highway  of  travel  connecting  the  em- 
poriums of  the  Grecian  trade  with  those  of  the  Persian  and  Euphrates 
waters  had  this  city  as  its  central  station.  Its  shipping  was  im- 
mense. Into  that  splendid  harbor  rode  the  stately  ships  of  that 
day — from  the  port  of  Smyrna,  which  was  already  becoming  the 
chief  haven  of  that  neighboring  coast;  from  Philippi,  where 
the  Roman  legions  held  one  of  their  leading  military  stations; 
from  Rhodes,  the  adjoining  island,  so  famous  in  the  mighty  deeds 
of  those  heroic  ages;  from  many  a  bright  sunny  island  of  the 
^gean,  whose  beauty  had  long  been  the  theme  of  song  and 
romance;  from  Athens,  the  home  of  the  highest  art  and  the 
school  of  earth's  purest,  most  exalted  wisdom ;  from  Rome,  the 
centre  from  which  radiated  tlie  nerves  and  sinews  of  that  moral 
waste;  from  Corinth,  out  of  which  sprung  so  many  of  the  great 
impulses  which  have  awakened  and  given  new  life  to  the  activities 
of  the  ages;  from  Alexandria,  whose  history  and  whole  learning 
had  so  nuich  weiglit  in  sliaping  the  government  of  the  coming 
ages;  and  from  Csesarea,  famed  as  the  abode  of  the  Roman  gov- 
ernors, and  still  more  renowned  as  the  port  which  connected 
Jerusalem  with  all  the  great  movements  of  the  world.  These 
were  the  connections  which  united  Ephesus  with  the  waters  of 
the  Icarian  Sea.    No  less  important  were  the  links  which  bound 


THE   LIGHT  OF  ASIA.  1 55 

it  to  the  fertile  regions  of  tlie  interior  with  their  varied  produc- 
tions. The  great  roads  running  from  it,  over  plains,  up  mountains, 
and  along  valleys,  were  thronged  with  grain  and  figs  and  flax  and 
grapes,  the  product  of  its  fields;  with  minerals  from  its  mines; 
with  lumber  from  its  forests;  with  the  finest  marble  from  its 
quarries;  with  carpets  and  purple  and  parchment  from  its  manu- 
factories; with  cattle  from  its  shambles;  and  with  fish  from  its 
lakes  and  rivers.  All  these  formed  the  commerce  connecting  Ephe- 
sus  with  the  interior.  And  then  we  must  add  the  vast  trade  aris- 
ing from  the  great  temple,  which  we  shall  hereafter  describe. 

4.   ITS   INFLUENCE   UPON  OTHER  LANDS. 

The  influence  of  Ephesus  upon  all  the  country  innnediately 
around  it,  as  well  as  upon  a  large  part  of  the  civilized  world, 
could  hardly  be  over-estimated.  This  influence  was  both  direct 
— in  the  efforts  that  were  made  to  carry  the  tidings  of  salvation— 
and  indirect,  in  the  tendency  of  religious  principles  to  work  them- 
selves out  in  every  direction.  As  it  was  in  Jerusalem,  when  it 
proved  a  centre  from  which  rays  emanated  far  and  near  through- 
out every  land;  with  Rome,  as  it  became  a  centre  which  spread 
the  papacy  in  every  quarter ;  and  with  Mecca,  which  did  so  much 
to  spread  the  faith  of  Mohammed, — so  was  it  that  Ephesus  sent 
out  the  doctrines  of  the  gospel  over  all  proconsular  Asia,  as  well 
as  through  every  channel  which  its  commerce  had  opened.  A 
similar  tendency  to  spread  abroad  evil  impulses  had  also  char- 
acterized the  city  before  it  received  the  blessings  of  the  gospel. 

To  appreciate  what  Christianity  is  capable  of  doing  for  any 
people,  we  should  glance  at  what  that  evil  character  of  Ephesus 
had  formerly  been.  Its  great  temi)le  of  Diana,  with  its  imme- 
diate surroundings,  possessed  the  right  of  asylum,  so  that  within 
that  sacred  enclosure  criminals  of  all  character  were  safe  from 
the  arrest  of  justice.  An  able  pen  has  shown  that  this  was  the 
source  of  immeasurable  evil :  "  It  was  ruinous  to  the  morals  and 
well-being  of  the  city.  The  scum  and  villany,  the  crime  of  cheats 
and  debtors  and  murderers  of  the  country  far  and  near,  were  shel- 
tered by  it  from  punishment,  and  the  vicinity  of  the  great  temple 
reeked  with  the  congregated  pollutions  of  Asia Ephesus  be- 
came the  corruptress  of  Ionia,  the  favorite  scene  of  her  most  volup- 
tuous love-tales,  the  lighted  theatre  of  her  most  ostentatious  sins." 
A  faithful  writer  of  that  day  depicts  the  vileiiess  of  temple  and 
city  in  the  most  terrible  language,  and  declares  that  he  could  do 
nothing  but  weep  on  account  of  the  nameless  iniquities  which  he 


156       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

liimself  witnessed.  Such  was  Ephesus  before  it  heard  the  blessed 
sound  of  the  gospel. 

But  the  city  which  had  done  so  much  evil  became  a  centre  of 
light  and  truth.  In  the  marvels  of  his  providence  God  often  con- 
ducts his  Church  in  a  way  the  last  we  would  expect.  He  makes 
even  "  the  wrath  of  man  to  praise  him."  How  often  has  it  been 
that  the  "battle  of  the  warrior,"  with  its  "confused  noise,  and 
garments  rolled  in  blood,"  has  opened  the  way  for  the  Bible, 
the  Church,  and  the  gospel ! 

Eminently  were  these  marvels  of  providence  manifested  in  the 
church  of  Ephesus,  which  stands  out  bright  and  impressive  as  a 
beacon  to  all  after-ages.  In  the  contrast  with  its  previous  deprav- 
ity, which,  shocking  as  it  was,  the  power  of  the  gospel  was  great 
enough  to  break  through ;  in  the  tracks  of  its  commerce  as  it 
threaded  the  world,  casting  up  highways  over  which  the  tidings 
of  the  gospel  could  be  conveyed  to  every  quarter;  in  its  learning, 
used  as  a  vehicle  for  conveying  to  men  the  wisdom  of  Heaven 
which  the  great  Teacher  had  come  to  impart;  in  the  renown  of 
the  splendid  city  and  temple,  attracting  together  multitudes  who 
would  return  home  bearing  with  them  the  news  of  blessings  from 
the  throne  of  God  greater  than  before  ear  had  ever  heard  or  eye 
had  ever  seen ;  even  in  the  atrocious  worship  of  Diana,  which  was 
the  means  of  collecting  thousands  who  were  led  to  the  adoration 
of  him  who  was  the  glorious  God  of  gods  and  Lord  of  lords, — by 
all  these  means,  and  by  others  which  infinite  wisdom  and  power 
either  overruled  or  developed,  that  great  city  became  the  mission- 
ary centre  that  sent  abroad  the  glorious  gospel  throughout  that 
Asiatic  land,  throughout  the  world,  and  even  down  to  the  times 
in  which  we  are  now  living. 

5.   FAMED  CHIEFLY   FOE  ITS  WORSHIP  OF  DIANA. 

Ephesus  was  great  in  its  wealth  and  elegance,  in  its  commerce, 
in  its  heroic  memories,  in  the  variety  and  i^erfection  of  its  cult- 
ure, in  its  architectural  splendors,  but  greatest  of  all  in  that  it 
contained  one,  and  jjerhaps  the  greatest,  of  the  world's  seven 
wonders — the  temple  of  Diana.  All  that  was  great  or  rare  in 
Ephesus  was  connected  with  Diana  and  lier  worship.  The  wealth, 
the  power,  the  culture,  the  attractiveness,  and  the  fame  of  Ephesus 
were  all  connected  with  Diana.  We  enter  tlie  renowned  city, 
imbibe  its  spirit,  become  identified  with  its  life,  and  then  we 
begin  to  understand  that  Diana  is,  of  a  truth,  the  object  before 
which    every    knee    bows,    the   supreme   attraction    which    draws 


THE  LIGHT  OF  ASIA.  157 

together  the  thousands  of  pilgrims  from  every  quarter,  the  sacred 
mystery  that  occupies  every  thought  and  absorbs  every  purpose, 
the  centre  and  spring  of  the  commerce  wliich  is  wafted  by  every 
gale  or  carried  over  every  highway.  Diana  appoints  every  rite 
and  gives  meaning  to  every  custom;  Diana  is  the  great  idol 
whose  priests  and  priestesses  we  meet  on  every  street  and  ave- 
nue; Diana  is  the  theme  of  conversation  of  friends  when  they 
meet,  of  the  family  circle,  and  of  public  discourses;  Diana  is 
praised  by  every  tongue  and  almost  breathed  in  every  breath. 

Among  the  most  humiliating  exhibitions  of  the  degrading  influ- 
ence of  sin,  there  is  scarcely  one  so  sad  as  that  of  the  divine  honor 
which  the  most  cultivated  of  all  the  people  of  antiquity  rendered 
to  Diana  and  to  other  senseless  deities.  Every  record  concerning 
the  origin  of  Diana  is  full  of  absurdity.  Like  the  Palladium  of 
Troy,  the  Minerva  of  Athens,  and  the  Paphian  Venus,  her  image 
was  reported  to  have  fallen  from  heaven.  Whatever  its  origin, 
it  was  so  far  back  in  the  dimness  of  the  ages  that  no  reliable 
account  can  be  giyen  of  it.  It  w^as  an  absurd  Eastern  monster, 
black  from  age  or  from  the  substance  of  which  it  consisted.  Some 
writers  say  it  was  of  gold,  some  of  blackened  ivory,  some  of  ebony ; 
the  most  probable  account  is  tliat  it  was  formed  from  the  wood  of  a 
grapevine.  The  whole  appearance  of  this  idolatrous  object  must 
have  been  monstrous.  As  one  has  written:  "It  was  in  reality  a 
hideous  fetish It  was  a  figure  swathed  like  a  mummy,  cov- 
ered with  monstrous  breasts The  very  ugliness  and  uncouth- 

ness  of  the  idol  added  to  the  superstitious  awe  which  it  inspired. 
....  Blackened  by  paint  like  a  hideous  doll,"  it  must  have  awak- 
ened feelings  of  disgust  as  well  as  awe.  It  was  in  fact  a  monster, 
huge,  uncouth,  deformed,  ugly  in  form ;  as  if  God  had  given  the 
people  up  to  erect  one  of  the  most  glorious  structures  human  hands 
ever  reared,  that  it  might  contain  an  object  that  was  simply  mon- 
strous !  Such  is  idolatry !  Such  is  the  gross  and  degrading  absurd- 
ity into  which  they  sink  who  forsake  the  true  God  and  follow  idols! 

The  Ephesian  Diana,  though  such  a  monster,  was  worshiped 
with  the  greatest  ceremony.  The  character  of  her  worship  varied 
in  accordance  with  the  attributes  that  were  ascribed  to  her.  She 
was  generally  described  as  the  source  of  nature,  the  mother  of  all 
things,  the  principle  of  productiveness  in  all  living  creatures.  In 
accordance  with  this  idea  her  worship  assumed  many  forms.  In 
Taurus  (the  Crimea)  she  was  propitiated  by  human  sacrifices;  in 
Sparta  there  was  a  public  scourging  of  the  youth;  but  generally 
her  worship  was  of  a  mild  and  gentle  nature. 


158  INAUGUEAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

6.    HEE  GEEAT  TEMPLE. 

Ephesus  was  the  most  magnificent  of  what  Ovid  calls  "the 
magnificent  cities  of  Asia,"  and  the  temple  of  Diana  at  Ephe- 
sus was  the  most  magnificent  and  splendid  structure  of  Asia. 
This  marvelous  temple,  one  of  the  "seven  wonders  of  the  world," 
was  originally  planned  by  Chersij^hron,  and  enlarged  and  adorned, 
or  even  rebuilt,  by  Pseonius,  more  than  five  hundred  years  before 
the  Christian  era.  On  the  night,  as  is  said,  when  Alexander  the 
Great  was  born,  b.  c.  356,  it  was  set  on  fire  by  an  incendiary 
named  Herostratus.  In  punishment  for  his  crime  he  was  tortured 
on  the  rack,  and  amid  his  agonies  acknowledged  that  his  only 
motive  was  that  he  might  get  a  name  that  would  go  down  to 
future  ages.  The  lonians  decreed  that  the  mention  of  his  name 
should  be  punished  with  death.  But  this  very  enactment  gave 
it  immortality. 

But  the  temple  was  not  suffered  to  lie  in  ruins.  The  work  of 
rebuilding  was  entered  upon  at  once,  and  with  an  enthusiasm 
that  awakened  all  Asia.  It  was  erected  anew  on  a  scale  of  mag- 
nitude and  magnificence  that  far  excelled  the  former  building. 
All  parts  of  the  land — all  its  cities  and  towns — vied  with  one 
another  in  helping  forward  the  work.  The  wealth  of  princes  and 
kings  was  lavished  upon  it.  The  ladies  of  Ephesus  contributed 
their  most  costly  jewels.  Nothing  was  kept  back.  The  whole 
wealth  of  the  land  was  ready  to  be  offered.  Twenty-seven  kings 
presented  each  a  pillar  the  elegance  of  which  was  a  gage  of  the 
enthusiastic  rivalry.  Alexander  the  Great,  after  his  victories, 
offered  to  pay  the  whole  cost  of  reconstruction,  on  condition 
that  he  might  inscribe  his  name  as  dedicator  on  the  pediment; 
but  his  offer  was  refused.  Notwithstanding  all  this  enthusiasm, 
two  hundred  and  twenty  years  elapsed  before  the  new  edifice 
was  completed. 

It  was  the  largest  Greek  temple  ever  constructed.  Its  length 
was  425  feet,  and  its  width  220  feet.  It  had  an  area  more  than 
four  times  that  of  the  Parthenon  at  Athens,  and  even  the  Olym- 
peium  was  only  about  two-thirds  as  great.  Everything  about 
the  temple  was  projected  in  the  most  massive  and  substantial 
manner.  Its  foundations  were  deep-laid  and  enduring.  The 
materials  of  which  it  Avas  built  in  every  part  were  the  most 
precious  which  the  wealth,  the  art,  and  the  enterprise  of  the 
age  could  furnish:  its  walls  of  the  purest  white  marble;  its  mas- 
sive folding  doors  of  solid  cypress-wood  polished  in  the  highest 


THE  LIGHT  OF  ASIA.  159 

manner;  its  stairway  framed  from  a  huge  grapevine  brouglit 
from  the  island  of  Cyprus;  its  roof  of  cedar- wood  supported 
by  columns  of  jasper  on  bases  of  marble.  On  these  columns  hung 
gifts  of  priceless  value.  At  the  end  of  the  temple  stood  the  great 
altar  adorned  by  the  bas-relief  of  Praxiteles,  behind  which  fell  the 
great  folds  of  a  purple  curtain.  Behind  this  curtain  was  the  adytum, 
in  which  stood  the  sacred  image  of  the  goddess  "  which  fell  down 
from  Jupiter;"  and  beyond  the  adytum  was  the  apartment  which, 
inviolable  under  divine  protection,  was  regarded  as  the  securest 
treasure-depository  in  the  ancient  world.  The  peristyle  around 
the  temple  was  of  itself  a  splendid  structure.  On  each  side  and 
end,  surrounding  the  temple,  there  were  two  rows  of  columns, 
one  hundred  and  twenty  in  number,  sixty  feet  high,  polished 
as  smooth  as  glass,  and  finished  in  the  perfection  of  art— some 
of  them  of  Parian  marble,  some  of  jasper,  and  all  of  them  stones 
of  great  value.  They  had  been  brought  to  their  destined  location 
at  immense  labor  and  cost.  Each  of  them  had  been  the  gift  of  a 
prince  and  had  a  history  of  its  own.  These,  and  those  around 
the  Parthenon  at  Athens,  were  the  most  perfect  colonnades  which 
the  hands  of  man  ever  formed. 

Such  in  splendor  and  magnificence  was  the  temple  of  Diana 
at  Ephesus,  in  the  days  when  Paul  lived  and  labored  in  that 
city,  and  when  these  messages  from  the  enthroned  King  were 
sent  to  the  seven  churches  in  Asia.  No  wonder  that  it  was  for 
that  time  and  age  the  centre  of  life  and  activity,  political  and 
moral  as  well  as  religious.  No  wonder  that  its  influence  was 
unbounded,  and  that  under  her  sway  the  inhabitants  of  the  city, 
devoted  to  her  worship,  cried  out  in  the  infatuation  of  their  zeal, 
"Great  is  Diana  of  the  Ephesians!" 

7.   THE   HOME  OF   MAGIC. 

The  temple  of  Diana  became  the  seat  of  heathen  magic.  The 
worship  of  the  goddess  and  the  practice  of  magical  art  became 
inseparably  connected.  A  class  of  men  skilled  in  its  incantations 
and  cabalistic  charms  wandered  from  city  to  city  wielding  an 
immense  influence.  These  men  came  finally  to  make  Ephesus 
their  home  and  the  centre  of  their  operations.  The  Ephesians 
were  specially  addicted  to  astrology,  sorcery,  incaiitations,  amulets, 
exorcisms,  and  every  kind  of  magical  imposture,  chiefly  through 
the  influence  otthis  class  who  flocked  to  the  city.  The  hold  which 
the  practice  of  magical  arts  had  on  the  people  may  be  seen  from 
the  narrative  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  when   the  professors 


160       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHEONED  KING. 

of  those  arts  came  to  the  apostle  Paul  and  burnt  their  books  of 
sorcery,  worth,  as  it  is  stated,  no  less  than  eight  thousand  dollars. 

8.   EPHESIAN  LETTEES. 

One  important  branch  of  the  occult  arts  connected  with  the 
worship  of  Diana  was  that  known  as  the  "Ephesian  letters." 
These  mysterious  symbols  were  engraved  on  the  crown,  the  girdle, 
and  the  feet  of  the  goddess.  They  consisted  of  certain  Greek 
words  or  monograms,  of  which  these  are  specimens:  Askion,  Kat- 
askion,  Lix,  Tetrax,  Damnameneus,  Aision.  When  pronounced  they 
were  regarded  as  a  charm,  and  they  were  directed  to  be  used 
especially  by  those  who  were  in  the  power  of  evil  spirits.  When 
written  they  were  worn  on  the  body  as  a  safeguard  against  wounds 
and  maladies  and  as  a  pledge  of  prosperity  and  happiness.  Many 
curious  stories  were  told  of  their  influence.  Crcesus,  it  is  said,  re- 
peated the  mystic  words  on  his  funeral  pile,  and  immediately  the 
heart  of  the  Persian  king  i;elented  and  he  was  spared.  An  Ephe- 
sian wrestler  always  struggled  successfully  against  an  antagonist 
from  Miletus  until  it  was  discovered  that  the  mystic  words  were 
bound  around  his  ankle:  they  were  stealthily  removed,  and  he 
was  instantly  conquered.  The  study  of  these  symbols  was  re- 
garded as  an  important  science,  and  many  costly  books  were 
compiled  by  its  professors. 

9.  GEAND  EEPOSITOEY  OF  AET. 

The  temple  of  Diana  was  also  the  repository  of  the  most  cele- 
brated works  of  art.  The  choicest  paintings,  the  masterpieces  of 
Apollodorus,  Apelles,  and  Zeuxis,  were  collected  on  its  walls.  Its 
corridors  were  filled  with  the  triumphs  of  the  statuary's  art  by 
Praxiteles  and  others— statues  which  modern  skill  has  not  rivaled. 
A  well-informed  author  wrote:  "The  dimensions  of  this  great 
temple  excite  ideas  of  uncommon  grandeur  from  mere  massive- 
ness,  but  the  notices  we  collect  from  its  internal  ornaments  will 
increase  our  admiration.  It  was  the  repository  in  which  the  great 
artists  of  antiquity  dedicated  their  most  perfect  works  to  poster- 
ity. Praxiteles  and  his  son  Cephisodotus  adorned  the  shrine; 
Scopas  contributed  a  statue  of  Hecate;  Timarete  the  daughter 
of  Mycon,  the  first  female  artist  upon  record,  furnished  a  picture 
of  the  goddess,  the  most  ancient  in  Ephesus;  and  Parrhasius  and 
Apelles,  both  Ephesians,  employed  their  skill  to  embellish  the 
panels  of  the  walls.  The  excellence  of  these  performances  may 
be  supposed  to  have  been  proportioned  to  their  price ;  and  a  pict- 


THE  LIGHT  OF  ASIA.  161 

ure  of  Alexander  grasping  a  thunderbolt,  by  the  latter,  was  added 
to  the  superb  collection  at  the  expense  of  twenty  talents  of  gold. 

10.   GEEAT  TREASUEY. 

It  contributed  not  a  little  to  the  fame  of  Diana's  temple  that 
in  process  of  time  it  came  to  be  the  chief  bank  or  treasury  of  i^ro- 
consular  Asia.  The  sanctity  of  the  shrine  rendered  whatever  might 
be  deposited  in  it  more  secure  than  could  locks  or  bars  or  bolts. 
Kings,  princes,  and  others  who  had  wealth,  throughout  all  Asia 
and  from  other  lands  also,  brought  their  money  and  valuables 
and  deposited  them  in  it  for  safe-keeping.  Trophies  wliich  had 
been  gained  in  war  were  brought  by  the  victors  both  for  exhibi- 
tion and  for  safe-keeping.  In  it  property  was  safe  not  only  from 
the  burglar,  but  also  from  the  plunder  of  wars  and  civil  strifes 
and  conmiotions.  In  that  age  of  violence,  when  war  was  the 
business  of  most  nations,  this  was  much  needed.  The  security 
which  the  temjile  gave  to  whatever  was  entrusted  to  it  was  per- 
fect. Its  sacred ness  forbade  any  rapacious  or  stealthy  hand  from 
even  the  attempt  at  robbery.  Nowhere  else  could  valuables  be 
made  so  safe  as  within  its  walls. 

11.   SHRINE-MANUFACTURING. 

A  very  important  business  carried  on  at  Ephesus  in  connection 
with  the  temple  and  its  goddess  was  the  manufacture  and  sale  of 
models  of  the  shrine  and  its  idol.  They  were  portable  statuettes 
or  images  of  gold,  silver,  or  even  sometimes  of  wood.  Their  most 
general  form  was  that  of  a  box  modeled  after  the  great  building, 
with  the  image  within  it.  The  uses  made  of  these  little  shrines 
were  various.  They  were  carried  by  travelers  on  their  journeys 
and  by  armies  on  their  military  expeditions.  Visitors  to  the 
city  and  temple  purchased  them  as  mementos  of  the  magnif- 
icent shrine  and  of  the  heaven-descended  goddess  to  whom  it  was 
dedicated.  This  traffic  gave  employment  to  a  multitude  of  arti- 
sans and  kept  up  a  commerce  of  great  moment  to  the  city. 

12.  LARGE  REVENUE  ATTRACTED. 

From  this  and  other  causes  the  temple,  with  the  accompani- 
ments of  its  worship,  brought  a  vast  revenue  into  the  city.  One 
important  source  of  income  was  the  concourse  of  multitudes  of 
people.  The  temple  with  its  worship  required  a  great  number 
of  attendants.  A  throng  of  priests,  priestesses,  sacristans,  guards, 
laborers,  mechanics,  and  tradesmen  lived  by  the  temple.  Simply 
11 


162       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

to  conduct  its  affairs  required  a  host  of  men  and  women.  Add 
to  these  the  shrine-manufacturers,  the  thousands  of  visitors  that 
constantly  flowed  into  the  city,  and  the  concourse  of  pilgrims 
that  came  to  worship  at  the  sanctuary;  when  we  have  estimated 
all  these  we  shall  have  some  idea  of  the  multitudes  the  temple  col- 
lected and  the  immense  revenue  derived  from  that  source.  Besides 
this  there  were  rich  legacies  constantly  flowing  in  for  the  support 
of  its  worship ;  and,  like  the  great  European  cathedrals,  it  had 
large  endowments  from  lands  and  from  fisheries  such  as  the 
Silenorian  Lakes,  yielding  an  immense  income.  These  various 
sources  of  revenue  not  only  enriched  the  temple,  but  also  tended 
to  produce  elegance  and  luxury  in  the  city. 

13.    CROWDS  ATTEACTED. 

An  obvious  influence  of  the  temple  and  its  worship  was  the 
collection  in  the  city  of  great  crowds  of  people,  both  permanent 
residents  and  visitors.  Permanent  inhabitants  were  attracted  that 
they  might  be  continually  in  reach  of  the  sacred  fane  with  its 
religious  influences.  Guards  of  the  temple,  artists  and  artisans 
working  on  it,  as  well  as  proconsuls  and  other  officers  of  the  gov- 
ernment, formed  a  large  population  of  themselves.  Moreover, 
Ephesus  being  an  assize  town,  there  were  ever  residing  in  it  a 
large  number  of  persons  connected  with  the  courts.  Still  other 
residents  consisted  of  artists  who  were  either  studying  the  pro- 
ductions of  the  great  masters  in  the  temple  or  were  themselves 
adding  to  its  adornments.  This  constituted  the  permanent  popu- 
lation of  the  city ;  but  it  was  also  thronged  with  an  immense  con- 
course of  transient  residents.  Of  these  there  were  multitudes  who 
came  to  visit  the  temple  and  to  worship  in  its  sacred  precincts; 
l^ilgrims  from  every  land,  that  their  lives  might  be  hallowed  by 
bowing  down  before  the  heaven-born  goddess ;  artists  bearing  with 
tliem  their  works,  that  they  might  find  places  for  them  in  the  halls 
of  the  temple ;  others  still,  bringing  with  them  treasures  of  money 
and  jewels  and  plate  to  be  deposited  in  the  custody  of  the  inviola- 
ble shrine.  The  environs  of  the  temple  were  thus  the  centre  of 
the  most  busy  life,  of  the  gayest  fashion,  and  of  the  highest  cult- 
ure. They  were  the  very  heart  of  every  element,  political,  social, 
and  religious. 

14.   RIGHT  OF  ASYLUM. 

Among  the  many  things  which  attracted  multitudes  to  Ephesus 
through  its  great  temple,  we  must  give  especial  notice  to  the  right 


THE  LIGHT  OF  ASIA.  163 

of  asylum  with  which  it  had  been  favored.  Tliis  privilege  was 
granted  because  of  its  supposed  sacredness.  Where  this'  right  of 
asylum  was  enjoyed  criminals  of  every  kind  and  degree  could 
resort,  and  the  liand  of  neither  justice  nor  revenge  could  follow 
them.  Under  that  protection  they  were  perfectly  safe,  black  as 
may  have  been  their  crimes.  The  temple  and  its  precincts  in  this 
respect  were  hallowed  ground.  This  was  the  first  sanctuary  in 
Asiatic  Greece  which  secured  refuge  for  the  misdoer  who  took 
shelter  within  its  precincts.  At  first  the  privilege  reached  one- 
eighth  of  a  mile  in  each  direction;  afterward  it  was  extended 
so  as  to  embrace  nearly  the  whole  city. 

A  more  prolific  source  of  evil  could  hardly  be  imagined.  It 
attracted  to  tlie  city  crowds  of  fugitives  from  justice  and  evil- 
doers of  every  class.  Such  profligates  and  vagabonds  soon  became 
an  influential  element  of  the  population,  whose  malign  tendency 
was  seen  in  corrupting  the  whole  body.  The  refugees  strength- 
ened each  other  in  evil-doing,  and  sent  out  depraving  influences 
in  every  direction.  They  contaminated  the  whole  population.  So 
manifestly  evil  was  this  right  of  asylum  that  it  was-  withdrawn 
by  the  emperor  Tiberius. 

15.   WORLD'S  FAIR. 

Once  a  year  there  was  held  at  Ephesus  a  grand  festival  in  honor 
of  Diana  which  excited  the  greatest  public  interest.  It  extended 
through  the  whole  month  of  May — Diana's  month— and  all  its  days 
and  nights  were  one  continued  revelry. 

The  throngs  which  the  festival  attracted  were  increased  by  the 
assizes  for  the  whole  region  which  were  held  at  the  same  time. 
Of  themselves  these  provincial  courts  drew  together  great  mul- 
titudes. Others  were  attracted  to  the  city  at  the  same  time  by 
the  annual  games,  which  awakened  the  greatest  excitement. 
Others  again  were  drawn  together  by  the  great  market  which 
was  then  held,  in  which  valuable  articles  of  every  kind,  accumu- 
lated throughout  the  year,  were  exposed  for  sale.  Others  came, 
attracted  by  the  sanctity  of  the  goddess,  and  bearing  costly  offer- 
ings to  her  image  and  presents  of  great  value  to  her  priests. 

16.   MEMORABLE  THINGS  CONCERNING   EPHESUS  AND  ITS  TEMPLE. 

(a)  Alexander  at  Ephesus.  Among  the  many  stirring  scenes 
which  made  Ephesus  one  of  the  most  memorable  spots  on  the 
globe,  not  the  least  exciting  were  the  visits  it  received  from  Alex- 
ander the  Great  on  some  of  his  victorious  marches  in  Asia.    At 


164       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

one  time  we  see  him  leading  his  hardened  veterans  from  the 
blood-stained  walls  of  Sardis  down  through  the  river-valleys  into 
its  eastern  gates;  at  another,  before  setting  out  for  the  conquest 
of  Miletus,  at  the  head  of  his  invincible  cohorts,  in  one  of  the 
grandest  pageants  that  eye  ever  beheld,  he  marched  up  to  the 
shrine  of  Diana  and  rendered  obeisance  to  the  goddess.  So  deeply 
impressed  was  the  conqueror  of  the  world  with  the  grandeur  of  the 
great  temple  that  he  offered  its  priests  the  treasures  he  liad  accumu- 
lated in  his  campaign  if  he  would  be  allowed  simply  to  have  his 
name  emblazoned  amid  the  gorgeous  ornaments  over  its  splendid 
portal.  He  offered;  but  so  unapproachably  great  was  the  goddess 
that  such  privilege  could  not  be  granted  even  to  him. 

(b)  Last  years  of  the  Evangelist.  Many  a  glory  adheres  to  the 
memorj'^  of  Ephesus,  but  none  more  bright  than  that  it  was  the 
home,  in  his  last  years,  of  John  the  Evangelist,  whose  epithet 
Ayasaluk  ("  holy  theologian ")  still  lingers  in  the  vicinity.  In 
that  brilliant  city  he  toiled  on  in  the  work  of  the  kingdom,  illus- 
trating its  spirit  and  sanctioning  its  movements  by  his  apostolic 
authority,  until  he  had  reached  the  age  of  one  hundred  years.  In 
the  mean  time  he  suffered,  among  other  persecutions,  that  which 
sent  him  a  prisoner  to  Patmos,  from  whose  dreary  rock  he  returned 
these  messages,  with  the  Apocalj'pse  of  which  they  are  the  preface, 
which  had  been  imparted  to  him  in  divine  vision.  It  is  more  than 
probable  that  he  penned  in  Ephesus  the  three  epistles  which  bear 
his  name,  and  also  the  record  of  our  Lord's  days  on  earth,  which 
lets  us  more  deeply  into  the  divine  mind  and  raises  us  up  more 
highly  amid  the  sublimity  of  celestial  glories  than  any  other  writ- 
ings that  earth  ever  knew. 

These  closing  years  of  the  life  of  "the  disciple  whom  Jesus 
loved"  are  but  dimly  revealed  to  us,  and  we  are  enabled  to  see 
only  a  few  of  their  toucliing  events,  and  those  only  in  glimpses. 
Where  his  l^ody  was  laid  there  is  no  stone  to  mark.  His  grave 
is  hidden,  and  will  remain  so  until  he  shall  arise  to  meet  his 
returning  Ijord.  This  ministry  of  John's  closing  days  is  one  of 
the  things  which  make  Ephesus  among  the  most  memorable  spots 
of  earth.  How  suggestive  to  the  thoughtful  mind  it  is,  that,  while 
all  else  of  Ephesus  is  covered  up  and  forgotten,  the  memory  of  that 
most  godly  of  its  inhabitants  lives  in  the  name  still  remembered 
there— the  name  Ayasaluk  {ayinq  i^f(5Aoyof),  "  holy  theologian." 

(c)  Its  marbles  in  modem  bidhlings.  The  best  remains  of  the 
great  temple  are  to  be  seen  not  amid  the  marshes  of  its  old  site,  but 
in  great  cathedrals  of  other  lands.     After  barbarous  hands  had 


THE  LIGHT  OF  ASIA.  165 

broken  clown  its  walls  and  columns,  and  its  ornaments  had  been 
plundered,  other  ruthless  hands  engaged  in  the  desolating  work 
of  carrying  away  the  elegant  fragments  to  place  them  in  other 
structures.  The  immense  ruin  became  a  quarry  from  which 
builders  of  mosques  and  churches  gathered  the  material  they 
needed.  Genoese  traders  came  with  their  ships  and  carried  its 
blocks  to  many  of  the  cities  of  the  Mediterranean.  Now  the  mar- 
ble of  Diana's  temple  may  be  seen  in  the  pilasters  which  adorn  the 
facade  of  St.  Mark's  in  Venice,  in  the  beautiful  colunnis  that  orna- 
ment the  great  church  of  Pisa,  and  in  the  pillars  that  support  the 
dome  of  St.  Sophia's  in  Constantinople. 

{d)  Seven  sleepers  of  Ephesus.  A  singular  story  concerning 
Ephesus  has  secured  a  very  wide  currency.  It  was  related  by 
Gregory  of  Tours  in  the  sixth  century;  it  found  its  way  into 
the  Koran,  and  was  generally  credited  by  all  Mohammedans ; 
and  even  Gibbon  quotes  it  in  his  pages.  The  story  is  that  under 
the  merciless  persecution  that  raged  in  the  time  of  the  emperor 
Decius,  seven  noble  Ephesians,  young  men  of  devoted  piety  and 
great  courage,  were  forced  to  take  refuge  from  their  bloodthirsty 
enemies  in  a  cave  near  the  city.  Their  implacable  persecutors 
traced  them  to  their  hiding-place  and  walled  them  up  in  their 
dark  prison.  They  fell  into  a  sleep  which  was  prolonged  super- 
naturally  for  a  hundred  and  eighty -seven  years.  Then,  some 
stones  being  removed  from  the  entrance,  a  ray  of  light  was  ad- 
mitted. They  awoke  thinking  that  they  had  slept  but  a  few 
hours,  and  ignorant  of  all  the  events  which  had  passed  during  their 
sleep.  One  of  their  number  left  the  cave  and  found  his  way  into 
the  city  to  secure  food.  The  singularity  of  his  dress  and  the  an- 
tiquity of  the  coin  he  offered  in  i^ay  startled  the  inhabitants,  while 
he  v.as  filled  with  amazement  to  see  everywhere  the  cross  which 
had  before  been  the  fatal  signal  for  persecution.  The  news  sj^read. 
The  suffering  heroes  emerged  from  their  dungeon  and  were  escorted 
into  the  city  by  an  immense  throng  of  rejoicing  citizens.  Their 
lives,  however,  were  continued  for  only  a  brief  period.  As  if  bound 
together  by  a  common  destiny,  they  expired  at  the  same  instant,  and 
so  together  they  entered  into  the  rest  immortal. 

(e)  Epistle  to  the  Ephesians.  The  name  of  Ephesus  is  a  house- 
hold word  wherever  the  New  Testament  is  read,  in  consequence  of 
the  epistle  bearing  that  name  which  forms  so  valuable  a  portion 
of  the  Sacred  Word.  That  epistle  of  Paul  has  rendered  important 
aid  in  giving  shape  to  the  doctrines  and  order  of  our  Church.  It 
is  amongst  the  most  profound  of  compositions  ever  i>enned.      It 


166       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

is  full  of  truths  most  important  concerning  Christ  and  his  salva- 
tion. Its  theme  pertains  to  the  grandeur  of  the  kingdom  and 
the  glories  of  the  heavenly  King.  On  its  pages  are  found  mys- 
teries most  exalted.  It  gives  a  thrilling  interest  to  this  vener- 
able writing  that  it  was  received  and  read  by  "the  saints  which 
are  of  Ephesus,"  to  whom  it  was  first  addressed,  beneath  the 
shadow  of  the  w^orld's  most  renowned  temple  of  idolatry. 

17.   COUNCILS  OF  EPHESUS. 

After  many  vicissitudes,  in  the  course  of  which  it  experienced 
the  heights  of  glory  and  the  depths  of  humiliation,  there  came  to 
Ephesus  a  crisis  in  the  year  a.  d.  2G2,  when  it  was  saclied  by  the 
Goths  and  left  in  ruins.  It  was  afterward  rebuilt,  but  was  never 
again  restored  to  its  former  greatness.  During  the  centuries  of  its 
decay,  after  this  overthrow,  the  most  noticeable  events  of  its  ecclesi- 
astical history  were  the  two  councils  which  bear  its  name. 

The  first  was  held  in  the  year  a.  d.  431.  It  was  the  third  general 
council  of  the  Church,  and  was  composed  of  about  two  hundred 
bishops.  Its  presiding  officer  was  Cyril  of  Alexandria.  The  great 
question  for  the  settlement  of  which  it  was  convened  was  that 
which  involved  the  Nestorian  heresy.  That  error  was  condemned, 
and  at  the  same  time  the  doctrine  was  announced  which  has  been 
the  faith  of  the  Church  ever  since — namely,  that  in  Christ  there 
is  one  iDerson,  but  two  natures — the  human  and  the  divine. 

The  other  council  which  gave  Ephesus  a  kind  of  notoriety  was 
called  the  "Robber's  Council."  It  was  held  eighteen  years  after 
the  other,  and  was  attended  by  one  hundred .  and  thirty  bishops. 
It  was  presided  over  by  Dioscorus,  also  of  Alexandria,  a  man  of 
violent  and  overbearing  temper,  through  which  the  whole  assem- 
bly was  thrown  into  disorder  and  turmoil.  When  he  could  not 
induce  those  who  held  diff"erent  views  to  yield  to  his,  he  would 
bring  in  the  military  and  force  them.  The  result  was  that  most 
disgraceful  scenes  occurred  in  the  council,  and  secured  for  it  in 
history  the  unenviable  name  "  Council  of  Robbers."  8o  violent 
did  its  proceedings  sometimes  become  that  Hilary,  the  papal 
delegate  from  Rome,  narrowly  escaped  losing  his  life,  while 
Eusebius,  the  leader  of  the  party  whom  the  president  opposed, 
did  actually  die  fi-om  the  violence  of  the  soldiery.  The  decis- 
ions oif  tliis  scandalously  conducted  council  were  reversed  by  the 
Council  of  Chalcedon,  b.  c.  iol. 

These  two  evidences  of  life  are  the  chief  gleams  that  mark  the 
dreary  centuries  of  the  decay  of  both  church  and  city.    They  are 


THE   LIGHT  OF  ASIA.  1(37 

the  flickering  rays  that  indicate  the  utter  departure  of  tlie  candle- 
stick from  the  place  where  it  once  shone  so  brightly. 

18.   EPHESUS  AN   UTTER  WASTE. 

Why  is  it  that  Ephesus  is  now  such  an  utter  desolation?  As 
described  by  Arundell,  its  ruin  must  be  deeply  impressive:  "What 
would  have  been  the  astonishment  of  the  beloved  apostle  and  Paul 
and  Timothy  if  they  could  have  foreseen  that  a  time  would  come 
when  there  would  be  in  Ephesus  neither  angel  nor  church  nor 
city!  Once  it  had  an  idolatrous  temple  celebrated  for  its  magnif- 
icence as  one  of  the  wonders  of  the  world,  and  the  mountains 
of  Corycus  and  Prion  re-echoed  the  shouts  of  ten  thousand  tongues, 
'Great  is  Diana  of  the  Ephesians!'  Once  it  had  Christian  temples 
almost  rivaling  the  pagan  in  splendor,  wherein  the  image  that  fell 
from  Jupiter  lay  prostrate  before  the  cross,  and  as  many  tongues, 
moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  made  public  the  avowal  that  'Great 
is  the  Lord  Jesus!'  Some  centuries  pass  on,  and  the  altars  of 
Jesus  were  again  thrown  down  to  make  way  for  the  delusions 
of  Mohammed  ;  the  cross  is  removed  from  the  dome  of  the  church, 
and  the  crescent  glitters  in  its  stead,  while  within  the  kiblah  is  sub- 
stituted for  the  altar.  A  few  years  more,  and  all  is  silence  in  the 
mosque  and  in  the  church !  A  few  unintelligible  heaps  of  stone, 
with  some  mud  cottages,  untenanted,  are  all  that  remain  of  the 
great  city  of  Ephesus.  The  busy  hum  of  a  mighty  population  is 
silent  in  death.  '  Thy  riches  and  thy  fairs,  thy  merchandise,  thy 
mariners,  and  thy  pilots,  th^^  caulkers,  and  the  occupiers  of  thy 
merchandise,  and  all  thy  men  of  war  are  fallen.'  Even  the  sea 
has  retired  from  the  scene  of  desolation,  and  a  jjestilential  morass 
covered  with  mud  and  rushes  has  succeeded  to  the  waters  which 
brought  up  the  ships  laden  with  merchandise  from  every  country." 

What  were  the  causes  which  resulted  in  this  change,  so  sad  to 
contemplate?  Time  is  not  ordinarily  so  inexorable  in  its  treat- 
ment of  the  proudest  productions  of  mortal  hands.  Other  great 
cities  of  olden  times,  and  no  more  substantial  than  it,  have  not 
sunken  thus  under  the  pressure  of  centuries.  It  was  not  thus 
with  Jerusalem,  though  beaten  by  many  a  storm  of  war;  nor 
with  Athens,  so  tempting  to  plunderers  in  its  grandeur;  nor  with 
Thebes,  whose  foundations  were  washed  by  a  thousand  inunda- 
tions of  the  Nile;  nor  with  Alexandria,  around  which  many 
an  army  has  been  arrayed  with  every  engine  of  destruction ;  nor 
even  with  Smyrna  and  Pergamos  and  Philadelphia,  its  sister  cities 
of  the  seven.    All  these  are  still  living  and  cherishing  a  goodly 


168       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

population  after  centuries  of  vicissitudes  and  dangers.  Why,  then, 
lias  Ephesus,  with  foundations  and  bulwarks  as  strong  as  theirs, 
so  utterly  fallen  and  become  almost  obliterated  from  earth  ?  Why 
has  this  city,  once  so  splendid,  and  this  church,  once  so  great  and 
influential,  become  such  a  scene  of  desolation?  The  answers  to 
this  are  plain,  and  at  least  one  of  them  is  most  suggestive.  They 
are  three  in  number,  and  demand  thoughtful  consideration. 

The  first  arises  from  man's  violence  toward  his  fellow-man. 
We  have  already  referred  to  it.  In  the  course  of  centuries  the 
city  became  the  scene  of  riots,  insurrections,  wars,  plunderings, 
and  devastations  of  many  kinds.  Barbarism  rifled  it  of  its  riches 
in  treasures,  ornaments,  and  other  valuables.  Other  rising  cities 
then  carried  away  its  marbles  and  precious  stones  of  palaces,  col- 
onnades, and  temples.  Genoese,  Pisans,  and  Constant! nopolitans 
vied  with  each  other  in  stripping  the  city  of  the  most  splendid 
materials  which  had  composed  its  buildings. 

The  second  cause  was  physical.  It  arose  from  the  contour  of 
the  country.  There  was  a  rapid  descent  in  the  water-shed  from 
the  mountains  of  the  interior  down  to  the  shore.  In  the  vicinity 
of  Ephesus  this  slope  was  drained  by  the  river  Cayster,  which, 
running  between  the  two  mountains  Tmolus  and  Messogis,  came 
down,  especially  in  the  season  of  floods,  charged  with  the  wash- 
ings of  the  highlands.  This  material  was  deposited  at  the  mouth 
of  the  river  where  the  city  was  situated.  In  process  of  time  the 
accumulating  mud  began  to  block  up  the  entrance  of  the  stream 
into  the  sea.  A  mistake  in  engineering  intended  to  keep  the 
channel  oijen  had  the  opposite  effect,  and  it  gradually  became 
silted  up  and  the  river  filled.  The  site  of  the  city  after  a  while 
turned  into  a  swamp  and  receded  farther  and  farther  from  the 
shore.  The  desolating  process  went  on  until  palaces,  theatre,  and 
temple  were  covered  and  the  city  was  obliterated.  In  that  con- 
dition it  lay  for  centuries.  The  very  site  of  the  temple  and  other 
magnificent  structures  was  unsuspected  until  brought  to  light  by 
the  laborious  excavations  of  Mr.  J.  T.  Wood,  on  behalf  of  the 
British  Museum,  during  the  years  1863-74. 

The  third  and  chief  cause,  and  that  which  no  doubt  led  to  the 
others,  was  the  doom  inflicted  by  Him  "  who  walketh  in  the  mirlst 
of  the  golden  candlesticks."  The  solemn  alternative  which  he 
gave  to  the  church  whose  love  had  sinfully  cooled  was,  "Remem- 
ber therefore  from  whence  thou  art  fallen,  and  repent,  and  do  the 
first  works;  or  else  I  will  come  unto  thee  quickly,  and  will  remove 
thy  candlestick  out  of  his  place,  except  thou  repent."    There  fol- 


THE  LIGHT  OF  ASIA.  169 

lowed  a  slight  pause  in  their  downward  course;  but  it  was  only 
for  a  brief  period— then  they  grew  colder  and  colder.  They  did 
not  repent,  and  so  the  candlestick  was  removed.  Their  gospel 
light  and  blessings  were  not  destroyed  from  the  earth:  they  were 
taken  elsewhere,  and  Ephesus  was  ruined.  The  providence  of 
God  could  have  averted  the  calamities  of  war  and  pillage,  as 
well  as  the  devastations  wrought  by  the  floods  from  the  moun- 
tains—but it  did  not;  the  destruction  was  rather  accelerated.  We 
can  see  the  effects  of  the  national  and  physical  calamities,  but 
back  of  them  all  and  above  them  all  was  the  curse  of  the 
Almighty,  whose  glory  had  been  given  to  Diana.  So  surely  and 
awfully  will  all  God's  threatenings  be  fulfilled  if  men  will  not 
heed  the  warnings  and  repent. 

19.  WHY  WE  DWELL  SO  LONG  UPON  THIS  CITY. 

Such  was  the  city  of  Ephesus  in  its  glory,  its  goddess  Diana, 
its  temple,  renowned  as  one  of  the  w^orld's  seven  wonders,  and 
its  worship,  as  alluring  as  it  could  be  made  by  human  contrivance. 
It  has  not  been  without  a  special  design  that  we  have  devoted  so 
much  space  to  these  matters.  Wg  have  kept  a  great  object  in  view 
while  wandering  through  those  brilliant  streets  and  lingering  in 
the  precincts  of  the  splendid  temple.  We  have  studied  city,  god- 
dess, temple,  and  worship  because  we  have  considered  them  the 
most  thorough  embodiment  of  idolatry  that  our  earth  has  ever 
witnessed,  and  because  they  were  providentially  selected  for  a 
special  purpose  on  that  account.  We  have  been  constrained  to  be- 
lieve that  this  perfect  embodiment  of  all  that  is  attractive  in  idol- 
worship  was  permitted  in  order  that  in  it  might  be  manifested  what 
the  gospel  had  at  first  to  encounter — had  to  encounter  in  all  their 
might — and  then,  after  a  great  struggle,  conquered  for  ever. 

Behold  that  most  formidable  combination  of  all  that  was  attrac- 
tive in  the  most  exalted  form  of  pagan  services!  It  w'as  matured 
in  the  most  advantageous  location  which  the  whole  world  had  to 
offer;  in  the  midst  of  a  people  highly  cultivated  and  energetic; 
through  a  system  most  thoroughly  studied  and  elaborated ;  through 
the  aid  of  a  wealth  that  was  lavished  with  princely  generosity; 
with  every  possible  contrivance  to  render  it  adapted  to  all  the 
passions  and  desires  of  the  depraved  heart;  with  a  temple  costly 
and  elegant ;  with  accompaniments  as  voluptuous  as  could  be  con- 
ceived by  human  heart ;  through  an  idol  hallowed  by  associations 
that  appealed  to  all  that  was  dear  in  memory ;  through  the  attrac- 
tions of  the  highest  creations  of  art;  with  the  inducement  of  a 


170       INAUGUKAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

people  most  cultured  as  worshipers;  and  with  all  the  influence 
of  a  history  most  venerable.  All  these  contributed  to  render 
the  idolatry  of  Diana's  temple  in  Ephesus  as  perfect  as  the  human 
mind  could  conceive.  It  contained  the  most  formidable  opposition 
to  the  worship  of  the  true  God  that  was  ever  imagined  or  con- 
trived. 

All  this  should  be  understood;  we  have  dwelt  upon  it  so  fully 
that  it  might  be  seen  how  the  gospel,  then  and  there,  at  the  begin- 
ning, attacked  paganism  in  its  strongest  hold.  This  was  necessary 
for  our  purpose.  If  the  gospel  could  conquer  this,  what  could  ever 
stand  before  it?  Paganism  effloresced  there,  and  thenceforward  de- 
cayed, never  again  to  flourish. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 
THE  HOME  OF  THE  HOLY  THEOLOGIAN. 

1.    PLANTING  THE  CHURCH. 

In  studying  the  message  to  the  church  in  Ephesus — or,  indeed, 
any  of  the  messages — our  first  effort  must  obviously  be  to  reach 
as  clear  an  understanding  as  in  our  power  as  to  the  nature  of  that 
church,  its  history,  circumstances,  peculiarities,  privileges,  and  dan- 
gers. As,  however,  in  the  chapter  on  the  planting  of  the  seven 
churches  we  have  already  covered  much  of  this  ground,  we  would 
now  refer  to  only  a  few  of  its  most  essential  features.  On  many 
accounts  this  church  of  Ephesus,  with  its  city,  was  highly  favored, 
and  had  also  peculiar  temptations.  Froin  these  favoring  circum- 
stances it  resulted  that  its  growth  was  rapid  and  it  early  became 
strong  and  influential. 

It  is  jDrobable  that  in  the  beginning  it  received  an  important 
impulse  from  the  events  of  Pentecost  which  were  undoubtedly 
felt  in  that  city.  Then,  no  doubt,  the  character  of  the  people, 
so  enlightened  and  enterprising,  and  of  the  place,  one  of  the 
great  centres  of  the  activities  of  that  age,  would  render  important 
aid  to  the  new  movement.  Moreover,  its  commerce,  bringing  it 
into  connection  with  Jerusalem  and  other  cities,  would  draw  to 
it  influences  that  would  cause  the  gospel  to  be  heard  and  received 
by  large  numbers.  Among  other  favoring  influences  was  the  re- 
corded fact  that  twelve  persons  who  in  former  days  had  received 
the  truth  from  the  lips  of  John  the  Baptist  had  somehow  drifted 
into  Ephesus  and  were  found  there  as  confessed  believers  in  Christ 
Jesus.  Soon  came  Paul,  the  most  earnest  of  apostles,  and  put  forth 
his  strongest  and  most  protracted  efforts,  awakening  a  profound 
interest  throughout  the  city.  All  these  influences  were  rendered 
still  more  effective  by  miracles,  so  well  adapted  to  that  population, 
which  the  same  zealous  apostle  was  enabled  to  work.  Several 
other  most  highly  endued  workers  for  Christ  soon  lent  their  aid, 
and  foundations  broad  and  deep  were  laid  on  which  the  structure 
arose  with  wondrous  rapidity. 

In  tracing  tlie  rise  and  progress  of  the  church  of  Ephesus,  the 

171 


172       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

first  agent  who  meets  us  as  rendering  effective  service  is  the  apostle 
Paul.  His  work  must  receive  the  most  diligent  study.  At  this  dis- 
tance of  time,  and  so  far  from  his  field  of  activity,  it  is  difficult  for 
us  to  realize  how  great  the  service  was  which  he  rendered.  In 
striving  to  appreciate  that  service  we  must  picture  to  ourselves 
the  devoted  man,  day  after  day  and  week  after  week,  preaching 
in  the  synagogue  or  the  hall  of  Tyrannus;  discussing  with  objectors 
of  every  kind  the  great  doctrines  which  jjertained  to  the  glory  of 
Christ  and  his  kingdom ;  pleading  with  his  countrymen,  as  ready 
to  give  up  his  life  for  them,  that  they  would  heed  their  Scriptures 
and  receive  Jesus  of  Nazareth  as  their  long-expected  Messiah; 
showing  others  the  absurdity,  the  folly,  and  the  misery  of  the 
idolatry  which  filled  the  whole  atmosphere;  explaining  the  Word 
of  God  to  every  comer  who  would  listen  to  his  words;  going 
about  from  house  to  house  in  earnest  effort  to  awaken  attention 
and  to  persuade  men  to  accept  the  offered  salvation ;  working 
miracles  so  surprising  that  no  one  could  witness  them  without 
being  satisfied  that  he  held  his  commission  directly  from  the 
hand  of  Almighty  God ;  writing  letters — some  for  unbelieving 
friends,  that  they  might  be  brought  to  Christ,  and  some  to  dis- 
tant churches  which  he  strove  to  establish  in  the  faith ;  and, 
amidst  all,  working  daily  with  his  own  hands,  that  no  one  might 
insinuate  that  his  efforts  in  the  gospel  were  merelj^  for  the  sake 
of  worldly  gain.  His  own  descrij)tion  of  his  work  for  the  king- 
dom there,  given  to  the  elders  at  the  meeting  in  Miletus,  was  in 
these  words:  "Ye  know  from  the  first  day  that  I  came  into  Asia, 
after  what  manner  I  have  been  with  you  at  all  seasons,  serving 
the  Lord  with  all  humility  of  mind,  and  with  many  tears,  and 
temptations  which  befell  me  by  the  laying  in  wait  of  the  Jews ; 
and  how  I  kept  back  nothing  that  was  profitable  unto  you,  but 
have  shewed  you,  and  have  taught  you  publicly,  and  from  house 
to  house."  Added  to  these  inspired  words,  we  give  the  summary 
of  what  he  did  in  planting  the  church  of  Ephesus,  as  collected 
by  Dr.  Charles  Hodge :  "  It  appears,  from  the  account  given  by 
the  sacred  historian,  that  the  effects  of  Paul's  preaching  in  Ephe- 
sus were— 1.  'The  conversion  of  a  great  number  of  the  Jews  and 
Greeks ;  2.  The  diffusion  of  the  knowledge  of  the  gospel  through- 
out proconsular  Asia;  3.  Such  an  influence  on  the  popular  mind 
that  certain  exorcists  attempted  to  work  miracles  in  the  name  of 
that  Jesus  whom  Paul's  preaching  had  proved  to  be  so  powerful, 
and  that  other  magicians,  convinced  of  the  folly  and  wickedness 
of  their  arts,  made  public  confession  and  burnt  their  books  of 


THE  HOME  OF  THE  HOLY  THEOLOGIAN.  173 

divination  and  mystic  charms;  4.  Sucli  a  marked  diminution  of 
the  zeal  and  numbers  of  the  worshipers  of  Diana  as  to  excite 
general  alarm  that  her  temple  would  be  despised;  5.  A  large 
and  flourisliing  church  was  there  established.' "  Not  only  did 
he  thus  labor,  but  he  also  contended  and  suffered  in  a  way  which 
he  significantly  describes:  "I  have  fought  with  beasts  at  Ephe- 
sus."  Then  it  should  not  be  forgotten  that  in  the  midst  of  all 
these  toils  and  endurances  he  wrote  several  of  those  epistles 
which  have  aided  so  much  in  establishing  the  Church  of  God 
upon  earth.  There  he  penned  the  letters  to  tlie  Galatians,  to 
Timothy,  to  Titus,  and  the  first  to  the  Corinthians. 

Next  to  the  work  of  Paul  in  planting  this  important  church 
comes  that  of  John,  who,  as  we  believe,  spent  even  more  of  his 
years  among  these  first  believers  of  Ephesus.  Only  in  God's  book 
of  remembrance  is  to  be  found  the  history  of  what  he  did  and 
suffered  in  the  cause  of  the  heavenly  Lord  whom  he  loved  so 
dearly.  Enough  is  on  authentic  record  to  make  it  a  terrible  cer- 
tainty that  he  endured  a  shocking  baptism  similar  to  that  of  his 
Master.  Certain  it  is  that,  an  aged  and  i^ersecuted  man,  he  was 
banished  to  pine  as  a  bound  prisoner  in  the  mines  or  quarries 
of  Patmos.  In  Ephesus  he  toiled  as  well  as  suffered.  Through 
many  years  he  labored  on  to  build  up  the  Church  on  apostolic  au- 
thority. Besides,  what  heavenly  words  was  he  inspired  to  write 
in  that  city  of  his  adoption!  Here,  no  doubt,  it  was  that  he 
penned  the  gospel  history,  and  those  three  epistles,  the  very  soul 
of  heavenly  love,  and  the  Apocalypse,  whose  teachings  must  have 
originated  hard  by  the  everlasting  throne.  His  whole  life  became 
a  lesson,  for  just  such  a  lofty  and  loving  example  as  his  was  needed 
to  show,  in  living  form,  the  principles  and  doctrines  of  the  gospel 
which  was  there  planted.  The  love  of  that  gospel  was  best  under- 
stood when  all  its  charms  were  seen  in  him.  There  is  no  doubt 
but  this  disciple  whom  Jesus  loved  rendered  a  service  which  all 
the  world  should  prize  in  nurturing  this  first  great  Church  on 
purely  pagan  ground,  which  would  of  necessity  become  a  model 
for  all  other  churches  that  might  follow.  In  the  bosom  of  that 
Ephesian  church  he  lived,  loved,  set  an  example  of  righteous- 
ness, labored,  suffered,  died,  and  was  probably  buried.  Nor  were 
his  services  forgotten;  for,  long  after  he  fell  asleep  in  Jesus,  the 
emperor  Justinian,  with  marble  taken  from  the  ruins  of  Diana's 
temple,  built  a  splendid  church  to  his  memory.  To  this  day  is 
his  name  perpetuated  there,  in  the  only  residences  where  Ephe- 
sus once  stood,  known  as  Ayasaluk,  "the  holy  theologian." 


174       INAUGUEAL  OF  THS.  ENTHKQNED  KING. 

Timothy  also  rendered  his  services  in  laying-  tke  foundations 
of  this  Ephesian  cliurcli.  Tliat,  as  pupil  and  attendant  oa  Paul, 
he  visited  Ephesus  occasionally,  and  preached  there,  is  toleraWy 
certain.  It  is  also  probable  that,  according  to  tradition,  he  was 
sent  there,  and  even  stationed  for  a  long  time,  to  correct  errors, 
guard  against  enemies,  and  so  continue  the  work  which  Paul 
had  commenced.  It  is  also  quite  probable  that  in  that  field  of 
his  labors  he  died  a  martyr's  death  and  was  buried  in  ground 
which  the  resurrection  will  show  to  have  contained  the  ashes 
of  many  eminent  saints  of  the  Lord. 

Still  other  faithful  workmen  were  engaged  in  establishing  that 
church  connected  with  which  were  so  many  great  interests  of  the 
kingdom.  Among  these  we  find  Aquila  and  Priscilla,  that  Jewish 
couple  who  for  their  faith  were  banished  from  Pome,  and  who  in 
Ephesus,  where  at  that  time  hospitality  was  so  much  needed,  kept 
open  house  for  the  entertainment  of  those  whom  God  sent  to  help 
the  great  enterprise.  There  too  was  Apollos,  the  eloquent  Alex- 
andrian, who,  through  his  thorough  knowledge  of  the  Scriptures, 
his  skill  in  the  principles  of  the  gospel,  and  his  fervor  of  spirit, 
was  able  to  render  effective  service  in  teaching  the  things  of  the 
Lord  and  preaching  in  the  synagogue.  Another  eminent  worker 
also  was  Tychicus,  a  faithful  man  whom  Paul  dearly  loved,  and 
who  aided  the  cause  by  the  comforting  words  and  cheering  remem- 
brances he  brought  to  the  struggling  church.  Paul  and  John 
and  Timothy,  Aquila  and  Priscilla,  Apollos  and  Tychicus, — is  it 
to  be  wondered  at  that  under  the  ministrations  of  such  noble  spirits 
as  these  the  church  should  become  strong  in  faith  and  graces  and 
numbers  ? 

From  all  these  and  other  things  the  church  at  first  did  progress 
rapidly,  and  soon  exerted  a  wide  and  deep  influence.  The  evi- 
dences of  its  strength  are  seen  in  many  intimations  of  Scripture 
which  we  will  do  well  to  notice.  The  following  recorded  things 
show  how  strong  it  was:  It  had  an  intelligent  body  of  elders, 
who,  according  to  his  appointment,  met  Paul  at  Miletus  to  hold 
a  parting  conference.  It  must  have  been  a  church  of  more  tlian 
ordinary  maturity  of  faith  and  holiness  to  have  required  and  to 
have  appreciated  such  a  profound  exhibition  of  truth  as  that 
contained  in  Paul's  Epistle  to  the  Ephesians.  The  number  of 
professed  Christians  in  that  city  and  the  depth  to  which  the 
gospel  had  penetrated  must  have  been  very  great  to  have  caused 
the  alarm  of  the  silversmiths  that  their  business  of  shrine-making 
•  would   be  destroyed  by  such  multitudes  leaving  the  worship  of 


THE  HOME  OF  THE  HOLY  THEOLOGIAN.  175 

Diana  and  going  over  to  Christianity.  So,  too,  it  is  evident  that 
there  must  have  been  vast  numbers  of  believers  in  Christ,  and 
many  of  them  must  have  been  persons  of  influence,  since  amidst 
the  leading  officers  of  the  city  there  were  those  who  strove  to 
shield  Paul  from  the  violence  of  the  mob  raging  in  the  theatre. 
In  the  same  way,  the  deep  hold  which  the  truth  had  taken  may 
be  inferred  from  the  fact  that  even  those  who  had  been  leading 
necromancers  were  induced  to  come  forward  and  burn  their  books 
of  magic.  All  these  things— an  intelligent  body  of  elders,  an 
epistle  containing  some  of  the  most  profound  truths  of  relig- 
ion, a  spread  of  Christianity  that  was  crippling  the  worship  of 
idols,  officers  of  the  highest  rank  taking  the  side  of  the  serv- 
ants of  God,  and  costly  books  of  magic  thrown  into  the  flames 
— show  that  the  influence  of  that  church  had  penetrated  the  whole 
mass  of  society. 

2.    MISSION  OF  THE  CHUECH   OF  EPHESUS. 

A  comprehensive  glance  at  the  glories  which  cluster  around 
this  church  will  show  that  in  the  grace  and  providence  of  God 
it  was  manifestly  intended  for  a  most  important  mission  in  the 
great  movements  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ  on  earth.  To  the 
Ephesian  church  was  the  first  of  the  seven  messages  sent,  and 
in  it  d^velt  the  highly-favored  prophet  who  had  received  them 
all.  In  Ephesus  was  the  scene  of  the  most  earnest,  protracted, 
and  successful  labors  of  him  who  was  pre-eminently  the  "apostle 
of  the  Gentiles,"  and  others  of  the  most  devoted  early  Christians. 
In  that  city  dwelt  many  of  the  most  godly  and  honored  of  the 
first  converts  from  paganism  to  the  faith  of  the  gospel.  Here  it  was 
that  the  largest  body  and  the  last  named  of  the  disciples  of  John 
the  Baptist  were  found  and  raised  up  to  higher  consecration  to 
the  work  for  which  the  Baptist  prepared  the  way  and  Christ 
died.  In  this  honored  city  a  large  part  of  the  New  Testament 
was  written,  as  we  know  that  at  least  one-third  of  its  books  were 
penned  within  its  walls,  while  one  was  addressed  to  its  Christian 
inhabitants.  Out  of  it  went  the  influence,  the  result  of  which 
was  "  that  all  they  which  dwelt  in  Asia  heard  the  words  of  the 
Lord  Jesus,  both  Jews  and  Greeks."  Its  name  will  for  ever  be 
connected  with  that  first  and  greatest  church  which  the  Lord 
raised  up  in  the  very  heart  of  paganism  to  send  the  light  of 
gospel  glory  out  over  all  the  nations  of  the  world  and  down 
through  all  the  ages  of  time.  Well  may  we  always  think  of 
that  church  and  city  with  admiration,  for  there  were   the  very 


176       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

doctrines,  customs,  principles,  privileges,  rules,  and  means  of 
grace  and  blessings  which  we  enjoy  and  practice  to  the  present 
time  established,  defined,  and  employed  to  the  glory  of  our  divine 
King  and  to  the  comfort  of  every  soul  that  is  brought  into  the 
kingdom. 

Sucli  was  the  church  of  Ephesus.  It  stood  at  the  head  of  the 
seven,  the  messages  to  which  were  to  be  the  beacon  of  the  ages. 
Its  mission  was  to  be  most  influential  in  all  the  subsequent  move- 
ments of  the  kingdom.  These  facts  and  the  calling  of  this  church 
must  be  well  understood  in  order  that  we  may  have  the  proper  key 
to  the  messages. 

3.   CENTRAL  POINT. 

The  message  to  the  church  of  Ephesus,  or  to  any  of  the  other 
churches,  is  a  single,  definite  thing  which  God  would  communicate 
to  that  special  people.  In  order  that  the  passage  may  be  the  more 
clearly  understood,  we  call  that  its  central  point  or  thought.  It 
is  the  burden  of  the  message,  the  main  thing  intended  by  it. 
Everything  else,  no  matter  how  complex,  clusters  around  it.  All 
else  is  dependent  on  it  and  receives  from  it  its  peculiar  character. 
That  one  thing  is  what  God  would  convey  to  that  cliurch.  Were 
it  not  for  that,  the  message  would  not  have  been  written.  In  its 
study  the  first  thing  is  to  define  as  clearly  as  may  be  what  that 
central  point  is. 

In  this  message  the  central  point  undoubtedly  is,  ^'■Nevertheless,  I 
have  somewhat  against  thee,  because  thou  hast  left  thy  first  lovey  To 
this  church  God  says:  "I  have  this,  which  is  everything,  against 
thee— thou  hast  left  thy  first  love."  The  charge  is  not  that  they  had 
lost  all  their  love  to  him,  but  that  their  first  love  was  gone.  This 
charge  was  the  me&sage  to  the  church  of  Ephesus.  This  was  the 
substance  of  the  message,  as  if  there  were  not  another  word.  From 
an  allusion  contained  in  another  portion  of  Scripture  we  are  in- 
formed that  this  first  love  was  very  great.  To  this  church  it  was 
written:  "Wherefore  I  also,  after  I  heard  of  your  faith  in  the 
Lord  Jesus,  and  love  unto  the  saints,  cease  not  to  give  thanks 
for  you."  It  would  seem  that  such  love  as  theirs  could  never 
wax  cold. 

This— "thou  hast  left  thy  first  love"— was  the  central  point, 
and  everything  else  was  ranged  around  and  centred  in  that. 
It  is  more  than  merely  interesting  to  study  how  this  was  surely 
the  case :  it  is  most  profitable.  "  Thou  hast  left  thy  first  love." 
Then  around  it  we  find  that  God  noticed  and  affectionately  re- 


THE  HOME  OF  THE  HOLY  THEOLOGIAN.  177 

buked  their  fall;  that  they  are  praised  for  even  that  first  love; 
that  the  sin  and  consequent  evils  into  which  that  fall  led  were 
very  great;  that  they  are  blamed  by  the  exposure  of  their  sad 
declension  from  such  a  state;  that  they  are  counseled  as  to  how 
they  may  get  back  to  their  first  love ;  that  they  are  threatened  with 
a  sore  calamity  if  they  do  not  repent  of  their  fall;  that  a  blessed 
promise  is  made  them  in  case  they  make  an  honest  effort  to  re- 
turn ;  and  that  there  is  a  summons  for  the  whole  world  to  give 
heed  to  tlie  danger  of  the  cooling  of  such  love.  Thus  every 
point  of  the  message  springs  from  this  one  which  is  the  centre 
of  all. 

"Thou  hast  left  thy  first  love."  At  first  sight  this  appears 
to  be  only  a  small  charge,  but  expanded  to  its  full  extent  and 
consequences,  and  considered  as  it  lies  before  the  God  of  infinite 
love,  it  is  enormous.  As  it  lies  before  him  this  would  be  its 
expression:  "This  is  my  one  charge  against  thee.  It  is  the  one 
message  I  send  thee.  Above  all  things  I  want  thee  to  consider 
this.  Thou  hast  left  that  first  love  which  was  so  warm  at  the 
beginning.  Why  didst  thou  not  cling  to  that  first  love?  Why 
hast  thou  become  so  cold?" 

This  loss  of  their  first  love  was  a  great  sin.  It  was  a  sad  thing 
that  such  a  highly  favored  church  should  be  so  ungrateful.  The 
fervent  spirit  of  the  affectionate  disciple  John  should  have  pre- 
vailed in  that  church  in  the  midst  of  which  he  had  lived  and 
loved  and  preached;  but,  alas!  even  there  was  it  that  the  love 
was  grown  cold.  IIow  sad  the  change  since  that  first  love  was 
kindled  by  God  himself,  inasmuch  as  Ephesus  was  a  church  so 
highly  favored,  inasmuch  as  such  decline  in  affection  was  sure 
to  grow  worse  and  worse,  and  inasmuch  as  the  evil  example 
would  spread  through  all  the  churches  around! 

So  serious  was  the  evil  that  it  called  forth  this  special  message 
from  tlie  throne  of  God.  W^e  see  that  this  decline  in  affection 
was  specially  noticed  by  him  who  is  the  Church's  great  Head. 
Never  for  a  moment  should  it  be  imagined  by  us  tliat  God  is 
indifferent  as  to  the  state  of  our  feelings  toward  him.  Our  Lord 
is  acutely  alive  to  them.  Most  deeply  significant  is  it  here  that 
the  title  of  the  Son  of  man  in  this  message  is,  "He  who  walketh 
in  the  midst  of  the  seven  golden  candlesticks."  He  was  especially 
present  in  the  midst  of  the  Ephesian  church,  noticing  all  that  it 
was  or  did.  This  leaving  its  first  love  was  what  arrested  his 
particular  attention.  The  love  of  his  Church  for  him  was  very 
precious  in    his  sight,  as   we  know  from  what  he  had    said   of 

12 


178       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

another  church:  "I  remember  thee,  the  kindness  of  thy  youth, 
the  love  of  thine  espousals,  when  thou  wentest  after  me  in  the 
wilderness,  in  a  land  that  was  not  sown,"  Thus  felt  he  concern- 
ing' the  first  love  of  the  Ephesian  Christians ;  but  he  saw  clearly 
that  its  first  ardor  was  no  more.  He  saw  it,  and  it  went  to  his 
heart.  His  comi:»laint  was:  "I  know  that  love  has  cooled,  and 
I  feel  it.  I  rejoiced  in  tliat  first  love ;  but  now  how  great  the 
change!" 

How  significant  that  this  charge  concerning  the  loss  of  the  first 
love  should  be  the  first  of  the  seven  messages!  Does  it  not  show 
how  serious  is  that  sin  in  the  sight  of  God  ?  Does  it  not  tell  of  the 
folly,  the  guilt,  and  the  danger  of  such  a  fall? 

It  is  a  sad  fall;  but,  alas!  it  is  mournfully  common.  Who  of  us 
has  not  seen  many  instances  thereof?  We  have  seen  it  in  the 
young  convert.  At  first  his  love  to  God,  to  the  brethren,  and 
to  the  cause  of  Christ  was  intense  and  hopeful.  To  him  the  Son 
of  God  was  altogether  lovely.  He  could  find  no  language  strong 
enough  by  which  to  express  the  ardor  of  his  feelings.  His  soul 
went  out  in  the  joyous  cry  concerning  Christ:  "Thou  art  fairer 
than  the  children  of  men;  grace  is  poured  into  thy  lips:  there- 
fore God  hath  blessed  thee  for  ever."  Nothing  was  too  much 
for  him  to  do  for  that  cause  which  was  so  new  and  so  glorious  in 
his  sight.  Why  had  he  not  long  ago  seen  this  surpassing  loveli- 
ness of  Christ?  What  could  he  do  to  make  all  men  feel  as  he 
did  concerning  the  wonders  of  salvation  ?  Surely  he  never  would, 
never  could,  lose  the  greatness  of  his  Avonder,  love,  and  adoration 
of  the  ever-blessed  Jesus! 

But  days,  weeks,  months  pass,  and  a  sad  change  has  come. 
Where  now  that  first  affection  ?  No  longer  are  his  language 
and  feelings  so  ardent.  AVhat  now  do  we  hear  from  him?  Such 
strong  feelings  as  he  once  expressed  are  but  enthusiasm.  The 
service  which  he  renders  is  all  from  a  sense  of  duty.  Duties 
are  now  neglected;  the  heart  is  cold,  the  first  love  is  gone. 
Young  convert,  thou  hast  left  thy  first  love!  Alas,  how  thou 
hast  fallen  ! 

Thus  too  is  it  often  with  churches  and  blessed  religious  move- 
ments. How  often  has  it  followed  precious  revivals  that  the  ex- 
pectations at  first  excited  have  been  disappointed !  Individual 
Christians  often  lose  much  of  their  first  love.  Churches  remit  the 
ardor  of  their  first  affection.  One  has  only  to  look  at  Germany, 
at  Switzerland,  at  various  parts  of  the  Reformed  Church  else- 
where, at  many  an  individual  church,  to  see  that  what  occurred 


THE  HOME  OF  THE  HOLY   THEOLOGIAN.  179 

at  Ephesus  has  often  occurred  elsewhere.  Is  not  this  the  exphi- 
nation  of  why  so  many  of  the  old  churches,  which  were  once  pros- 
perous and  useful,  are  now  deserted  and  a  mortal  waste? 

This  evil  of  forsaking  its  first  love  by  the  church  of  Ephesus 
should  receive  special  attention  from  every  lover  of  the  Zion  of 
our  God.  It  was  evidently  designed  to  be  a  solemn  warning  by 
the  all-wise  Spirit  of  inspiration.  We  may  see  this  from  the  fact 
that  the  Son  of  man  placed  this  the  first  of  the  seven  messages 
which  he  sent  to  the  churches.  We  may  learn  it  impressively 
in  tliat  it  is  made  the  central  point  in  this  communication.  It 
should  be  fixed  most  deeply  by  the  admonitory  words  from  the 
lil)S  of  the  Redeemer:  "He  that  hath  an  ear  to  hear,  let  him 
hear  what  the  Spirit  saith  unto  the  churches."  It  should  be 
branded  in  upon  the  conscience  of  every  church  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
as  an  awful  warning,  with  its  dread  execution  when  the  candle- 
stick and  all  its  glories  were  taken  away  from  that  church,  and 
it  was  left  an  utter  and  mournful  desolation.  Especially  should 
it  evermore  be  carried  with  us  for  our  admonition  and  guidance, 
since  its  lesson  is  pressed  home  with  so  much  solemnity  by  the 
divine  Master  who  dwells  in  the  midst  of  his  Church  and  holds 
her  ministry  in  his  right  hand. 

4.   EVILS   RESULTING. 

The  Ephesian  Christians  left  their  first  love,  and,  in  consequence, 
immediately  afterward  we  find  the  most  serious  evils  of  various 
kinds  beginning  to  show  themselves.  This  becomes  a  deeply  sig- 
nificant fact.  Let  it  be  remembered  that  the  burden  of  the  mes- 
sage is,  "J  have  somewhat  against  thee.,  because  thou  hast  left  thy 
first  love.'''  What  was  the  connection  between  the  cooling  of  the 
love  and  the  evils  which  then  appeared  in  the  church?  How 
did  this  leaving  of  their  first  love  result  in  the  great  corruptions 
in  both  their  doctrines  and  their  practice?  That  it  was  so  we 
have  abundant  assurance  by  both  inspired  and  other  writers. 
The  love  of  God  cooled  in  their  hearts,  and  then  the  way  was 
open  for  the  entrance  of  other  loves  and  for  evils  of  every  kind 
to  creep  in.  It  is  always  so  when  the  first  ardor  of  the  believer 
cools.  The  whole  history  of  churches  is  full  of  examples  that 
ceremonies  more  or  less  mischievous  have  come  in  just  as  piety 
has  died  out. 

The  deplorable  fact  declared  concerning  this  Ephesian  church 
was  that  it  had  already  become  contaminated  by  the  deeds  and 
doctrines  of  the  Nicolaitans.    Into  the  question  of  who  the  Nico- 


180      INAUGUEAL  OF  THE  ENTHEOXED  KING. 

laitans  were  we  need  not  now  enter.    For  our  purpose  it  is  suf- 
ficient to  know  what  were  their  general  practice  and  teachings. 

The  essential  error  of  these  first  sectaries,  and  of  all  others  who 
afiiliated  with  them,  was  that  they  perverted  the  blessed  truth 
of  the  gospel — "Ye  are  not  under  the  law,  but  under  grace" — 
into  a  most  abominable  liberty.  To  this  they  gave  the  gross  in- 
terpretation that,  because  believers  are  not  under  the  law,  they 
are  above  the  law ;  that  the  law  does  not  bind  them ;  that  what 
would  otherwise  be  transgression  is  no  transgression  in  them.  The 
result  of  such  perversion  of  most  precious  truth  was  that  they 
"turned  the  grace  of  God  into  lasciviousness."  Not  being  under 
the  law,  they  promised  themselves  liberty,  and  so  became  corrupt, 
and  their  corruption  took  the  form  of  lewdness  and  procured  for 
them  the  sad  description  of  the  inspired  pen  :  "  They  allure  through 
the  lusts  of  the  ilesh,  through  much  wantonness,  those  that  were 
clean  escaped  from  them  who  live  in  error.  While  they  promise 
them  liberty,  they  themselves  are  the  servants  of  corruption :  for 
of  whom  a  man  is  overcome,  of  the  same  is  he  brought  in  bondage." 

Their  deadly  error  culminated  in  the  gross  practice  the  type  of 
which  was  in  their  indulgence  of  a  communlti/  of  wives.  Clemens 
of  Alexandria,  as  quoted  by  Eusebius,  speaks  of  the  Nicolaitans  as 
a  people  who  practiced  a  community  of  wives,  living  in  fornication 
and  adultery.  They  were  the  Antinomians  of  that  day.  This  tells 
the  whole  story.  Besides,  their  lewdness  was  associated  with  the 
invariable  accompaniment  of  sharing  in  the  heathen  orgies  at  their 
idol  love-feasts.  No  wonder  that  the  apostle  calls  such  doctrines, 
with  the  practice  to  which  they  led,  "  damnable  heresies,"  or  that 
another  inspired  writer  describes  them  as  "  spots  in  your  feasts  of 
charity,  when  they  feast  with  you,  feeding  themselves  without 
fear:  clouds  they  are  without  water,  carried  about  of  winds: 
trees  whose  fruit  withereth,  without  fruit,  plucked  uj)  by  the 
roots;  raging  waves  of  the  sea,  foaming  out  their  own  shame; 
wandering  stars,  to  whom  is  reserved  the  blackness  of  darkness 
for  ever."  In  this  way  it  came  to  pass,  and  is  made  most  evident, 
that  the  very  core  of  the  sin  of  the  Nicolaitans  was  their  immoral- 
ity. "They  taught  the  most  impure  doctrines  and  followed  the 
most  im.pure  practices."  "They  taught  the  community  of  wives, 
that  adultery  and  fornication  were  things  indifferent,  that  eating 
meats  offered  to  idols  was  quite  lawful ;  and  mixed  pagan  rites 
with  the  Christian  ceremonies."  All  this  they  were  in  practice 
as  well  as  in  doctrine,  and  they  were  necessarily  idolaters  in  their 
beliefs  and  habits. 


THE  HOME  OF  THE  HOLY  THEOLOGIAN.  181 

This  great  evil,  wliicli  first  sliowecl  itself  in  the  church  of  Ephe- 
sus,  was  most  portentous.  Taken  in  connection  with  many  other 
such  instances  and  with  many  inspired  declarations,  it  established 
a  dreadful  flict,  to  which  the  whole  Church  should  give  the  most 
earnest  heed.  That  fact  is  that  the  prime^  great,  mournful  fall  from 
first  excellence  in  almost  all  erring  churches  is  into  sins  of  immorality. 
Almost  the  whole  history  of  recreant  churches  forces  this  truth  upon 
us.  Lust  is  the  demon  who  makes  the  first  fatal  onslaught  upon  the 
comj^arative  purity  of  first  zeal.  In  our  own  time  we  have  many 
deplorable  types  of  this  to  which  we  dare  not  close  our  eyes.  Per- 
haps this  can  be  explained— though  explained  only  to  be  con- 
demned. Ephesus  gives  the  typical  example  which  showed  the 
sad  reason.  That  church  left  its  first  love,  and  immediately  after- 
ward we  find  in  it  the  impure  Nicolaitans,  The  immorality  may 
have  been  either  the  effect  or  the  cause  of  the  cooling  of  the  first 
ardor.  Supreme  love  to  the  Master  departs,  and  then  corrupt 
love  of  the  creature  enters  in  its  place.  This  may  have  been  the 
cause;  or  it  may  be  that,  the  libidinous  feeling  being  admitted, 
the  first  love  is  then  forced  out  by  "the  expulsive  power  of  a 
new  affection."  Either  of  these  may  have  been  the  cause;  or 
more  likely  both  were  united  in  the  sad  fact,  so  often  seen,  that 
the  first  great,  grievous  error  in  both  doctrine  and  practice  is 
immorality  in  some  of  its  always  gross  forms.  This  is  the  reason 
why  it  is  a  fact,  so  deplorable,  that  in  churches  the  first  down- 
ward step  in  antinomianism  is  that  of  turning  "  the  grace  of  God 
into  lascivioiisness.^^  It  is  the  perversion  of  love,  the  crowning 
grace.  Love  to  God,  which  is  such  an  exalted  feeling,  is  cor- 
rupted into  a  gross  love  of  the  carnal  and  the  unclean. 

5.   ATTEIBUTE   HEEE   USED. 

In  order  that  the  great  evil  involved  in  this  course  of  the 
Ephesian  church  when  it  left  its  first  love  may  lie  duly  appre- 
ciated, it  must  be  looked  at  as  ingratitude  toward  Him  who 
'■^iralketh  in  the  midst  of  the  seven  golden  candlesticks,^^  and  "«7/o 
holdefh  the  seven  stars  in  his  right  hand.^^  AVere  he  at  a  distance 
from  his  people  and  indifferent  to  their  interests,  the  case  would 
not  be  one  of  such  magnitude.  Inasmuch,  however,  as  he  is  alive 
to  all  their  concerns  and  loves  them  so  dearly,  this  treatment 
from   them  becomes   most  culpable. 

He  is  in  the  midst  of  the  golden  candlesticks— in  the  midst 
of  the  Church.     The  supreme  management  of  men  and  angels, 


182       INAUGUKAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

of  empires  and  worlds,  all  rests  in  liis  hands,  yet  he  gives  special 
heed  to  the  Churcli,  whicli  he  has  chosen  as  his  peculiar  home 
and  residence. 

As  it  was  with  the  Sliechinali  in  the  tabernacle  and  temple, 
so  is  it  that  he  dwells  in  the  Church  and  from  it  manifests  him- 
self to  his  creatures.  His  Church  is  under  his  peculiar  control 
and  management.  From  her,  as  from  a  centre,  he  issues  his  man- 
dates to  mankind,  to  angels,  to  worlds,  to  the  universe'.  In  her 
midst  he  makes  his  home,  as  in  his  glorious  resting-place  and 
the  abode  of  his  divine  comfort. 

In  his  Church,  with  his  people,  are  the  warmest  affections  of 
his  heart.  With  her  is  the  strongest  and  most  inalienable  attach- 
ment, as  he  is  careful  to  impress  upon  every  one  who  loves  him, 
at  one  time  declaring  that  his  people,  are  as  "the  signet  ui^on  his 
right  hand,"  at  another  that  he  "has  engraven  them  upon  the 
palms  of  his  hands,"  at  another  that  he  "keeps  them  as  the 
apple  of  his  eye,"  and  at  another  still  that  he  "  hides  them  under 
the  shadow  of  his  wings;"  and  still  other  warmest  engagements 
does  he  make  toward  them.  In  this  home  of  his  dearest  affec- 
tions he  opens  his  whole  heart  in  confiding  love  to  his  blood- 
bought  friends.  In  his  Church  he  is  loved  the  most  and  makes 
the  clearest  manifestations  of  his  divine  affection. 

There,  too,  he  is  careful  to  manifest  that  he  is  keenly  alive  to 
every  real  interest  of  his  people  whose  hearts  are  with  him  in 
his  cause.  He  watches  over  such  interests  with  unwearied  care. 
He  walks  in  the  midst  of  the  golden  candlesticks.  With  unerr- 
ing wisdom  and  skill  he  arranges  all  things  with  reference  to 
his  Church's  highest  welfare.  He  is  intensely  alive  to  every 
movement  that  is  connected  with  her  prosperity.  The '  love  of 
his  people  toward  him  is  the  delight  of  his  soul.  Unkindness 
from  them  goes  to  his  heart.  Hence  the  sin  of  his  Church  when 
her  first  love  waxed  cold  was  grievous  to  her  loving  Lord.  The 
heart  of  his  Church,  and  of  each  one  of  her  members,  is  the  pos- 
session which,  of  all  others,  he  loves  the  best.  On  the  other  hand, 
the  withdrawing  of  that  love  or  allowing  it  to  grow  cold  wounds 
him  even  in  the  house  of  his  friends.  Most  significant  is  it,  there- 
fore, that,  connected  with  this  special  message  to  the  church  of 
Ephesus,  our  Lord  uses  of  himself  the  attributes  "walking  in 
the  midst  of  the  candlesticks"  and  "holding  the  stars  in  his 
right  hand."  It  is  that  dear,  loving,  deeply  interested  Lord 
toward  whom  the  first  love  has  grown  cold.  That  heart,  that 
divine   heart,  which    was   so   tender   and    loving   and   true,  was 


THE   HOME   OF   THE   HOLY   THEOLOGIAN.  183 

grieved   by  the   increasing  indifference  of  the  friends  whom    he 
liud  cherished  so  dearly. 

6.    COMMENDATIONS. 

Already  have  we  seen  that,  in  the  most  tender  consideration, 
the  Lord  of  the  churches  inserts  some  words  of  approval  in  the 
messages  he  sends  them.  He  remembers  their  trials  and  frailties, 
and  encourages  them  by  specially  noting  in  them  whatever  was 
worthy  of  approval.  To  this  church  of  Ephesus  such  commenda- 
tions are  very  strong.  For  their  good  works,  their  patient  endur- 
ance of  toils  and  opposition,  their  dislike  of  evil  in  its  varied 
forms,  and  their  fidelity  to  the  cause  of  righteousness,  he  gives 
them  such  words  of  praise  as  must  have  been  to  them  most  cheer- 
ing amid  all  they  had  to  endure. 

He  kindly  assured  them  that  he  did  not  stand  aloof  from  them 
in  cold  indifference,  but  that,  moving  in  their  midst  and  looking 
upon  them  with  a  longing  eye,  he  noticed  every  one  of  their  good 
and  loyal  acts.  He  praised  them  in  that  they  were  not  content 
with  mere  purposes,  intentions,  and  resolutions,  but  that  their 
hands  were  continually  filled  with  works  of  benevolence  and 
piety.  They  toiled  earnestly  in  the  cause  which  was  dearest  of 
all  things  to  the  heart  of  Jesus.  No  common  work,  either,  would 
do  in  that  city  so  full  of  heathen  corruption  and  ungodliness. 
Moreover,  they  were  sorely  tried  by  insidious  heresies  that  were 
more  dangerous  than  open  paganism.  The  opposition  of  professed 
but  hyi)()critical  brethren  was  the  worst  of  all.  A  most  devoted 
people  did  the  Master  proclaim  them,  since  they  busied  themselves 
in  these  trying  works,  as  well  as  in  keeping  their  own  piety  in  a 
healthy  state  amid  such  an  uncongenial  atmosphere.  Upon  all 
this  the  eye  of  their  Lord  rested  approvingly,  and  that  with  all 
the  more  loving  regard  as  he  saw  that  they  labored  thus  dili- 
gently not  for  their  own  interest  merely,  but  according  to  his 
words  of  praise:    "For  my  name's  sake." 

He  saw  too,  and  approved,  and  made  special  mention  of  the 
fact,  that  this  severe  and  continued  toil  required  patience— patience 
to  persevere  in  work  which  required  so  much  self-denial,  and 
patience  to  preserve  the  meek  spirit  of  Jesus  amid  such  unjust 
and  cruel  treatment.  They  had  trouble  from  the  wearing  efforts 
the  cause  required ;  from  the  persecutions  of  a  degraded  popu- 
lation without  heart  or  feeling;  and,  worst  of  all,  from  the  wounds 
inflicted  daily  in  the  house  of  friends.  What  a  spirit  of  endurance 
did  all  this  require  and  exhibit !    It  was  a  spirit  sorely  needed  in 


184       INAUGUKAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

that  city  of  dark,  debased,  idolatrous  wickedness.  But  it  existed, 
and  was  noted  by  tlie  loving  Lord  of  the  Church.  The  Glorious 
One  in  the  midst  of  the  candlesticks  applauded  it  and  embalmed 
it  in  everlasting  remembrance. 

Not  only  their  works  of  piety,  but  also  their  very  thoughts  and 
feelings,  were  noted  and  commended  by  the  all-gracious  Son  of 
God,  whose  heart  is  so  tender  toward  all  those  who  are  with  him 
in  purpose  and  effort.  "Thou  canst  not  bear  them  which  are 
evil,"  are  the  considerate  words  by  which  he  further  shows  his 
approbation.  What  marvelous  tenderness  that  he  who  is  so  tran- 
scendently  great  as  by  his  omniscience  to  see  into  the  deepest 
feelings  of  the  soul  should  make  that  soul  glad  by  expressing 
his  approval!  What  a  testimony,  moreover,  is  this  to  the  depth 
of  the  piety  of  those  Ephesians,  seeing  that  they  could  not  even 
bear  the  sight  of  sin,  and  evil  was  odious  before  them,  no  mat- 
ter how  loud  the  profession  or  how  high  the  claims  of  spiritual 
attainments ! 

These  Christians  of  Ephesus  whom  the  Son  of  God  so  warmly 
commends  must  have  had  more  intense  zeal  than  we  have  ordi- 
narily supposed.  It  was  so  genuine  and  so  strong  that  they 
would  not  allow  to  continue  among  them  pretenders  who  made 
high  claims  of  spiritual  gifts — even  the  claim  of  being  apostles. 
As  is  so  often  the  case,  even  in  that  church,  whose  piety  was  so 
warm  and  true,  there  appeared  false  apostles  and  seducers  who 
put  fortli  the  highest  pretences.  These  pretended  apostles  the 
faithful  Ephesians  would  not  suffer  to  remain  among  them  to 
disseminate  their  pestilent  heresies.  Neither  would  they  arbi- 
trarily expel  them.  On  the  contrary,  they  tested  their  claims 
to  be  apostles.  They  tried  their  teachings  by  comparing  them 
with  the  truths  of  the  real  apostles  and  of  the  Lord  himself. 
They  proved  them  by  their  actions,  carefully  examining  whether 
they  were  the  fruits  of  true  godliness. 

The  commendatory  message  from  Him  wiiose  all-seeing  eye 
rested  lovingly  upon  them  was:  "Thou  hast  tried  them  which 
say  they  are  apostles,  and  are  not,  and  hast  found  them  liars." 
This  was  very  high  praise  as  coming  from  the  lips  of  their  Lord. 
It  also  reveals  the  great  sacrifice  this  sifting  process  must  have 
cost  the  youthful  and  inexperienced  church.  Perhaps  some  of 
those  found  hypocrites  had  been  special  friends;  ])erhaps  they 
had  held  posts  of  influence.  No  doubt  their  trial  and  expulsion 
was  a  heavy  blow  to  the  faithful  band,  surrounded  by  enemies 
who  would  turn  the  event  into  a  damaging  scandal  by  exagger- 


THE  HOME  OF  THE  HOLY  THEOLOGIAN.  185 

ated  and  cruel  railings.     Still  they  were  faithful  and  would  not 
be  driven  from  the  post  of  duty. 

But  why  are  these  things  on  record  to  the  praise  of  the  church 
of  Ephesus?  Why  do  they  find  a  place  in  the  messages  to  the 
seven  churches,  and  still  more  in  the  great  book  of  Eevelation 
for  the  world?  We  cannot  help  wondering  at  the  minuteness 
with  which  the  glorious  Lord  of  Zion  presents  every  commend- 
able thing  in  this  one  youthful  church.  We  are  made  to  see  con- 
cerning that  church  God's  loving  regard  of  its  interests,  its  emi- 
nent works  of  piety,  its  patience  in  toil  and  danger,  its  loyalty  to 
the  Master's  name,  its  detestation  of  whatever  is  wrong  and  evil, 
and  its  fidelity  to  what  is  true  and  right.  It  is  not  in  vain  that 
all  these  are  made  to  pass  before  us,  for  then  the  object  of  the 
special  message  to  that  church,  "Thou  hast  left  thy  first  love," 
becomes  more  sadly  conspicuous.  Then,  in  addition  to  this  chief 
•design  of  the  commendations,  we  also  carry  away  from  them  the 
stimulating  assurance  that  all  our  efforts  in  the  gospel  cause  are 
made  under  the  loving  eye  of  the  heavenly  Master,  and  the 
encouraging  prospect  that  he  approves  now,  and  will  applaud 
before  the  grandest  audience  the  universe  will  ever  see,  in  the 
words,  "Well  done,  thou  good  and  faithful  servant." 

7.   COUNSEL   FEOM   GOD. 

What  should  a  people  do  that  have  lost  their  first  love,  and 
whom  the  Spirit  and  providence  of  God  have  led  to  see  their  con- 
dition? Worldly  or  partially  sanctified  wisdom  may  suggest  many 
a  remedy,  such  as  advising  with  friends  who  have  more  experi- 
ence, or  associating  with  those  whose  hearts  are  warmer,  or  break- 
ing away  resolutely  from  the  chilling  influences  which  are  paralyz- 
ing, or  striving  earnestly  after  the  lost  affections  whose  want  is 
so  deeply  felt.  This  is  all  very  well  for  the  wisdom  of  the  world ; 
but  what  saith  the  wisdom  that  cometh  down  from  on  high,  and 
that,  consequently',  never  makes  a  mistake  or  leads  astray?  What 
is  its  counsel?  What  saith  He  who  made  the  heart  of  man,  and 
who  therefore  knows  the  nature  of  all  its  affections,  its  leanings, 
its  springs,  all  the  ways  by  which  it  may  be  influenced,  all  its 
temptations,  all  the  obstacles  in  the  way  of  its  rising  toward  God, 
and  who,  with  more  than  human  compassion,  yearns  over  every 
erring  and  sin-beset  follower?  What  saith  He  upon  whose  every 
counsel  the  soul  may  be  safely  rested?    What  is  his  advice? 

Not,  probably,  that  which  we  would  have  looked  for.  The 
church  of  Ephesus,  in  which  there  had  been  so  much  to  com- 


186       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

mend,  had  left  its  first  love,  and  we  would  have  expected  him 
to  urge  a  renewal  of  that  first  affection.  Not  so,  however,  did 
he  reason  with  them.  On  the  contrary,  he  presses  upon  them 
to  remember,  to  repent,  to  do;  to  do  their  first  works— not  to 
Jeel^  but  to  do.  In  this  counsel  there  were  three  important  ele- 
ments: to  remember,  to  repent,  and  to  do  the  first  works.  There 
is  nothing-  here  about  awakening  or  renewing  the  first  love;  there 
is  nothing  about  feeling:  it  is  all  doing.  How  significant  this  as 
a  personal  experience!  The  love  we  would  have  to  our  Lord  is 
never  to  be  reached  by  a  direct  effort  therefor.  It  is  not  by 
striving  to  feel  that  we  attain  to  the  proper  -affections,  but  by  the 
performance  of  the  duty  enjoined.  This  is  an  important  point 
to  be  kept  in  mind.  The  command  here  to  the  fallen  Ephesians 
is  not  "Feel  your  first  love,"  but  it  is  ^'■Remember,  repent,  do.'^ 
This  advice  is  founded  upon  the  nature  of  the  human  mind  and 
of  sin  and  temptation,  but  especially  has  it  come  down  from  the* 
throne  of  supreme  wisdom  and  authority.  Most  deeply,  therefore, 
should  it  be  pondered  by  every  soul  that  would  rise  to  first,  or 
even  to  far  higher,  spiritual  attainments. 

"Remember  therefore  from  whence  thou  ai"t  fallen:"  this  is 
the  first  step  for  the  returning  church  or  for  the  individual  back- 
slider. It  was  the  course  of  the  returning  prodigal  of  the  parable. 
He  remembered — very  deep  and  painful  were  his  recollections — 
"How  many  hired  servants  of  my  father's  have  bread  enough 
and  to  spare,  and  I  perish  with  hunger."  So  was  it  enjoined 
on  this  church  who.se  first  love  was  gone.  Its  course  was  to  re- 
member the  heights  of  grace  to  which  it  had  once  attained— to 
remember  how  it  had  once  walked  with  its  Lord  in  loving  com- 
munion and  confidence— to  remember  when  and  where  it  had 
first  attained  to  that  rapture  of  affection  which  was  gone, — to 
remember  thus,  so  as  to  kindle  anew  the  desire  of  the  same 
blessed  heights.  Remember,  oh,  remember — it  is  the  advice  of 
your  Lord — how  thou  hast  fallen,  if  not  to  the  same  degree,  in 
the  same  manner  as  the  sad  fall  deplored  on  the  sacred  page: 
"How  art  thou  fallen  from  heaven!" 

"Remember"  is  the  first  step,  and  then  the  second  enjoined 
will  follow— "J2epe/?('."  In  this,  too,  the  prodigal  in  the  parable 
is  our  example— "  He  came  to  himself."  "Repent" — remembrance 
leads  to  godly  sorrow.  The  penitent  lamentation  of  the  soul  or  of 
the  church  then  becomes,  "What  have  I  lost?  What  might  I  have 
been?  Wliat  a  kind,  patient,  loving  Father  have  I  grieved!  It 
well  becomes  me,  and  I  do  abhor  myself  in  dust  and  ashes,  that 


THE  HOME  OF  THE  HOLY  THEOLOGIAN.  187 

I  have  fallen  so  low.  How  can  I  humble  myself  low  enough 
before  that  tender  Lord  whose  heart  I  have  wounded?  Oh,  how 
deeply  I  mourn  that  I  have  shown  such  ingratitude  toward  him, 
even  in  the  house  of  his  friends!" 

The  third  and  final  step  is,  "  Do  the  first  works."  Remember, 
repent,  and  tlien  do.  Of  course,  faith  is  at  the  root  of  all,  but 
this  is  the'  practical,  palpable  course  that  must  be  taken.  "  Do 
the  first  works"  is  the  climax  of  the  recommendation  as  it  was 
given  by  that  heavenly  wisdom  that  cannot  err.  This  is  the  most 
valuable  rule  ever  laid  down  for  a  iDenitent  backslider  as  a  method 
of  getting  back  to  the  heights  of  first  glowing  affection.  It  should 
be  repeatedly  impressed  that  the  counsel  given  is  to  do  the  first 
works,  and  not  to  feel  the  first  feeling.  The  feelings  cannot  be 
excited;  the  doing  may  be  reached.  The  old  affection  will  not 
come  back  at  our  will,  but  to  do  may  be  in  our  power.  "It  is 
possible,  though  there  is  no  virtue  without  faith,  to  gain  faith  by 
virtue."  It  was  in  the  power,  as  it  was  the  duty,  of  the  fallen 
Ephesian  Christians  to  do  their  first  useful,  faithful,  and  patient 
works — the  very  works  which  their  Lord  had  approved,  and  then 
on  them,  while  so  doing,  Mould  come  down  the  divine  blessing 
and  the  old  ardent  love. 

This  point  is  unspeakably  important  and  valuable.  We  want 
a  revival  of  first,  or  even  stronger,  love  in  our  churches.  How 
are  we  to  gain  that  desirable  blessing?  Here  is  the  method  as 
God  himself  has  ordained  it:  no  new  contrivance  or  doubtful 
experiment,  but  simply  to  do  as  has  been  done  before,  but  with 
renewed  and  earnest  fidelity.  No  matter  what  is  said  or  thought 
or  meant  by  the  idea  of  good  works,  here  is  God's  own  plan  for 
securing  a  true  revival.  Let  every  individual  believer,  as  well 
as  the  whole  Church  united,  heed  this.  A  more  momentous,  prac- 
tical thing  for  promoting  the  salvation  of  souls  and  the  upbuilding 
of  Christ's  cause  there  could  not  be.  The  course  we  are  to  take 
in  order  to  reach  these  blessings,  needed  above  all  others,  is  put 
in  a  plain  and  practicable  form.  It  could  not  be  made  more  sim- 
ple and  easy.  It  is  just  as  available  for  one  church,  or  any 
church  or  the  whole  Church,  as  it  was  for  the  Ephesians.  The 
principles  involved  are  the  same.  The  elements  are  the  same 
in  every  respect.  The  blessings  aimed  at,  the  course  to  be  pur- 
sued, and  the  divine  counsel  are  all  alike,  though  the  time  and 
the  people  are  widely  separated.  Blessed  are  we  that  we  have 
such  directions  from  the  lips  of  the  all-perfect  Lord  himself,  and 
that  he  is  "the  same  yesterday,  to-day,  and  for  ever"! 


188  INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

8.   MENACE. 

There  was  a  great  crisis  in  the  condition  of  this  mother-church 
of  the  seven.  As  a  church  it  had  left  the  first  ardor  of  its  love 
to  God,  was  sorely  tempted  by  pretended  apostles,  was  plied  by 
the'  seductions  of  the  Nicolaitans,  and  so  was  on  the  way  to  utter 
apostasy.  In  this  emergency  a  voice  came  to  its  members  from 
the  heavenly  Master,  appealing  to  them  to  remember,  to  repent, 
and  to  turn  to  their  first  faithful  works,  at  the  same  time  offering 
them  the  alternative  of  spiritual  joy  and  prosperity  should  they 
pause  on  their  fatal  descent,  or  of  the  removal  from  them  of 
their  highest  privileges  if  they  should  go  on  in  their  coldness  of 
heart.  The  choice  was  offered  them  with  all  frankness.  Repent, 
and  their  first  love,  with  many  additional  blessings,  would  be 
secured  them;  continue  in  their  sinful  process  of  cooling,  and 
all  their  priceless  privileges  would  be  given  to  others.  In  offering 
them  their  choice  God  was  perfectly  sincere.  He  was  in  earnest 
with  them,  and  one  or  the  other  course  they  must  take.  If  they 
would  not  heed  him,  then  their  love,  their  blessings,  and  their 
glory  must  go  elsewhere.  The  candlestick,  with  its  light,  life, 
and  blessings  immortal,  would  be  removed.  The  alternative  was 
honestly  but  solemnly  laid  before  them.  Most  momentous  was 
the  choice  on  which  their  all  was  suspended,  and  they  could  not 
escape. 

The  immediate  effect  is  not  on  record.  There  is  a  tradition  that 
for  a  brief  season  they  did  heed,  and  rise  partially  from  their  fallen 
state.  Even  this,  liowever,  is  not  certain.  There  is  not  the  least 
evidence  that  the  church  of  Ephesus  did  repent,  and  the  threat- 
ening has  been  most  signally  fulfilled.  Long  since,  the  church 
has  become  utterly  extinct,  and  for  ages  there  was  not  a  single 
professing  Christian  in  Ephesus.  Every  memorial  of  there  having 
been  a  church  there  has  deiDarted,  and  there  are  nowhere,  not  even 
in  Nineveh,  Babylon,  or  Tyre,  more  affecting  demonstrations  of  the 
fulfillment  of  ancient  prophecy  than  in  the  present  state  of  the  ruins 
of  Ephesus. 

The  precise  form  of  the  warning  words,  "I  will  come  unto  thee 
quickly,  and  will  remove  thy  candlestick  out  of  his  place,"  requires 
to  be  more  fully  considered.  Its  meaning  is,  not  that  the  candle- 
stick or  light  of  the  church  would  be  extinguished,  but  that,  with 
all  its  benefits,  it  should  be  removed  elsewhere,  and  leave  darkness 
and  desolation  behind.  The  light  would  not  be  obliterated,  but 
taken  away  and  made  to  illuminate  other  regions.  AVas  there 
some  connection  between  this  form  of  the  threatening  and    the 


THE   HOME  OF  THE   FIOLY  THEOLOGIAN.  189 

scene  sculptured  on  the  Arch  of  Titus,  where  the  sad  procession 
of  captive  Jews  is  beheld  bearing  away  the  golden  candlestick 
from  its  first  location  amid  the  people  of  God?  Certain  it  is  that 
there  is  a  striking  similarity  between  the  form  of  the  threatened 
judgment  and  the  sculptured  scene.  The  candlestick  was  removed : 
Ephesus  is  dark  and  desolate,  while  the  light  shines  on  other 
favored  lands.  The  light  was  removed  from  Ephesus,  and  that  city 
was  left  dark,  dead,  cheerless.  As  the  candlestick  was  removed,  the 
usual  process  of  decay  began,  and  it  has  continued  until  that  once 
great  church  and  city  have  become  venerable  only  for  their  ruins. 
Their  doom  was  a  fearful  one.  The  church  would  not  return  to 
its  first  love,  but  went  on  in  its  downward  career,  and  then  it 
was  as  if  God  had  proclaimed  to  it  in  awful  accents,  "  I  will  re- 
move thy  candlestick,  and  will  deprive  thee  of  gospel  light,  of 
Bibles  which  thou  hast  not  read,  of  Sabbaths  thou  hast  not  kept, 
of  ministers  thou  hast  not  heard,  of  communions  thou  hast  not 
observed,  and  of  liberty  thou  hast  not  valued,  but  abused."  In 
this  way  the  eternal  decree  of  God — "  The  gates  of  hell  shall  not 
prevail  against"  my  Church— was  made  good,  even  while  that 
city  was  left  desolate,  as  if  neither  church  nor  Scriptures  nor  ordi- 
nances had  ever  been  there. 

In  this  language  by  which  the  doom  of  the  Ephesian  church 
was  announced  there  is  an  expression  which  demands  special 
attention:  it  is  the  word  "quickly."  It  is  one  of  those  compre- 
hensive expressions,  sometimes  occurring  in  Scripture,  which  covers 
a  large  field  of  kindred  thought,  all  of  which  it  makes  the  more 
impressive.  It  imports  that  the  threatened  judgment  would  come 
suddenly,  unexpectedly,  when  men  were  not  looking  for  it,  as 
when,  in  the  third  century,  the  Gauls  invaded  the  city,  and  in 
their  wild  rage  laid  the  temple  of  Diana  in  ruins.  Again,  the 
doom  would  come  "quickly;"  for,  even  though  centuries  might 
first  pass  away  amid  the  arrangements  of  the  divine  dispensa- 
tion, the  time  would  not  be  long.  Again,  the  coming  of  the 
fearful  visitation  would  be  "quickly"  when  the  time  would  be 
measured  by  the  ages  of  Jehovah,  with  whom  "one  day  is  as 
a  thousand  years,  and  a  thousand  years  as  one  day,"  and  so  its 
alarms  would  be  as  the  morrow.  Still  furtlier,  the  threatened 
calamities  would  come  "quickly"  in  the  strict  and  literal  sense, 
for  even  then  the  hand  of  God  was  beginning  to  be  bared  in  let- 
ting loose  upon  the  unfaithful  church  the  persecutions  and  other 
evils  that  crushed  thicker  and  heavier  until  it  was  no  more.  In 
all  these  aspects  the  menace  which  the  Ephesians  would  not  heed 


190       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

was  made  the  more  terrible  by  the  certainty  that  it  would  not  be 
delayed  and  could  not  be  averted. 

All  was  exactly  and  fully  accomplished  according  to  the  warn- 
ing from  heaven  from  which  the  infatuated  church  turned  away 
in  disregard.  The  ardor  of  first  affection  became  cooled  ;  the  warn- 
ing words  were  uttered  in  order  to  arrest  them  on  their  down- 
ward course,  but  were  not  heeded.  They  went  on  in  their  fatal 
descent.  Errors  and  corruptions  crept  in  amongst  them,  and  their 
apostasy  continued  with  accelerated  rapidity.  .Judgments  from  the 
hand  of  God,  and  disasters  most  appalling,  made  it  manifest  that 
church  and  city  were  descending  to  inevitable  destruction.  The 
warnings  which  God  had  given  were  beginning  to  be  realized 
in  the  persecutions  of  the  Roman  emperors  Decius,  Gallus,  and 
Valerian.  The  devastations  were  completed  by  Saracens  and 
Turks.  The  fatal  downward  course  was  well  described  by  an- 
other: "In  the  eleventh  century  Ephesus  was  captured  and 
razed  to  the  ground  by  the  Turks,  and  its  present  condition  is 
a  strange  and  startling  contrast  to  its  ancient  pride  of  place.  The 
sea  has  receded  from  its  original  margin;  what  was  once  a  busy 
harbor  is  now  a  dreary  and  desolate  marsh,  and  the  former  extent 
of  the  city  can  be  traced  only  by  a  solitary  watch-tower  and  some 
fragments  of  masonry  on  the  grassy  hill.  Part  of  its  site  is  now 
a  ploughed  field.  When  night  descends,  the  mournful  cry  of  the 
jackal  resounds  where  formerly  arose  the  hum  of  men,  and  the 
night-hawk  and  the  owl  haunt  the  scanty  memorials  of  departed 
greatness.  Of  its  temple  of  Diana  not  a  trace  is  extant.  There 
remain,  indeed,  considerable  ruins  of  the  theatre  which  was  con- 
nected with  so  memorable  an  event  in  Paul's  history.  A  miser- 
able Turkish  village  called  Ayasaluk  is  also  situated  some  distance 
inland ;  and  these  are  all  the  signs  the  stranger  can  discover  of  the 
once  splendid  seat  of  pagan  worship." 

The  doom  from  heaven  was  undeniably  the  ulterior  cause  of  the 
overthrow  of  the  renowned  city  and  the  disappearance  of  all  its 
splendors.  It  was  the  execution  of  God's  righteous  sentence  be- 
cause of  the  people's  apostasy  and  the  consequent  depravity  into 
which  they  had  fallen.  We  have  already  referred  to  the  wrath 
of  man  as  coming  down  upon  them  through  the  persecuting 
emperors,  through  merciless  Saracens,  and  through  the  barbar- 
ous Turks;  but  besides  these  there  were  three  other  agencies 
wliicli  contributed  to  bring  about  its  total  overthrow.  There 
was,  first,  as  we  have  already  stated,  a  strange  blunder  in  en- 
gineering,  whicli,  intended  to  improve  the  channel  of  the  river 


THE  HOME  OF  THE  HOLY   THEOLOGIAN.  191 

Cayster  as  it  entered  the  sea,  in  fact  obstructed  it  more  and  caused 
an  increased  deposit  of  the  sediment  carried  down  by  the  current 
from  the  highlands  of  the  interior,  and  so  gradually  formed  a 
plain,  miles  in  extent,  which'  covered  up  streets,  public  buildings, 
and  temples,  and  in  time  was  turned  into  swamps  first,  and  then 
into  cultivated  fields.  A  second  cause  had  the  same  origin :  it  was 
the  malaria  arising  from  the  swamps  formed  by  the  deposit,  which 
rendered  the  neighborhood  so  unhealthy  that  the  inhabitants  grad- 
ually deserted  an  atmosphere  the  inhaling  of  which  proved  most 
fatal.  The  third  agency  was  the  barbarism  which  led  to  the 
despoiling  of  the  splendid  temple  and  other  buildings,  and  the 
carrying  away  of  masses  of  brass  and  marble  and  precious  stones 
to  be  used  in  ornamenting  the  structures  of  other  cities.  The 
city  harbor  was  accessible  to  every  port  around  the  Mediterranean, 
and  vessels  sailed  from  every  quarter  to  be  loaded  with  its  choicest 
ornaments  and  to  transport  them  to  rising  palaces,  temples,  and 
cathedrals,  some  of  which  are  standing  to  the  present  day. 

Through  these  and  similar  causes  church,  temple,  and  city  have 
been  reduced  to  a  scene  of  utter  ruin  and  desolation,  and  now  form 
a  lasting  and  impressive  evidence  of  the  authenticity  of  the  revealed 
Word.  In  fact,  the  whole  message,  in  connection  with  the  evidence 
of  the  infliction  of  the  threatened  judgment,  is  a  standing  monu- 
ment of  the  divine  justice  and  verity.  That  Ephesus  and  Laod- 
icea,  the  two  cities  against  which  there  are  the  heaviest  charges, 
should  now  be  heaps  of  ruins,  while  Smyrna  and  Philadelphia, 
which  are  approved  without  a  word  of  censure,  should  even  to 
this  day  be  populous  and  flourishing,  are  both  indications  of 
God's  hand  in  the  record  which  the  most  persistent  scepticism 
cannot  ignore.  The  desolations  of  Ephesus  tell  of  the  awful 
reality  of  the  judgments  which  have  been  executed. 

9.   PRESENT   DESOLATIONS. 

Such  is  to-day  the  ruined  and  desolate  condition  of  this  city, 
once  so  renowned  among  the  nations.  Our  regard  for  what  it 
once  was,  for  the  momentous  events  of  the  ages  with  which  it 
was  connected,  and  for  its  strange  history,  excites  our  curiosity 
to  know  all  that  is  within  our  reach  of  its  present  state.  Let 
us  accompany  the  traveler  as  he  wanders  through  its  huge  and 
sometimes  beautiful  ruins. 

We  commence  our  ramble  at  what,  in  the  day  of  its  glory,  was 
the  entrance  to  the  city,  on  the  shore  of  the  sea,  but  is  now  three 
miles  in  from  the  beach.    Our  face  is  toward  the  east,  and  behind 


192       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

us  the  three  miles  of  marsh  or  fruitful  land  which  separates  us  from 
the  waters  of  the  ^Egean.  Around  us  spreads  the  morass  which 
was  once  the  harbor  where  many  a  proud  galley  of  Greece  and 
many  a  stately  trireme  of  Rome  once  rode  in  beauty.  We  gain 
the  spot  where  were  the  quay  and  the  entrance  of  the  city  gate. 
Away  to  the  right  are  the  heights  now  crowned  by  the  huge 
mass  of  the  ruined  modern  fort,  on  climbing  to  which  we  jjass  the 
quarries,  still  dripping  from  hidden  springs,  and  with  marks  of  the 
old  workmen  who  quarried  the  snow-white  marble  that  gleamed  in 
temples  and  palaces.  Behind  us,  around  us,  and  on  all  the  plains 
which  the  eye  can  reach  there  are  marshes  or  cultivated  fields 
on  which  the  crops  of  grain  are  waving  beneath  the  breezes  that 
sweep  up  from  the  sea.  The  swamps  along  the  margins  of  the 
winding  Cayster,  and  the  muddy  pools  which  had  been  scooped 
out  by  the  tides,  are  filled  with  reeds  and  reeking  with  malaria. 
Yonder  the  river  creeps  lazily  along  toward  the  sea,  in  the  same 
crooked  path  it  has  pursued  since  the  days  of  Alexander  and  the 
Amazons. 

We  stray  onward,  still  toward  the  east,  over  the  course  where  in 
other  days  crowds  entered  the  splendid  city,  and  ascend  the  ruins 
of  the  stadium,  or  race-course,  into  which  tens  of  thousands  once 
gathered  to  witness  the  games,  or  as  runners  to  press  toward  the 
goal,  or  as  boxers  to  take  laart  in  the  brutal  contests,  or  as  char- 
ioteers to  lash  the  foaming  steeds,  or  to  partake  in  other  of  the 
pagan  strifes.  Close  by  us,  on  the  declivity  of  the  mountain, 
spreads  out  the  space  covered  by  the  forum,  on  which,  in  imagi- 
nation, we  hear  masterpieces  of  Grecian  oratory  once  delivered 
where  the  silence  of  desolation  now  reigns  supreme.  We  bend 
a  little  toward  the  right,  or  south,  and  come  upon  the  ruins  of 
the  great  theatre  which  was  the  scene  of  the  turmoil  about  "  Diana 
of  the  Ephesians."  This  theatre  is  the  largest  structure  of  the 
kind,  save  one,  that  has  come  down  to  us  from  all  antiquity. 
How  vividly  comes  up  to  our  imagination  the  raging  of  the 
pagan  mob  as  for  two  hours  they  cry  out,  "Great  is  Diana  of 
the  Ephesians  I  Great  is  Diana  of  the  Ephesians!"  We  can 
almost  see  Paul  struggling  to  tear  himself  away  from  his  friends, 
that  even  to  that  raging  crowd  he  may  tell  of  Christ  and  him 
crucified. 

Still  climbing  up  eastward  amid  the  ruins,  through  broken  blocks 
of  marble  and  crumbling  wnUs  and  thickets  of  trees,  we  reach  the 
summit  of  Mount  Coressus  and  obtain  a  view  of  the  half-buried 
ruins  which  extend  on  every  hand.    AVe  look  out  from  its  summit 


THE  HOME  OF  THE  HOLY   THEOLOGIAN.  193 

over  the  confused  morass  which  was  once  the  harbor  where  Aquila 
and  Priscilla  landed.  We  visit  in  its  deep  recesses  the  dripping 
marble-quarries,  where  the  marks  of  the  tools  are  still  visible. 
Below  is  the  agora,  through  which  the  mob  rushed  to  the  well- 
known  place  of  meeting.  Toward  the  right,  we  descend  into  a 
valley  that  sweeps  around  from  west  to  east,  on  a  ruin-covered 
space  where  was  the  market  square,  where  the  throng  of  buying 
and  selling  and  the  hum  of  business  were  so  often  heard,  Down 
the  declivity  we  stray,  over  the  valley,  then  up  the  rocky  slope 
of  Mount  Prion  and  to  its  summit  covered  with  thickets,  and 
we  have  reached  the  southern  limit.  Here  we  come  upon  a  soli- 
tary watch-tower  on  the  line  of  the  great  wall,  whose  course, 
over  hills  and  valleys,  by  rivers  and  streams  and  bridges,  marks 
the  extent  of  the  city  and  its  grandeur  in  the  day  of  its  glory. 

The  eye  sweeps  north-eastward,  and  on  one  of  the  lower  spurs 
of  Prion  is  seen  a  shapeless  mass  of  marble  fragments  where  stood 
the  Odeon,  or  temple  of  music,  in  which  celebrated  poets  rehearsed 
their  verses,  and  strains  of  music  reverberated  through  the  halls. 
A  little  beyond  this,  and  up  the  slope  of  Prion,  there  is  a  solitary 
monument  which  has  stood  for  centuries,  marking,  tradition  says, 
the  spot  where  rests  the  dust  of  Paul's  companion,  the  beloved 
physician  Luke.  A  close  inspection  of  the  outlines  of  the  heaps 
upon  heaps  of  fragments  of  marble  strewn  over  the  whole  region 
discloses  certain  lines  of  streets  converging  to  one  important  point 
at  the  extreme  north-east.  That  point  is  no  doubt  where  the  tem- 
ple of  Diana  stood,  and  these  were  the  avenues  leading  to  it  from 
every  part  of  the  city.  Immense  modern  excavations  indicate  the 
precincts  of  the  structure,  the  first  wonder  of  the  world.  The 
accumulating  mud  of  centuries  has  buried  it,  so  that  it  is  now 
a  scene  of  utter  confusion ;  but  it  is  the  most  impressive  spot 
of  all,  and  we  wander  over  it  almost  in  awe.  Only  a  few  yards 
farther  still,  and  we  come  upon  a  cluster  of  hovels,  constructed 
of  mud  and  elegant  fragments  of  marble,  which  contain  a  few 
dozens  of  people— all  the  population  that  remains  of  the  once 
mighty  Ephesus.  Its  name  is  Ayasaluk— a  name  that  perpetu- 
ates the  memory  of  the  holy  theologian,  the  disciple  whom  Jesus 
loved.  That  wretched  village  and  those  mysterious  fragments 
are  all  that  remain  as  witnesses  of  the  folly  of  those  who,  by 
sufTering  their  first  love  to  wane,  caused  the  light  of  God's  can- 
dlestick to  be  removed  from  them  for  ever.  We  have  reached 
the  northern  boundary  of  the  ruined  city ;  our  feet  are  upon  the 
heights  of  Castle  Hill,  from  which  one  look  westward  toward  the 
13 


194      INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

sea  reveals  the  iiestilential  marshes  and  the  windings  of  the  slug- 
gish river.  Another  look  southward,  and  the  panorama  of  broken 
walls  and  arches,  of  confused  hills  and  valleys,  and  of  ruined  tem- 
ples, theatres,  and  palaces  stretches  on  every  side;  another  look 
toward  the  east,  and  we  behold  the  strange  spectacle  of  a  road 
of  iron  stretching  away  into  the  distant  landscape,  and  we  hear 
a  sound  as  it  were  struggling  to  wake  up  the  centuries — that  of 
the  locomotive,  whose  screams  are  re-echoed  from  broken  walls 
and  tottering  temples  and  confused  hill-sides.  The  whole  scene 
produces  a  jumble  of  sights  and  sounds,  mingling  the  wonders 
of  the  past  with  the  dreams  of  the  future  in  a  manner  that  urges 
us  to  fall  down  in  gratitude  that  the  management  of  all  is  in  the 
hands  of  Him  who  is  "the  same  yesterday,  to-day,  and  for  ever." 

10.   THE  CONQUEEOES. 

One  of  the  many  remarkable  things  which  fix  the  attention  in 
the  study  of  these  messages  is  that  in  each  of  them,  in  connection 
with  a  promise,  is  found  the  expression  "him,"  or  he,  "that 
overcometh."  The  expression  is  too  remarkable  in  itself,  and  too 
striking  as  a  part  of  all  the  messages,  not  to  have  had  a  special 
purpose.  As  we  come  upon  it  here,  for  the  first  time,  in  this  open- 
ing message,  we  shall  consider  it  once  for  all. 

That  it  was  an  element,  and  an  important  element,  in  the  beacon 
of  the  ages  becomes  more  and  more  obvious  the  more  it  is  pondered 
— as  it  is  also  clearly  an  essential  part  of  each  message.  The  over- 
coming, of  course,  presupposes  a  contest;  and,  occurring  in  each 
message,  it  forewarns  the  whole  Church  that  such  scenes  of  con- 
test might  be  expected  as  a  feature  in  the  career  of  the  Church 
in  all  the  future.  If  there  would  be  victories,  there  would  cer- 
tainly first  be  contests.  It  is  worthy  of  attention  that,  in  an  alto- 
gether difl'erent  connection,  this  same  Ephesian  church  is  admon- 
ished of  the  necessity  of  being  equipped  for  the  spiritual  war. 
There  the  call  is :  "  Put  on  the  whole  armor  of  God,  that  ye 
may  be  able  to  stand  against  the  wiles  of  the  devil.  For  we 
wrestle  not  against  flesh  and  blood,  but  against  principalities, 
against  powers,  against  the  rulers  of  the  darkness  of  this  world, 
against  spiritual  wickedness  in  high  places.  Wherefore  take  unto 
you  the  whole  armor  of  God,  that  ye  may  be  able  to  with.stand 
in  the  evil  day,  and  having  done  all,  to  stand."  This  was  to  the 
Ephesians;  but  similar  warnings  are  found  in  other  parts  of  the 
divine  Word.  It  is  significantly  intimated  in  such  passages  as: 
"In  the  world  ye  shall  have  tribulation:   but  be  of  good  cheer; 


THE  HOME  OF  THE  HOLY   THEOLOGIAN.  195 

I  have  overcoyne  the  world;''''  and,  "I  write  unto  you,  young  men, 
because  ye  Imve  overcome  the  wicked  one;''''  and,  "Whatsoever  is 
born  of  God  overcometh  the  world:  and  this  is  the  victory  that  over- 
cometh  the  ivorld,  even  our  faitli ;"  and  still  more  frankly  are  we 
cautioned:  "Yea,  and  all  that  will  live  godly  in  Christ  Jesus  shall 
suffer  persecution."  The  sacred  pages  are  filled  with  such  warn- 
ings.   The  whole  Church  is  admonished  of  coming  contests. 

All  these  are  God's  monition  to  Christians  that  before  them 
there  is  a  life  of  opposition  as  they  pursue  their  heavenward 
course.  They  tell  of  struggles  many  and  sore  which  they  must 
encounter  if  they  would  walk  worthy  of  the  vocation  wherewith 
they  are  called.  The  very  enemies  that  must  be  encountered  are 
named.  The  first  strife  is  with  the  world,  which  is  opposed  to 
God  as  constantly  and  as  bitterly  as  might  be  expected  from  a 
realm  which  is  in  open  rebellion  against  the  heavenly  throne. 
The  second  strife  is  with  the  flesh,  the  description  of  which  is 
that  it  is  enmity  itself  against  God.  The  third  strife  is  with  the 
devil,  an  enemy  cunning,  cruel,  mighty,  of  whom  God  himself 
warns  us  that  "  as  a  roaring  lion  he  walketh  about,  seeking  whom 
he  may  devour." 

Who,  unassisted,  could  stand  in  contests  with  these?  That  these 
and  similar  foes  do  carry  on  a  constant  warfare  with  the  cause  and 
people  of  God  we  have  terrible  evidence  on  wellnigh  every  page 
of  the  Church's  history.  Their  opposition  is  incessant  and  un^- 
bounded  in  its  intensity.  We  read  it  in  the  annals  of  persecu- 
tion bloody  and  remorseless.  We  see  it  in  wanton  assaults  which 
have  never  failed  to  be  made  on  the  people  of  God  in  seasons  of 
special  religious  awakening  and  progress.  We  cannot  help  seeing 
it  this  day  in  the  cold-hearted  efforts  of  infidelity  to  tear  away 
from  us  all  that  is  dear  and  hopeful  and  loving  in  our  holy  relig- 
ion— and  that  without  a  cause.  These  are  contests  forced  upon 
the  people  of  God  that  can  be  seen ;  but  how  many  and  dreadful 
that  mortal  eye  never  saw  and  that  a  thoughtless  world  never 
imagined  ! 

The  beacon  light  flashes  out  over  nations  and  ages,  and  the  inter- 
pretation of  this  signal  held  out  to  all  is — solemn,  clear,  glorious — 
"  We  must  through  much  tribulation  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God.'''' 
"  We  must  through  much  tribulation  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God^ 
In  that  matchless  care  which  provides  for  our  every  want  our  lov- 
ing Lord  holds  out  from  his  heavenly  throne  the  signal  that  warns 
of  every  struggle.  In  loving  consideration  he  would  thus  notify 
his  people  of  what  they  must  expect  in  his  service.    He  would  set 


196       INAUGUEAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

up  the  beacon  to  warn  of  the  coming  storm.  He  gives  to  this 
feature  of  the  Church's  coming  destiny  a  significant  emphasis. 
His  gracious  design  was  that  his  people  should  not  be  taken  by 
surjjrise  when  the  time  of  contest  came,  but  that,  being  warned, 
equipped,  and  expectant,  they  should  be  able  to  stand,  to  con- 
quer, to  be  more  than  conquerors  through  Him  that  loved  them. 
He  holds  out  to  his  people  exceeding  great  and  precious  promises 
— promises  that  are  varied  in  character,  and  each  of  which  is  more 
precious  than  that  which  precedes  it,  but  each  of  which  is  connected 
with  their  overcoming,  and  hence  with  a  struggle  that  preceded. 
He  notifies  of  the  coming  struggle,  but  always  cheers  by  the  assur- 
ance of  victory.  The  warning  of  the  contest  is  given  through  the 
assurance  of  the  overcoming  of  all  enemies,  for  which  he  would 
impart  strength  to  his  faithful  servants.  And  the  overcoming 
itself  is  the  prelude  to  the  most  blessed  reward  of  which  heart 
can  conceive.  Hence  duty,  Interest,  Christian  courage — every  high 
and  holy  motive — summon  us  to  be  faithful  in  that  good  fight 
of  faith.  In  the  well-weighed  words  of  Henry,  the  best  of  com- 
mentators, "The  Christian  life  is  a  warfare  against  sin,  Satan,  the 
world,  and  the  flesh.  It  Is  not  enough  that  we  engage  in  this  war- 
fare, but  we  must  pursue  it  to  the  end ;  we  must  never  yield  to  our 
spiritual  enemies,  but  fight  the  good  fight  till  we  gain  the  victory, 
as  all  persevering  Christians  shall  do ;  and  the  warfare  and  victory 
shall  have  a  glorious  triumph  and  reward.  That  which  is  here 
promised  to  the  victors  is  that  'they  shall  eat  of  the  tree  of  life, 
which  is  in  the  midst  of  the  paradise  of  God.' " 

11.  TEEE  OF   LIFE. 

Such  is  the  promise  to  the  victors  made  in  this  gracious  message 
from  our  Lord.  He  himself  would  give  it,  for  he  declares:  '■'■Twill 
give  to  eat  of  the  tree  of  life,  which  is  in  the  midst  of  the  paradise 
of  God."  He  would  depute  no  saint  or  angel  for  this  welcome 
service,  but  would  honor  the  victor  by  communicating  it  with  his 
own  hand.  He  would  give  it  freely,  not  because  the  recipients 
had  purchased  it  or  merited  it,  but  because  he  had  purchased  it 
for  his  faithful  followers,  and  as  the  reward  to  them,  he  would 
bestow  it.  He,  the  divine  JNIediator,  would  bestow  the  blessing. 
There  is  meaning  in  it  that  Christ,  the  Captain  of  our  salvation, 
would  be  the  special  benefactor,  and  not  God  the  Father.  Else- 
where it  is  declared  that  eternal  life  is  the  gift  of  God.  Here, 
however,  it  is  represented  as  coming  from  the  Son,  our  Mediator, 
through   whom  and  for  whose  sake  the  purchased  blessing  is  be- 


THE  PIOME  OF  THE  HOLY  THEOLOGIAN.  197 

stowed  upon  those  for  whom  his  blood  was  slied.  His  death  was 
life  immortal  to  those  who  shall  be  saved  by  him.  The  gift,  com- 
ing from  his  hands,  tells  of  the  price  at  which  it  was  purchased, 
and  gives  assurance  that  never  shall  it  be  taken  away  from  its 
recipients.  Glorious  thought!  this  priceless  gift  is  from  the  all- 
honored  Son  of  the  Most  High,  our  enthroned  King! 

"I  will  give  to  eat  of  the  tree  of  life."  This  gift  promised  to 
the  faithful  Ephesian  Christians  is  worthy  of  special  attention, 
inasmuch  as  it  has  some  features  which  are  common  to  the  gifts 
promised  to  all  the  other  churches.  This  is  chiefly  observable 
in  that  in  every  case  there  is  a  similarity  between  the  sacrifice 
made  and  the  gift  promised.  The  Ephesians  proved  their  loyalty 
to  their  Lord  by  refusing  to  eat  of  the  idol  feasts,  and  lience  the 
promise  made  them  is  that  they  would  be  permitted  to  eat  of  the 
tree  of  life.  So  dear  to  them  was  their  Master,  that  for  his  sake 
they  faced  the  scorn  of  men ;  then  he  would  honor  them  by  the 
first,  the  greatest,  blessing  secured  by  the  sacrifice  of  his  life  for 
men.  Most  significant  is  it  that  this  fird  gift  that  God  engages 
to  bestow  on  his  faithful  people  was  that  which  had  been  lost  in 
the  Fall.  The  Fall  had  closed  the  gates  of  Eden  against  the  tree 
of  life.  That  same  tree  is  the  first  object  that  is  offered  when 
Christ  has  opened  the  gates  by  his  sufferings  unto  death.  All  is 
conducted  according  to  an  eternal,  all-glorious  plan. 

Moreover,  those  faithful  believers  denied  themselves  in  the 
heathen  feasts;  now  they  are  honored  in  the  prospect  of  being 
admitted  to  the  feast  of  God's  paradise.  The  curse  is  removed, 
the  flaming  sword  is  taken  away,  the  gates  are  flung  open,  and 
they  are  granted  free  access  to  that  which  is  the  beginning  and 
fountain  of  all  the  pleasures  which  heart  can  desire.  Sin  shut 
them  out  from  the  favor  of  God;  the  death  of  Christ  opened 
the  way  for  them   to  return. 

The  tree  of  life  is  the  promise  here  made;  and  what  this  was 
we  may  learn  from  contemplating  that  tree  of  Eden  in  all  its 
beauty  and  fragrance  and  fruitfulness— the  chief  object  in  the  gar- 
den of  delights.  We  can  form  some  idea  of  what  that  promise 
implied  if  we  imagine  how  pure  and  wise  and  happy  our  first 
parents  must  have  been  before  they  were  fatally  tempted  into 
the  first  dreadful  sin.  Had  Adam  not  sinned,  he  would  have 
been  confirmed  in  perfect  holiness  and  blessedness  and  wisdom. 
All  that  heart  could  desire  would  have  been  his.  He  would  then 
have  eaten  of  the  free  of  life  which  was  in  the  midst  of  the  gar- 
den, and  this  w'ould  have  been  his  confirmation  in  his  holy  and 


198       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

happy  state.  That  confirmed  original  state  of  our  first  parents 
was  an  image  of  what  was  embraced  in  the  promise  of  the  tree 
of  life;  the  glorious  description  in  the  closing  scenes  of  Revela- 
tion is  a  sure  promise  of  what  God  lias  in  store  for  those  who 
shall  love  him  to  the  end.  Without  presumption  or  vanity  may 
every  faithful  soul  say  of  God:  "He  shewed  me  a  pure  river  of 
water  of  life,  clear  as  crystal,  proceeding  out  of  the  throne  of 
God  and  of  the  Lamb.  In  the  midst  of  the  street  of  it,  and  on 
either  side  of  the  river,  was  there  the  tree  of  life,  which  bare 
twelve  manner  of  fruits,  and  yielded  her  fruit  every  month ;  and 
the  leaves  of  the  tree  were  for  the  healing  of  the  nations."  The 
tree  of  life! — a  faint  image  of  it  have  we  in  the  Eden  of  Adam's 
innocency ;  but  it  is  beheld  in  its  i^erfection  in  this  vision  of  the 
beloved  seer  in  Patmos.  All  this  was  embraced  in  the  promise  to 
the  believers  of  Ephesus  who  should  return  to  their  first  love  and 
be  true  to  their  Lord  amid  the  temptations  and  dangers  which 
would  surely  come.  They  should  be  permitted  to  eat  of  the  tree 
of  life,  and,  as  a  result,  should  thereafter  enjoy  immortal  vigor 
and  eternal  youth. 

Still  richer  w^ould  be  the  blessedness  in  store  for  the  faithful 
conquerors— even  that  of  enjoying  the  tree  of  life  in  the  midst 
of  the  paradise  of  God.  Paradise! — this  is  a  word  borrowed  from 
the  delights  of  earth.  It  opens  up  to  us  parks  of  delight,  gardens, 
pleasure-grouds,  lovely  in  aspect,  cultivated  in  beauty,  and  filled 
with  whatever  heart  can  desire.  Every  imagination  with  which 
it  fills  the  soul  is  fraught  with  buoyant  health  and  enchanting 
beauty  and  pleasure  beyond  the  grasp  of  thought.  All  these 
images  it  is  doubtless  legitimate  to  use,  in  their  full  richness  of 
thought,  to  describe  what  God  has  in  store  for  the  faithful  victors. 
These  are  conceptions  of  paradise  which  come  from  the  languages 
of  earth ;  l)ut  the  reality  as  asserted  in  the  inspired  Word  is  richer 
still.  Even  with  all  this  aid  we  cannot  fully  imagine  the  blessed- 
ness of  the  jiaradise  of  God.  Come  there  to  us  all  sometimes 
dreams  of  youthful  bliss,  mystic  visions  of  fresh  morning  bright- 
ness, meadows  perfumed  with  dewy  flowers,  rapturous  music  of 
birds,  companions  spotless  in  aff*ection  and  innocence,  ethereal  bliss 
in  M'hich  the  soul  revels, — come  there  such  transporting  visions 
of  youthful  days  as  these?  Even  these  come  short  of  the  reality, 
for  "eye  hath  not  seen,  nor  ear  heard,  neither  have  entered 
into  the  lieart  of  man,  the  things  which  God  hath  prepared  for 
them   that  love  him." 


SMYRNA. 


THE  QUEEN  OF  THE  LEVANT. 


THE  MESSAGE. 

And  unto  the  angel  of  the  church  in  Smyrna  write :  Tliese  things  saitli  the 
first  and  the  last,  which  was  dead,  and  is  alive ; 

I  know  thy  works,  and  tribulation,  and  poverty,  (but  thou  art  rich,)  and  I 
know  the  blasphemy  of  them  which  say  they  are  Jews,  and  are  not,  but  are  the 
synagogue  of  Satan. 

Fear  none  of  those  things  which  thou  shalt  suffer:  behold,  the  devil  shall 
cast  some  of  you  into  prison,  that  ye  may  be  tried  ;  and  ye  shall  have  tribulation 
ten  days :  be  thou  faithful  unto  death,  and  I  will  give  thee  a  crown  of  life. 

He  that  hath  an  ear,  let  him  hear  what  the  Spirit  saith  unto  the  churches; 
He  that  overcometh  shall  not  be  hurt  of  the  second  death. 


CHAPTER    IX. 
THE  QUEEN  OF  THE  LEVANT. 

1.    SUBSTANCE  OF  THE  MESSAGE. 

The  central,  comprehensive  point  of  the  message  to  the  church 
of  Smyrna  is  in  these  words :  "  Behold,  the  devil  shall  cast  some 
of  you  into  prison,  that  ye  may  be  tried."  This  is  the  one  idea 
that  pervades  it  all,  giving  full  and  faithful  warning  that  the  en- 
durance of  persecution  would  be  a  distinctive  feature  of  the  life  of 
that  church.  The  language  of  the  message  presents  this  alarm- 
ing prospect  with  great  vividness.  The  first  word  awakens  to 
it  the  most  solemn  attention—"  behold."  This  suflFering  would 
be  an  essential  feature,  a  peculiarity  of  that  church's  life,  as  the 
time  and  the  place  and  the  form  of  the  message  all  make  most 
certain.  Not  only  would  they  be  persecuted,  but  bitterly,  cruelly 
persecuted,  for  the  great  enemy  would  be  the  devil,  the  prince 
of  all  evil,  who  would  exert  his  malignant  power.  The  great 
providential  design  of  the  persecutions  is  clearly  indicated.  It 
would  be  to  "try"  them,  and  so  to  preserve  their  faith  and  to 
purify  them.  He  "shall  cast  some  of  you  into  prison,  that  ye 
may  be  tried."  To  purify  and  to  strengthen,  and  not  to  destroy, 
w^as  the  ultimate  aim  in  the  plans  of  Him  whose  dominion  is 
supreme. 

This  warning—"  Behold,  the  devil  shall  cast  some  of  you  into 
prison,  that  ye  may  be  tried"— we  must  carry  with  us  as  the 
substance  of  the  whole  message.  Everything  bears  upon  this 
and  is  explained  by  it.  It  gives  color  and  meaning  to  every 
other  point.  By  carrying  it  with  us  we  shall  be  able  to  settle 
the  meaning  and   peculiarity   of  all. 

The  name,  "  the  first  and  the  last,  which  was  dead  and  is  alive," 
here  given  to  the  Son  of  God  was  significant  because,  all  the  rela- 
tions of  time  standing  before  him,  and  he  having  been  himself 
put  to  death  by  persecution,  he  could  limit  the  wrath  of  the  enemy 
as  well  as  sympathize  with  his  people  in  their  sufferings.  We  can 
also  see  that  he  commended  them  for  their  past  fidelity  to  him, 
and  strengthened  them  for  the  trials  which  still  lay  before  them ; 

201 


202       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

that  he  nerved  them  for  the  coming  struggles  by  the  kind  words, 
"Fear  none  of  those  things  which  thou  shalt  suffer,"  and  by  tlie 
promise  that  could  not  fail:  "Be  thou  faithful  unto  death,  and 
I  will  give  thee  a  crown  of  life;"  and  that  he  cheered  them  on 
by  the  stimulating  hope  that  if  they  should  bravely  overcome, 
they  would  certainly  not  be  hurt  by  the  second  death.  Thus  the 
whole  message  receives  its  character  from  this  one  central  point. 
It  is  the  key  that  unlocks  its  meaning  and  lets  us  into  its  richest 
arcana.  The  light  which  this  message  flashes  forward  over  all 
the  future  makes  it  manifest  that  suffering  for  Christ's  sake  would 
be  an  invariable  characteristic  of  the  gospel's  future  course.  It 
is  a  prophetic  announcement  of  the  solenm  fact  to  which  we  can- 
not close  our  eyes — a  fact  of  experience  as  well  as  of  divine  warn- 
ing—that "The  only  method  by  which  religious  truth  can  be 
established  in  the  world  is  by  martyrdom."  This  is  the  substance 
of  our  message.  With  this  key  in  our  hands  we  proceed  to  attempt 
to  open  the  various  parts  of  this  communication  from  the  throne 
of  God. 

2.   NOTABLE  CITY. 

In  ancient  times  Smyrna  was  considered,  in  greatness,  as  the 
second  city  in  proconsular  Asia,  Ephesus  being  the  first.  It  was 
one  of  the  eyes  of  that  good  land,  the  other  being  Ephesus.  For 
at*  least  two  centuries  it  was  regarded  as  the  chief  commercial 
city  of  the  world.  In  all  Ionia  there  was  no  city  so  rich  and  so 
beautiful  as  it  was.  So  splendid  was  it  among  the  habitations 
of  mankind,  that  it  was  compared  to  myrrh,  and  bore  that  name 
— Smyrna.  Tlie  various  names  given  to  it  and  the  symbols  used 
to  describe  it  reveal  the  high  estimation  in  which  it  was  held 
at  the  time  of  its  greatest  prosperity.  By  the  Turks,  who  were 
familiar  with  it  even  after  it  had  somewhat  declined  from  its 
original  grandeur,  it  was  called  Giaour  Imir — "  Infidel  Smyrna." 
This  was  their  estimate  of  it,  because  of  its  steadfast  adherence 
to  the  religion  of  Christ.  The  old  Greeks,  seeing  it  in  its  prime, 
termed  it  the  "Crown  of  Ionia,"  because  of  its  eminence  above 
all  other  cities.  To  the  Italians  of  subsequent  days  it  was  the 
"  Flower  of  the  Levant."  Quite  significantly,  by  French  travelers 
of  a  still  later  day  it  was  described  as  the  "  Miniature  Paris  of  the 
East."  Still  more  generally,  because  of  its  splendor,  was  it  termed 
the  "Ornament  of  Asia."  By  a  yet  more  honorable  class  of  ad- 
mirers it  bore  the  appellation  of  the  "Martyr  City,"  because  with 
the  best  of  its  blood  it  had  sealed  its  testimony  for  Christ  and  his 
salvation.    "Infidel  Smyrna,"  "Crown  of  Ionia,"  "Flower  of  the 


THE  QUEEN  OF  THE  LEVANT.  203 

Levant,"  "Paris  of  the  East,"  "Ornament  of  Asia,"  "Martyr 
City,"— great  and  greatly  renowned  must  have  been  the  city 
which  called  forth  such  plaudits  as  these  from  so  many  lands 
and  so  many  different  peoples.  This  great  esteem  in  which  the 
city  was  held  should  be  taken  into  account,  for  it  served  to  give 
the  greater  weight  to  the  message  from  heaven  with  which  it 
stood  associated. 

The  communication  which  was  sent  to  such  a  city  must  have 
been  one  of  vast  importance.  The  whole  world  would  receive 
with  the  more  alacrity  a  charge  which  had  first  been  sounded 
in  the  ears  of  a  people  so  renowned.  The  extensive  commercial 
intercourse  of  the  city  would  carry  the  message  over  all  lands. 
These  words  of  the  ascended  Son  of  man  were  uttered  not  in  a 
corner,  but  to  a  community  large,  intelligent,  and  influential.  A 
city  so  renowned  must  have  been  one  of  extraordinary  influence, 
and  all  that  influence  would  go  with  the  message  it  was  the  first 
to  receive  on  its  career  of  mercy  throughout  the  nations. 

Smyrna  is  mentioned  in  Scripture  nowhere  else  than  here,  and 
even  this  solitariness  would  make  the  more  impressive  the 
mission  for  which  it  was  intended.  Mentioned  but  once,  what 
traveler  can  behold  it  seated  on  the  shore  of  the  beautiful  iEgean, 
with  its  sjilendid  harbor,  its  smiling  adjacent  fields,  and  its  noble 
overshadowing  hills,  and  wonder  that  it  should  have  received  the 
honorable  title  of  the  queen  of  the  Levant f  "Ten  times  has  the 
'ornament  of  Asia'  been  laid  waste  by  the  torch  of  the  invader, 
and  ten  times  has  she  risen  from  her  ashes,  each  time  not  less 
beautiful  than  before,  till  now  she  stands  the  undisputed  queen 
of  the  Levant,  an  immense  city,  with  its  roofs  glittering  in  the 
clear  sunlight  of  the  East,  rising  tier  bej'ond  tier  from  the  shore 
to  the  bold  hills  behind,  and  a  harbor  crowded  with  the  shipping 
of  the  Western  nations,  tlie  flagstatfs  of  the  foreign  consuls  along 
the  shore,  the  minarets  and  cypresses  in  this  meeting-place  of 
many  languages,  creeds,  and  costumes,  making  us  mindful  of  the 
changes  which  have  occurred  in  this  region  since  the  martyrdom 
of  Polycarp.  And  this  consciousness  of  a  new  state  of  things  cul- 
minates when  we  notice  the  railways  which  now  connect  Smyrna 
with  the  interior  of  the  country." 

3.   LOCATION  OF  THE   CITY. 

There  was  no  other  city  of  its  day  so  favorably  located  for  the 
commerce  of  the  world  as  this.  Situated  on  the  very  best  seaport 
of  the  whole  ^Egean,  it  had  access  to  all  the  cities  which  lined  the 


204       IXAUGUEAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

coasts  of  the  Mediterraneiiii.  An  unobstructed  pathway  over  that 
sea  h\y  before  the  vessels  that  would  reach  it  from  Joppa,  the  har- 
bor connecting  with  the  holy  city  of  Jerusalem ;  from  Alexandria, 
into  which  emptied  the  treasures  of  the  Nile;  from  Pirteus,  the 
entrance  to  the  splendid  gates  of  Athens;  from  Ostia,  where 
crowded  the  ships  that  brought  the  riches  of  the  world  to  Rome ; 
from  Massilia,  or  Marseilles,  at  that  day  the  chief  port  of  Gaul; 
from  the  mouths  of  the  streams  that  lead  up  to  Tarsus  and  Antioch 
and  many  other  cities;  from  the  islands  of  the  Grecian  Archipel- 
ago; from  the  Tuscan  Sea;  from  the  shores  of  Mauritania;  from 
the  pillars  of  Hercules ;  and  from  the  Straits  of  Byzantium. 

These  were  the  sources  of  its  commerce  from  the  regions  of  the 
sea;  but  it  also  extended  its  trade  on  the  other  side,  far  inward 
over  the  plains  and  rivers  and  mountains  of  boundless  fertility. 
It  was  the  natural  outlet  for  the  produce  of  the  valley  of  the 
Hermus  as  well  as  the  adjacent  lands.  Vast  caravans  brought 
into  it  the  grain,  lumber,  fruits,  dyes,  wines,  metals,  cattle,  flax, 
and  other  articles  which  the  fertile  country  produced  in  immense 
quantities. 

All  the  activities  of  the  city,  political,  religious,  moral,  and 
intellectual,  sent  back  their  influences  to  every  town  and  country 
from  which  the  material  stores  were  gathered.  From  all  these 
causes  Smyrna  was  eminently  the  commercial  city  of  antiquity. 
Neither  Jerusalem,  the  earthly  birthi)lace  of  Christianity,  nor 
Rome,  the  capital  of  the  empire  of  the  civilized  world,  nor  Athens, 
the  splendid  home  of  the  earth's  highest  culture,  nor  Alexandria, 
the  emporium  of  the  riches  of  Egypt,  nor  even  Ephesus,  its  sister 
capital  of  proconsular  Asia,  was  in  this  respect  the  equal  of  Smyrna. 
A  most  stirring  scene  must  that  city  have  presented  when  at  the 
summit  of  its  greatness,  attracting  to  its  ports  and  gates  ships  from 
all  countries,  caravans  from  the  banks  of  the  Euphrates  and  the 
Tigris,  merchants  in  every  department  of  enterprise,  adv^enturers 
and  men  of  the  greatest  activity  from  Gaul,  Britain,  Italy,  Galatia, 
Spain,  and  many  other  regions.  Well  was  it  called  "  the  queen 
of  the  Levant,"  seeing  it  was  the  centre  of  the  trade  of  all  that 
region. 

4.   THE  CITY   IN   ITS  ANCIENT  GEANDEUE. 

The  position  of  Smyrna  with  relation  to  the  other  cities  of 
the  Levant  was  such  as  to  give  it  the  best  facilities  for  reaching 
them.  From  Byzantium,  or  Constantinople,  destined  to  act  so 
conspicuous  a  jiart  in  the  fortunes  of  the  world,  it  lay  at  the  dis- 


THE  QUEEN  OF  THE  LEVvVNT.  205 

tanceof  one  hundred  and  eighty-three  miles;  from  Rhodes,  stand- 
ing out  in  the  Mediteri-anean,  at  the  south-west  angle  of  Asia,  it 
was  one  hundred  miles;  from  Ephesus,  the  centre  of  some  of  the 
most  important  activities  of  the  age,  it  was  forty  miles.  Its  own 
location,  on  the  line  where  Asia  touches  upon  the  waters  of  Europe, 
at  the  head  of  the  most  magnificent  bay  and  in  the  finest  harbor  in 
the  world,  gave  it  similar  advantages.  On  the  land  side  it  was  at 
the  mouth  of  the  stream  Meles,  and  back  of  it  stretched  out  an  agri- 
cultural tract  of  surpassing  excellence. 

Its  original  site  had  wellnigh  everything  that  could  be  desired. 
Its  present  position  is  a  little  to  the  north  of  where  it  anciently 
stood,  it  having  been  gradually  removed  in  consequence  of  earth- 
quakes which  frequently  shook  its  former  foundations  on  the  moun- 
tain-slopes. Standing  as  it  does  at  the  head  of  the  gulf  which 
indents  the  shore  no  less  than  thirty-seven  miles,  it  was  safe 
from  the  euroclydon  or  from  any  other  tempest  that  could  rage 
on  the  waters.  On  the  land  side  the  location  was  almost  perfect: 
the  little  stream  Meles  brought  into  it  a  plentiful  supply  of  water; 
immediately  around  it  stretched  a  girdle  of  the  most  fertile  fields ; 
and  back  of  them  again  arose  mountains  and  higher  lands  which 
added  to  its  beauty,  sheltered  it  from  inclement  winds,  and  made 
it  a  little  paradise  of  verdure  and  loveliness. 

Within  its  walls  there  were  equal  charms.  Its  streets,  running 
at  right  angles,  were  proverbially  wide  and  finely  paved,  and  on 
some  of  them,  throughout  their  whole  length,  were  magnificent 
colonnades,  as  if  they  were  forests  of  marble  trees  of  massive  ele- 
gance. Here  and  there  within  its  bounds. tliere  were  great  halls  olf, 
art  treasures  containing  pictures  and  statues  brought  thither  from 
many  distant  lands.  Palaces  of  surpassing  magnificence  were  the 
homes  of  its  merchant  princes  whose  vessels  were  sweeping  over 
every  sea.  There  were  splendid  temples  also,  almost  rivaling  that 
of  Diana  at  Ephesus  or  that  of  JEsculapius  at  Pergamos,  which 
devout  worshipers  had  erected  as  thank-offerings  for  the  prosper- 
ity M'hich  had  attended  their  city.  Among  the  other  magnifi- 
cent public  buildings  were  two  the  fame  of  which  extended 
throughout  Asia.  One  contained  a  vast  public  library,  which  in 
that  age  must  have  been  a  priceless  treasure;  the  other  was  a 
great  temple  or  Homerion  with  grand  colonnades  surrounding 
it,  erected  for  the  worship  of  the  deified  Homer,  who  was  re- 
garded as  the  tutelary  divinity  of  that  city  of  his  birth.  That 
Homer  was  born  there  was  firmly  believed  by  the  inhabitants 
of  Smyrna,  and  the  very  spot  where  he  had  composed  his  im- 


203       INAUGUKAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

mortal  songs  was  pointed  out  close  by  a  small  spring  on  the  bank 
of  the  Meles. 

Most  of  these  charms  of  Smyrna  were  the  fruits  of  its  commerce. 
From  that  came  the  skill  that  could  devise  and  tlie  wealth  that 
could  construct  such  broad  and  well-paved  streets,  such  gi'ove-like 
colonnades,  and  such  magnificent  palaces.  In  its  prime  it  was 
the  acknowledged  model  commercial  city  of  the  age. 

5.   HISTORY. 

Smyrna  stands  peerless  in  the  antiquity  of  its  origin,  while  still 
it  is  in  a  flourishing  condition  to  the  present  day.  Damascus  is 
an  older  city,  but  it  is  in  a  state  of  decay.  Its  origin  lies  back 
in  the  fabulous  ages  of  the  Amazons.  According  to  the  testi- 
mony of  Strabo,  it  received  its  name  from  one  of  the  Amazons 
who  was  called  Smynia.  From  that  uncertain  age  forward  we 
know  its  fortunes  with  considerable  accuracy.  "  The  history  of 
Smyrna,"  it  has  been  truly  said,  "brings  before  us  in  epitome 
the  story  of  the  Greek  race  through  all  time,  from  tlie  old  fables 
of  mythical  tradition  before  Homer  sang,  through  the  epoch  of 
Grecian  supremacy  in  arts  and  arms,  in  science  and  letters,  through 
the  long  and  desperate  struggles  which  ended  in  the  final  triumph 
of  the  Crescent  over  the  Cross,  to  the  less  bloody  but  no  less  bitter 
strife  of  to-day,  when  the  Crescent  seems  waning  into  annihila- 
tion, though  the  Cross  as  yet  appears  not  ready  to  raise  its  sym- 
bol of  supremacy  and  to  take  its  place  as  the  dominant  creed  of 
Asia." 

There  is  no  doubt  that  Smyrna  was  one  of  the  most  ancient 
colonies  which  the  Ionian  Greeks  founded  on  the  Asiatic  side  of 
the  ^gean  ;  probably  it  received  a  part  of  its  first  settlers  from 
the  still  earlier  colony  of  Ephesus.  Some  time  about  six  hundred 
years  before  Christ,  after  a  long  and  bloody  struggle,  the  city  was 
captured  and  finally  reduced  to  ruins  by  the  Libyans  from  the 
neigliboring  city  of  Sardis.  In  that  condition  of  ruin  it  lay  for 
about  four  centuries.  After  it  was  rebuilt  the  city  flourished, 
and  for  a  long  time  it  shared  the  fortunes  of  the  other  Grecian, 
and  afterward  Roman,  populations  of  the  country.  In  the  time 
of  the  Roman  empire  it  had  become  one  of  the  most  prosperous 
cities  of  Asia  jMinor. 

Such  was  its  condition  when  this  message  was  sent  down  to 
its  church  from  the  exalted  Son  of  God.  After  that,  though 
sorely  persecuted,   its  church  flourished  for  a  long  time.    In  the 


THE  QUEEN  OF  THE  LEVANT.  207 

early  annals  of  Christianity  it  bore  a  conspicuous  part.  Two 
letters  are  extant  which  were  written  bj'  Ignatius  of  Antioch  to 
Polycarp  and  the  church  of  Smyrna.  The  same  venerable  Father, 
bishop  of  Antioch,  on  his  voyage  to  Rome  touched  at  this  city, 
and  here  suffered  a  martyr's  death  by  being  torn  to  pieces  by 
wild  beasts  in  the  ampitheatre.  This  was  in  108;  in  16G,  Polycarp 
of  Smyrna  was  cast  into  the  flames  by  the  same  remorseless  per- 
secutors. 

About  eleven  years  later,  or  eighty-four  years  after  this  mes- 
sage to  its  church,  the  city  was  destroyed  by  an  earthquake. 

The  subsequent  history  of  Smyrna  has  been  one  of  marvelous 
vicissitude:  prosj^erity  and  adversity  have  followed  each  other 
with  startling  vividness.  A  synopsis  of  that  history  we  quote 
from  a  most  valuable  writer:  "Smyrna  remained  a  portion  of  the 
Christian  Greek  empire  later  than  most  other  parts  of  Asia  JMinor. 
It  was  first  taken  by  the  Turks  a.  d.  1084.  Again  it  was  taken 
and  retaken,  and  on  the  second  occasion  the  Turks  massacred 
without  mercy  all  the  Christian  inhabitants.  It  remained  in  ruins 
till  the  emperor  Comnenus  restored  it  about  a.  d.  1220.  Again  it 
was  taken  by  the  Turks,  who  were  expelled  after  the  Crusades 
by  the  Knights  of  Rhodes.  Twice  was  it  captured  by  them,  to 
be  sjDeedily  retaken ;  and  the  famous  sultan  Bajazet  invested  it 
in  vain  for  seven  years.  At  length  Tamerlane  with  his  Tartar 
hordes  stormed  it  in  a.  d.  1402,  after  a  siege  of  only  fourteen 
days,  and  butchered  all  the  inhabitants  without  mercy,  building 
up  into  a  tower  with  mortar  the  thousands  of  heads  of  the  slaugh- 
tered Christians.  Still  the  Knights  of  Rhodes  made  a  last  effort, 
and  held  it  for  a  time.  After  their  third  expulsion  by  the  Turks 
it  was  once  more  stormed  by  a  Venetian  fleet,  when  the  Vene- 
tians visited  on  the  Molsems  with  retributive  fury  the  massacres 
which  they  had  inflicted  on  the  Christians.  Since  the  aban- 
donment of  all  attempts  to  expel  the  Ottomans  the  city  has  re- 
mained under  Turkish  rule,  but  with  tolerable  liberty  for  the 
Greek  Christians,  who  enjoy  freedom  of  worship,  and  are  pro- 
tected from  much  oppression,  formerly  by  the  existence  of  Euro- 
pean factories,  and  now  by  the  influence  of  Christian  consuls  and 
many  Western  residents."  The  one  glorious  record  which  this 
city  can  claim  above  all  others  is  that  her  candlestick  has  never 
been  removed.  She  has  still  retained  some  form  of  Christianity. 
At  the  present  day.  Christians  by  the  names  of  Greeks  and  Arme- 
nians and  others  are  found  within  her  walls.  Even  in  our  own  day 
our  missionaries  are  organizing  churches  there. 


208  INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

6.   CITY  OF  DEIFIED  HOMER. 

We  have  already  seen  that  each  of  the  seven  cities  of  these 
cliurches  was  tlie  metropolis  or  centre  of  the  worship  of  one  of 
the  leading  deities  of  paganism.  The  only  uncertainty  concerns 
Smyrna  as  the  seat  of  the  worship  of  the  deified  Homer.  The 
circumstances,  however,  when  closely  investigated,  scarcely  leave 
any  room  for  doubt.  It  is  tolerably  certain  that  Homer  was  born 
in  Smyrna.  It  is  true  that  six  places  besides— namely,  Rhodes, 
Cyprus,  Athens,  Argos,  Pylus,  and  Chio — each  strove  for  the  re- 
nown of  having  been  his  birthplace,  but  those  who  have  exam- 
ined the  matter  most  thoroughly  are  wellnigh  unanimous  in  giv- 
ing the  honor  to  Smyrna.  The  evidence  as  to  his  being  deified 
and  worshiped  as  a  God  in  his  native  city  is  conclusive.  The 
greatest  temple  in  the  city  was  erected  in  his  honor,  and  his 
statue  is  the  most  revered  shrine  of  the  city. 

No  wonder  that  Homer  should  be  deified  by  his  native  city 
of  idol-worship  as  the  author  of  the  greatest  heroic  poems  the 
world  has  ever  seen — poems  that  have  lived  for  twenty-eight 
centuries.  No  wonder  that  Smyrna,  to  which  his  birthplace  honor 
belonged,  should  have  rejoiced  in  it  as  her  chief  glory;  that  her 
grandest  temple  should  have  been  erected  for  his  worship;  that 
enthroned  in  that  temple  should  be  his  richest  statue;  and  that 
idolatry  should  exalt  him  to  the  rank  of  a  god,  and  establish 
Smyrna,  the  city  of  his  birth,  as  the  capital  and  centre  of  his 
worship.  If  there  is  more  uncertainty  concerning  the  special 
deity  of  Smyrna  than  concerning  the  other  cities,  it  is  doubtless 
owing  to  the  fact  that  not  letters  nor  worship  nor  culture  of  any 
kind  was  the  life  of  that  city,  but  commerce,  trade— her  caravans 
from  inland  mountains  and  plains,  and  ships  from  every  region 
of  the  sea.  Very  much  more  highly  did  the  inhabitants  of  that 
city  esteem  the  fame  of  being  the  metropolis  of  the  world's  mer- 
chandise than  that  of  being  the  metropolis  of  any  system  of  wor- 
ship. 

7.   PLANTING  OF   ITS  CHUECH. 

We  have  quite  a  full  history  of  the  introduction  of  Christianity 
into  Ephesus,  but  very  little  of  its  beginning  in  the  other  six  cities. 
It  is  not  likely  that  there  were  any  very  remarkable  incidents 
accompanying  its  first  movements  in  them.  We  need  not  dwell 
specially  upon  any  such  history,  inasmuch  as  the  Word  of  God 
gives  no  particular  information.  It  is  probable  that  the  general 
spread  of  the  gospel  over  the  whole  country  caused  it  to  take  root 


THE  QUEEN  OF  THE  LEVANT.  209 

in  these  several  centres  of  population  and  influence.  Two  things 
doubtless  contributed  to  the  establishment  of  an  influential  church 
in  Smyrna:  it  had  a  large  Jewish  population  in  that  city,  and  its 
being  a  great  commercial  centre  brought  it  within  the  influence 
of  the  new  religion  which  was  beginning  to  move  the  world. 

There  can  hardly  be  a  question  but  that  this  great  city  would 
be  visited  frequently  by  the  apostle  John,  and  more  certainly 
still  by  Paul,  whose  footstei)S  we  can  trace  through  the  neighbor- 
ing towns  as  he  went  back  and  forth  on  the  blessed  mission  to 
the  Gentiles  to  which  he  had  been  appointed.  When  we  read 
that  through  his  labors  "all  they  that  dwelt  in  Asia  heard  the 
word  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  both  Jews  and  Greeks,"  it  can  hardly  be 
tliat  the  greatest  commercial  city  would  be  passed  over.  Through 
these  agencies  the  gospel  was  early  planted  there. 

8.   CENTRAL   POINT. 

We  are  now  prepared  to  consider  that  which  was  the  central 
point,  the  substance,  the  great  burden,  of  this  message  to  the 
church  of  Smyrna.  In  our  introductory  remarks  in  this  chapter 
we  have  already  briefly  stated  what  it  is.  We  now  take  it  up 
more  distinctly  and  fully. 

The  words  in  which  it  is  contained  are,  "  Behold,  the  devil 
shall  cast  some  of  you  into  prison."  This  was  the  substance  of 
the  message;  it  was  also  a  prediction  of  what  would  afterward 
befall  that  people,  and  a  description  of  what  would  be  their  lead- 
ing characteristic.  The  church  of  Smyrna  would  be  noted  chiefly 
for  its  endurance  of  persecution:  "Behold,  the  devil  shall  cast 
some  of  you  into  prison,  that  ye  may  be  tried"— this  was  a 
synopsis  of  tlie  terrible  destiny  which  was  lying  before  that 
devoted  people. 

It  was  a  terrible  prospect  that  the  conflicts  which  were  before  that 
church  were  to  be,  not  against  flesh  and  blood,  but  "against  prin- 
cipalities, against  powers,  against  the  rulers  of  the  darkness  of  this 
world,  against  spiritual  wickedness  in  high  places."  The  devil 
would  stir  up  wicked  men  against  them.  Satan,  acting  through 
human  persecutors,  would  be  the  author  of  the  sufferings  they 
would  have  to  endure.  This  intimation  as  to  one  of  the  secrets 
of  the  unseen  world  will  explain  the  cruelties  that  have  always 
accompanied  the  persecutions  of  the  truth.  Human  depravity, 
of  itself,  would  not  prompt  to  such  horrible  barbarities  as  have 
so  often  been  heaped  upon  those  who  were  enduring  martyrdom 
for  the  name  of  Jesus.      No  explanation  of  them    is   adequate, 

14 


210  INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

short  of  that  which  describes  them  as  diabolic.  Tlie  ultimate 
cause  of  all  such  persecution  is  to  be  traced  to  the  devil.  Very 
forcibly  has  this  been  presented  by  a  modern  writer:  "There  is 
nothing  more  remarkable  in  the  records  which  have  come  down 
to  us  of  the  early  persecutions  than  the  sense  which  the  confessors 
and  martyrs  entertain  that  the  great  fight  of  afflictions  through 
which  they  were  called  to  pass  was  the  immediate  work  of  the 
devil,  and  no  mere  result  of  the  offended  passions,  prejudices,  or 
interests  of  men.  The  enemies  in  flesh  and  blood,  as  mere  tools 
and  instruinents,  are  nearly  lost  sight  of  by  them  in  continual 
reference  to  Satan  as  the  invisible  but  real  author  of  all.  As- 
suredly they  had  right  so  to  believe.  So  we  might  boldly  say, 
even  if  we  had  not  the  warrant  of  such  scriptures  as  this.  Who 
that  reads  the  story  of  their  sufferings,  that  wondrous  tale  of 
inventive  cruelty  on  the  part  of  the  heathen  overmatched  by  a 
superhuman  i)atience  on  the  part  of  the  faithful,  but  must  feel 
that  there  is  more  than  a  conflict  of  bad  men  with  good  ?  There 
is  rather  on  the  one  side  an  outbreak  from  the  bottomless  pit, 
the  malice  and  might  of  the  devil,  making  war  against  God  in 
the  person  of  his  saints;  on  the  other  side,  such  a  victory  over 
Satan  as  could  have  been  surpassed  only  when  Christ  himself 
beheld  him  fall  like  lightning  froin  heaven." 

It  is  also  significant  that  imprisonment  is  made  the  type  of  the 
sufferings  that  would  come  upon  this  church.  "  The  devil  shall 
cast  some  of  you  into  prison."  The  tortures  inflicted  upon  the 
saints  in  those  early  days  were  accompanied  and  aggravated  by 
imprisonment.  In  the  records  of  those  first  persecutions  we  con- 
stantly find  the  prison  doing  its  work.  Those  who  endured  tor- 
ture without  yielding  were  returned  to  prison,  that  so  it  might 
be  seen  whether  hunger  and  thirst,  darkness  and  chains,  would 
not  be  effectual  in  breaking  down  the  steadfastness  which  had 
resisted  manfully  the  first  onset  of  the  foe.  It  seldom  succeeded, 
however.  The  Church's  early  story  furnishes  a  glorious  commen- 
tary on  these  words. 

Imprisonments,  in  all  their  varied  horrors,  the  Christians  of 
Smyrna  would  be  called  to  endure.  Through  the  spoiling  of  their 
goods,  from  their  being  excluded  from  lucrative  employments, 
and  through  their  property  being  wrenched  from  them,  they  had 
been  imi)()verished  already,  for  the  divine  King  had  said  to  them, 
"I  know  thy  poverty;"  but  now  they  would  also  be  called  to 
undergo  imprisonment  and  all  the  horrors  connected  therewith. 
All  this  would   be  to  try,  to  prove  these  saints  of  the  Lord,  to 


THE  QUEEN  OF  THE  LEVANT.  211 

show  them  what  of  sin  and  unbelief  were  still  remaining  in  them, 
and  by  so  trying  them  to  make  them  holier  than  they  had  been 
before. 

Such  was  the  burden  of  the  message  to  this  church,  the  imme-. 
diate  object  of  which,  as  to  them,  was,  in  addition  to  trying  them, 
to  prepare  them  for  the  great  calamities  that  were  coming.  Being 
forewarned,  they  would  also  be  forearmed.  If  no  such  notice  had 
been  given,  when  afflictions  had  actually  burst  upon  them  would 
there  not  have  been  danger  df  their  being  overwhelmed  with 
despair?  "Not  anticipating  any  such  fearful  adversities,  would 
not  their  cry  have  been,  '  What  means  this  terrible  outburst  of 
woes?  Why  these  evils?  Whence  come  they?  When  will  they 
end?'"  But,  having  been  warned  of  all,  they  would  be  neither 
unexpected  nor  unprovided  for. 

Nor  was  it  long  before  it  was  seen  that  this  heroic  church  had 
much  need  of  some  such  premonitory  beacon.  Even  while  the 
message  was  dropping  from  the  lips  of  the  ascended  Lord  the 
storm  of  persecution  was  gathering  over  them  in  its  darkest  clouds. 
Before  the  next  generation  had  passed  away  it  burst  with  frightful 
fury  upon  the  Christians  of  Smyrna.  The  beacon,  therefore,  was 
pecuWarly  opportune,  for  the  most  shocking  persecution  that  the 
primitive  Church  was  called  to  pass  through  was  that  under  the 
emperor  Diocletian,  which  raged  in  all  its  horrors  for  no  less 
than  ten  years. 

9.   TITLE  OF  THE  SON   OF  MAN. 

There  is  hardly  anything  in  these  messages  so  deeply  interesting 
as  the  adaptations  of  the  various  appellations  of  Christ  in  glory 
to  the  conditions  of  the  several  churches.  In  this  message  this 
peculiarity  may  be  seen  in  its  perfection :  "  The  first  and  the  last, 
which  was  dead,  and  is  alive;"  or,  as  it  is  in  the  first  chapter, 
"I  am  the  first  and  the  last:  I  am  he  that  liveth,  and  was  dead; 
and,  behold,  I  am  alive  for  evermore."  This  is  a  picture  of  Christ 
in  conformity  to  the  needs  of  that  church  and  to  the  prospects 
of  persecution  that  lay  before  it.  How  instructive  and  how  cheer- 
ing to  that  church,  so  soon  to  enter  upon  dark  days  of  imprison- 
ment, of  sore  afflictions,  and  of  blood,  to  hear  sounding  through 
them  all  and  above  them  all,  "Fear  not;  I  am  the  first  and  the 
last;  I  am  he  that  liveth,  and  was  dead;  and,  behold,  I  am  alive 
for  evermore.  Amen,  and  have  the  keys  of  hell  and  of  death." 
Observe  how  this  title  of  the  Son  of  man  met  the  wants  of  this 
suffering  church. 


212  INAUGURAL  OF  THE   ENTHRONED  KING. 

"  I  am  the  first  and  the  last."  I  have  hi  view  the  causes  and 
the  results  of  all  your  coming  sufferings.  I  am  from  eternity  to 
eternity,  have  for  ever  had  in  my  hands  the  management  of  all 
.events,  and,  as  your  elder  brother  and  never-failing  friend,  will 
so  conduct  them  in  the  future  that  they  shall  do  you  no  lasting 
harm,  but  shall  add  to  your  highest,  your  everlasting  welfare. 
He  was  the  first  and  the  last;  all  ages,  all  hearts,  all  events,  lay 
before  him  and  were  under  his  direction,  and  not  under  the  guid- 
ance of  blind  chance  or  the  malign  management  of  enemies.  As 
the  everlasting,  almighty,  and  unrestrained  disposer  of  all  possible 
events,  he  would  even  order  them  in  their  coming  trials  so  that  they 
would  promote  the  divine,  and  thereby  the  Church's  immortal, 
glory.  The  bleeding  church  of  Smyrna  might  therefore  look  to 
him  with  unfoltering  confidence,  no  matter  what  sufferings  she 
might  have  to  encounter.  He  would  stand  by  his  people,  though 
imprisoned  or  tortured  or  dying.  Not  one  of  their  trials  would 
come  upon  them  without  his  having  foreseen  and  provided  for 
it.  Malignant  assaults  from  either  human  or  diabolic  foes  were 
no  new  things  to  him.  Even  though  tlie  faithful  people  should 
have  to  pass  through  the  dungeon  or  the  flames  to  the  martyr's 
death.  He  who  was  from  everlasting  to  everlasting  would  (jirect 
all  to  such  eternal  purposes  as  would  be  absolutely  glorious. 

Nor  was  this  all.  Having  himself  suffered  unto  death,  even 
the  death  of  the  cross,  from  the  hands  of  persecutors,  he  knew 
from  experience  how  to  sympathize  with  the  persecuted  saints 
of  Smyrna  and  of  all  other  churches.  "  I  am  he  that  was  dead." 
Persecuted  child  of  God,  as  you  go  to  the  flames  or  to  the  rack 
or  to  the  cross  you  are  only  following  your  Lord.  What  could 
that  suffering  church  endure  which  he  had  not  endured  before 
them?  He  endured  agonies  which  forced  the  blood  out  of  his 
writhing  body ;  which  extorted  from  him  the  moan,  "  My  soul 
is  exceeding  sorrowful,  even  unto  death,"  and  which,  because 
of  his  excruciating  suffering,  forced  from  him  the  accents  of  woe, 
"]My  God,  my  God,  why  hast  thou  forsaken  me?"  What  com- 
fort it  would  l)e  to  them  to  hear  from  him,  "I  know  what  it  is 
to  die,  for  once  did  I  lay  down  my  own  life"! 

He  died;  but  death  could  not  hold  him,  hence  his  triumphant 
proclamation,  "  I  am  he  that  liveth,  and  was  dead."  This  sublime 
fact  he  announces  to  the  brave  sufferers  of  Smyrna,  in  order  that 
tliey  might  have  comfort  in  prospect  of  that  bloody  death  through 
which  they  would  soon  liave  to  pass.  He  was  dead,  but  is  alive 
again — alive  for  evermore.    In  this  also  he  was  the  example  and 


THE  QUEEN  OF  THE  LEVANT.  21:> 

the  forerunner  of  all  his  faithful  peo])le.  They  also,  though  they 
might  die  the  martyr's  death,  would  live  again,  and  then  die 
no  more.  To  him  the  grave  proved  to  be  the  gateway  of  glory 
immortal;  so  would  it  be  to  them,  and  in  that  hope  they  might 
have  the  most  perfect  consolation.  Their  enemies,  though  con- 
centrating all  their  wrath,  would  only  hasten  their  introduction 
to  the  bliss  in  which  they  should  meet  their  Lord,  to  be  separated 
from  him  nevermore.  He  had  himself  endured  the  sufferings,  but 
had  changed  them  into  glory;  and  now,  adorned  with  the  wreath 
of  victory,  from  the  battlements  of  the  heavenly  city  he  holds 
forth  the  crown  in  sight  of  all  the  martyrs  who  are  following 
him,  for  their  present  comfort  and  their  joy  immortal. 

10.   THEIR  POVERTY,  WORKS,   AND  SUFFERINGS. 

Very  significant  is  it  that  in  this  message,  as  in  nearly  all  the 
other  messages,  the  divine  author  begins  by  expressing  his  appro- 
bation of  the  Christian  virtues  in  which  the  faithful  in  Smyrna  ex- 
celled. Only  a  few  words  are  used,  but  they  are  full  of  meaning, 
and  well  describe  the  character  of  that  people.  It  should  also  be 
remarked  that  in  the  words  of  the  message  this  commendation 
comes  before  censure  or  counsel  or  promise  or  threatening,  imme- 
diately after  the  description  of  the  Son  of  man  as  he  is  seen  in 
his  relations  to  that  church.  It  comes  fir«t,  as  an  indication  of  the 
divine  affection  of  the  Lord  of  the  Church,  standing  at  the  head 
of  all,  and  sending  its  benign  spirit  over  every  thought  and  word. 

The  church  of  Smyrna,  as  presented  in  these  commendatory 
words,  was  a  church  of  poverty,  of  faithful  work  for  Christ,  and 
of  suffering  for  righteousness'  sake.  Of  these  characteristics,  the 
first  was  its  poverty.  Throughout  the  inspired  pages  there  are 
many  assertions  or  allusions  to  the  fact  that  the  first  Christians 
were  generally  poor  in  worldly  goods.  As  a  class  they  were  a 
proof  of  the  apostle's  declaration,  "  Hath  not  God  chosen  the 
poor  of  this  world?"  "God  hath  chosen  the  weak  things  of  this 
world  to  confound  the  things  which  are  mighty." 

There  is  clear  evidence  that  the  early  converts  to  Christianity 
were  generally  from  the  poorer  classes.  Many  of  them,  it  is  well 
knowui,  were  slaves.  Then  the  fact  is  indisputable  that,  so  ardent 
was  their  love  to  Christ  and  to  each  other,  they  actually  impover- 
ished Jihemselves  by  their  liberal  gifts  to  their  poverty-stricken 
brethren.  Another  cause  of  their  poverty  was  that  the  persecu- 
tions of  those  days  plundered  them  of  their  property  or  ruined 
them  by  "the  spoiling  of  their  goods"  and  excluded  them  from 


214       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

such  employments  as  would  enable  them  to  accumulate  wealth. 
From  these  and  other  causes  the  believers  of  Smyrna  as  well  as  of 
other  cities  had  to  suffer  much  from  the  prevailing  poverty.  No 
doubt  the  Lord  of  the  Church  allowed  it  to  be  so,  with  their  spiritual 
and  eternal  welfare  in  view,  for  very  emphatically  had  he  taught, 
"  How  hardly  shall  they  that  have  riches  enter  into  the  kingdom 
of  God !" 

The  next  thing  commended  in  the  faithful  church  of  Smyrna 
was  its  diligence  in  doing  good.  "I  know  thy  works,"  were  the 
approving  words  of  its  loving  Lord.  In  the  phraseology  of  the 
present  day,  it  was  "  a  working  church."  In  scriptural  language, 
it  was  "rich  in  good  works."  In  organizing  that  church  and  in 
bringing  it  in  so  short  a  time  to  its  great  strength  its  members 
must  have  "been  diligent  in  bringing  their  friends  and  neighbors 
out  of  the  darkness  of  paganism  into  the  knowledge  of  the  gospel 
and  to  the  reception  of  its  blessings.  Surrounded  as  they  were 
by  a  dense  mass  ,of  heathenism,  they  must  have  toiled  day  and 
night  to  break  the  gloom  and  to  get  the  true  light  to  illuminate 
their  city.  In  thought,  we  can  imagine  them  praying  for  their 
relatives  over  whom  their  renewed  hearts  yearned,  telling  both 
men  and  women  of  the  wonders  they  had  found  in  the  news 
of  Jesus  the  Saviour;  urging  their  friends  and  neighbors  to  ac- 
company them  to  the  gatherings  for  prayer  and  praise;  planning 
with  each  other  how  they  could  do  the  most  honor  to  the  name 
of  Jesus  whom  they  loved  with  all  the  ardor  of  first  affection; 
giving  both  time  and  money  to  open  places  where  the  good  tid- 
ings might  be  preached ;  visiting  the  sick  in  the  same  spirit  that 
took  their  Lord  about  doing  good;  relieving  the  poor  out  of  the 
scanty  means  which  was  all  that  they  themselves  possessed;  suf- 
fering and  struggling  with  an  opposition  that  was  strong,  per- 
sistent, and  cruel:  weeping  when  they  were  sometimes  almost 
ready  to  give  up  in  discouragement;  or  rejoicing  Avhen  they 
beheld  new  evidences  that  their  cause  was  advancing.  It  re- 
quired a  brave  and  diligent  piety  to  continue  working  in  that 
region  of  spiritual  death. 

There  were  also  peculiar  duties  which  they  owed  to  each  other 
at  that  day  when  Christianity  was  just  beginning  to  gain  a  foot- 
hold in  that  great  centre  of  population  and  activity.  They  needed 
to  instruct  each  other  when  the  light  was  as  yet  so  imperfect;  to 
aid  each  other  amid  the  various  forms  of  opposition;  to  comfort 
one  another  when  wellnigh  overwhelmed  with  discouragements; 
to  wait  upon  each  other  with  a  gentle  hand  when  languishing 


THE  QUEEN  OF  THE  LEVANT.  215 

in  sickness;  to  help  when  crushed  down  by  poverty;  to  visit 
when  pining  in  prison ;  to  succor  wlien  cruelly  driven  away  by 
family  and  friends;  to  guard  tenderly  when  on  the  point  of  fall- 
ing into  temptation;  to  take  gently  by  the  liand  and  hold  up 
when  in  danger  of  apostasy;  to  comfort  when  crushed  by  sorrow 
and  fears;  to  stand  by  with  help  when  assailed  by  peculiar  and 
malignant  persecution;  to  defend  when  vilified.  To  illustrate  the 
graces  of  the  gospel  at  that  time,  when  example  was  such  a  power, 
was  a  Vv'ork  for  which  far  more  than  mortal  strength  was  required. 
In  all  these  noble  works  there  is  no  doubt  these  first  Christians  of 
Smyrna  were  faithful,  and  their  Lord  recorded  their  fidelity  to 
their  everlasting  honor.  They  were  an  active,  working  church, 
and  as  such  they  are  held  up  as  a  pattern  for  the  instruction  of 
all  other  believers  to  the  end  of  time. 

The  other  peculiar  distinction  of  this  church  was  their  great 
endurance  of  sutfering  for  the  holy  name  of  Jesus.  Said  their 
enthroned  King  to  them,  "I  know  thy  tribulation."  This  pecu- 
liarity is  made  still  more  impressive  from  the  fact  that  it  is  the 
very  l^burden,  the  central  point,  of  the  message,  "The  devil  will 
cast  some  of  you  into  prison."  The  very  power  of  hell  would 
be  put  forth  to  afflict  them. 

We  can  easily  understand  several  of  the  causes  which  brought 
on  them  such  peculiar  sufferings.  One,  as  we  have  seen,  was 
their  poverty.  Poverty  is  always  hard  to  be  borne,  but  in  their 
case  must  have  been  peculiarly  trying  because  of  the  contrast 
with  the  wealth  by  which  they  were  surrounded.  Another  source 
of  incessant  trial  was  undoubtedly  the  persecution  they  were  al- 
ready enduring  from  that  pagan,  money-worshiping  jieople  who 
would  vent  on  them  their  wrath.  Amidst  an  ungodly  connnunity 
the  humiliating  doctrines  of  the  Cross  are  always  unpopular,  always 
opposed,  always  persecuted  with  more  or  less  vigor.  Men  love 
darkness  rather  than  light,  and  strive  with  all  the  force  of  their 
evil  hearts  to  extinguish  the  light.  It  was  so  in  the  time  of  these 
messages,  according  to  what  our  Lord  foretold  when  he  declared, 
"  I  came  not  to  send  peace,  but  a  sword."  Depraved  human  nature 
has  always  risen  up  in  cruel  hatred  against  the  first  converts  to 
Christianity.  So  did  it  arise  against  our  Lord  himself,  the  only- 
begotten  Son,  slain  by  the  murderous  hands  of  the  very  men  whom 

lie  came  to  redeem. 

11.   THEIR  EICHES. 

It  is  worthy  of  special  attention  that  the  enthroned  King,  while 
predicting  the  toils,  suflerings,  and  poverty  of  the  believers   in 


216      INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

Smyrna,  breaks  in  with  the  strong  affirmation,  "  But  thou  art 
rich."  All  the  relations,  circumstances,  and  interest  of  mankind 
lay  distinctly  before  him ;  and  here,  from  his  heavenly  throne, 
he  declares  to  them,  and  through  them  to  all  believers  of  the 
world  in  every  age  of  time,  that  Christians,  though  ever  so  low 
in  the  world's  esteem,  are  rich — rich  in  the  higliest  and  best  sense. 
The  poor  suffering  believers  of  Smyrna  possessed  a  secret  store  of 
riches  of  which  the  world  never  dreamed.  They  were  rich  in  the 
sight  of  God,  in  whose  judgment  there  could  be  no  mistake.  Their 
very  poverty  was  a  mine  of  inexhaustible  wealth.  They  were  rich 
in  good  works  which  formed  a  treasury  stored  up  for  them  in  glory. 
Even  in  this  world  they  were  rich  in  the  possession  of  true  wisdom, 
with  its  faith,  hope,  joy,  and  righteousness,  with  which  they  were 
adorned  as  with  a  royal  robe.  Their  riches  were  unsearchable  in 
their  value,  even  according  to  the  divine  estimate.  The  apostle 
has  given  an  inventory  of  their  treasures  in  that  marvelous  list: 
"All  things  are  yours:  whether  Paul,  or  Apollos,  or  Cephas,  or 
the  world,  or  life,  or  death,  or  things  present,  or  things  to  come; 
all  are  yours;  and  ye  are  Christ's;  and  Christ  is  God's."  Can 
the  imagination  of  man  or  of  angel  conceive  of  more?  "Every 
beast  of  the  forest,  and  the  cattle  upon  a  thousand  hills"  belong 
to  the  Lord,  and  he  holds  them  in  inviolable  security  for  the 
enjoyment  of  his  people.  If  it  were  possible  to  imagine  any- 
thing higher,  we  might  have  it  in  that  most  glorious  testimony 
of  the  Holy  Ghost  that  believers  are  made  co-heirs  with  the  Son 
of  man— co-heirs  with  him  as  he  shall  receive  an  infinite  reward 
in  the  many  crowns  on  account  of  his  mediatorial  work.  We  can 
speak  of  these  infinite  riches,  but  we  can  attain  to  only  a  very 
meagre  conception  of  what  they  must  be. 

We  cannot  help  pausing  here  to  adore  the  gracious  coniidera- 
tion  of  the  Lord  of  the  Church  in  giving  this  estimate  of  the 
character  and  condition  of  his  servants  for  their  comfort  under 
the  sufferings  that  were  coming  upon  them.  He  is  wont  to  give 
his  people  comfort  whenever  they  most  need  it.  His  loving 
kindness  is  wonderful.  What  a  comfort  to  the  believers  of 
Smyrna,  even  in  their  most  trying  days,  to  know  from  his  own 
testimony  that  they  were  rich  in  the  sight  of  God !  In  the 
great  sufferings  which  awaited  them  they  might  sometimes  think 
that  the  I^ord  had  forgotten  them  and  given  them  up  to  the  will 
of  their  enemies,  but  then  they  would  call  to  mind  how  he  had 
asserted  his  special  interest  in  their  affairs,  and  given  them  credit 
for  their  toils,  their  fidelity,  and  their  fortitude  in  his  service.    He 


THE  QUEEN  OF  THE  LEVANT.  217 

was  not  neglecting  them,  for,  with  more  than  the  tenderness  of  a 
father,  he  watclied  over  them,  was  well  acquainted  with  their 
state,  and  would  not  hide  himself  from  them.  Instead  of  being 
indifferent  to  them,  he  was  planning  for  their  safety  and  happi- 
ness, and  in  due  time  would  make  known  the  wisdom  of  the 
way  in  which  he  led  them. 

There  was  still  another  important  end  to  be  accomplished  by 
these  special  communications  that  were  made  to  the  church  of 
Smj^rna.  They  were  intended  to  be  not  only  descriptive  of  the 
state  of  that  church  in  the  sight  of  God,  but  also  to  be  prophetic 
of  the  fortunes  of  the  whole  Church  of  God  on  earth.  The  pov- 
erty of  the  church  of  Smyrna,  their  faithful  toil  for  their  Lord, 
and  their  sufferings  from  the  hands  of  an  ungodly  world  were 
all  indicative  of  what  believers  would  ever  be  until  the  promised 
time  of  reward  would  come.  Throughout  them  all  the  watchful 
care  and  protection  of  their  Lord  would  never  be  wanting.  There 
might  be  suffering,  but  above  all  would  be  the  divine  blessing 
in  time,  and  the  unspeakable  joys  of  heaven  in  eternity. 

12.   BLASPHEMY   BY  THE  JEWS. 

A  very  remarkable  notice  of  the  character  of  the  Jews  at  that 
time,  and  of  their  treatment  of  the  early  Christian  Church,  occurs 
in  this  message:  "I  know  the  blasphemy  of  them  which  say  they 
are  Jews,  and  are  not,  but  are  the  synagogue  of  Satan."  No  doubt 
the  influence  of  these  people  upon  the  other  churches  of  the  seven 
was  of  a  similar  character,  but  it  was  so  conspicuous  in  Smyrna 
that  we  may  describe  it  here  once  for  all.  We  have  abundant 
evidence  that  the  Jews  were  very  numerous  in  this  citj'.  The 
commercial  importance  of  the  place  no  doubt  attracted  them  there. 
This  people  M^ere  then,  as  now,  chiefly  engaged  in  trade.  LTlhorn 
has  thus  described  this  characteristic,  no  doubt  correctly:  "The 
principal  business  of  the  Jews  was  trade.  Retailing,  peddling, 
and  especially  the  smaller  money  transactions,  were  almost  wholly 
in  their  hands,  and  they  prosecuted  this  traffic  with  such  charac- 
teristic industry  and  shrewdness  that  the  cities  of  Asia  Minor  com- 
plained to  the  emperor  that  they  were  completely  drained  by 
the  Jews.  The  wholesale  trade  also  was  in  many  places  entirely 
under  their  control."  There  is  no  doubt,  therefore,  that  the  Jews 
formed  a  very  important  element  of  the  population  of  Smyrna. 
Moreover,  they  were  always  the  chief  opponents  of  the  gospel 
wherever  there  was  an  eflFort  made  to  set  up  a  church.  As  evil 
spirits  they  followed  the  apostles  and  others  wherever  they  were 


218  INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

led  to  proclaim  the  doctrines  of  the  Cross.  Every  effort  of  be- 
lievers that  is  oil  record  gives  painful  evidence  of  this.  Instances 
not  a  few  are  preserved  on  the  ijages  of  historians,  as  they  are 
also  on  the  pages  of  Scripture,  which  jaroved  how  often  this  was 
the  fact. 

What  made  this  conduct  of  the  Jews  the  more  atrocious  was 
that  they  did  it  in  the  name  of  religion.  They  professed  to  be 
zealous  for  the  honor  of  the  God  of  their  fathers,  claiming  to  be 
the  only  true  children  of  Abraham.  This  was  what  the  Lord 
styled  their  blasphemy— professing  to  be  Jews,  the  covenant  peo- 
ple, while  in  reality  they  were  acting  like  the  servants  of  the 
devil.  Claiming  to  be  God's  true  people,  while  all  the  time  they 
were  doing  the  work  of  the  great  enemy,  was  blasphemy  of  the 
grossest  character. 

Another  feature  of  their  blasphemy  was  their  slander  of  Christ 
and  his  cause.  It  was  their  custom  to  brand  the  blessed  Son  of 
God  as  the  "crucified,"  "the  hanged,"  the  "accursed."  Even 
in  their  synagogues  they  reviled  the  purest  and  most  self-deny- 
ing of  Christians  as  "Nazarenes,"  "Galileans,"  "Christians," 
"  disciples  of  the  Crucified,"  and  through  them  they  "  blasphemed 
also  that  worthy  name"   by  which  they  had  been  called. 

So  atrocious  was  this  conduct  of  these  hypocritical  enemies 
of  the  gospel  that  our  Lord  declared  them  to  be  "the  synagogue 
of  Satan."  The  spirit  of  the  devil  was  working  in  them — the 
spirit  of  pride  and  hatred  and  scorn  and  unbelief— and  it  was 
well  that  they,  who  knew  not  what  manner  of  spirit  they  were 
of,  should  have  their  eyes  opened  to  the  perils  of  their  true  state. 
Their  professed  zeal  for  the  true  religion  was  displayed  in  that 
they  had  established  a  synagogue,  the  embodiment  of  Jewish 
worship.  God,  however,  whose  all-seeing  eye  penetrates  the 
hearts  and  lives  of  men,  pronounced  it  a  synagogue  of  Satan. 
Their  bitter  persecutions  of  the  cause  of  Christ  could  be  nothing 
else  than  the  service  of  the  Wicked  One.  In  their  hatred  and 
revilings  of  the  Church  and  people  of  God  they  were  a  congre- 
gation of  Satan,  who  presided  over  them,  contrived  their  infernal 
plots,  and  directed  to  their  murderous  attacks.  "Synagogue  of 
Satan"— this  from  the  lips  of  our  gracious  and  long-suffering 
Lord!  What  a  terrible  denunciation!  "The  synagogue  of 
Satan"— "A  hard  saying,  a  terrible  word,  but  one  which  they, 
once  the  chosen  peoi)le  of  the  Lord,  had  wrought  with  all  their 
might  to  deserve."  The  very  height  of  their  blessings  had  be- 
come the  frightful  measure  of  their  fall.    With  terrible  severity 


THE  QUEEN  OF  THE  LEVANT.  219 

does  the  Lord  of  the  Church  attribute  all  opposition  to  his  cause 
to  the  influence  of  the  Wicked  One,  and  that  with  a  precision  of 
description  which  gives  his  language  alarming  vividness.  The 
hostility  of  the  Jews,  because  of  their  professed  zeal,  is  the  syn- 
agogue of  Satan.  The  hostility  of  tlie  heathen,  because  it  is  its 
nature  and  its  supreme  and  unchanging  j)urpose,  is  the  throne 
of  Satan.  The  hostility  of  heretics,  because  of  its  profound  and 
malignant  character,  is  the  depths  of  Satan. 

Most  significant  is  it  that  this  characteristic  of  the  coming  per- 
secutions should  be  made  an  element  in  the  beacon  of  the  ages. 
The  Jews  would  persecute,  but  in  that  they  would  only  be  a 
type  of  the  character  of  the  worst  persecutions  that  would  come. 
They  would  persecute  out  of  professed  zeal  for  religion,  and  such 
would  be  the  nature  of  the  most  deadly  attacks  on  Christ  and 
his  people.  Witness  the  bitter,  bloody,  long-continued  persecu- 
tions by  the  papal  Church,  with  its  deadly,  diabolic  Inquisition, 
surpassing  in  continuance  and  cruelty  any  other  persecutions  that 
have  ever  horrified  our  world.  To  warn  of  this  was  unquestion- 
ably one  object  of  our  Lord  in  thus  depicting  the  blasphemy 
of  the  Jews. 

13.   POLYCARP. 

It  is  titting  that  we  should  follow  this  account  of  the  spirit 
of  the  Jews  in  cruelly  persecuting  the  early  Christians  by  a  fla- 
grant instance  of  that  persecution  in  the  martyrdom  of  Polycarp, 
which  occurred  seventy  years  afterward,  and  which  is  so  fully 
related  by  the  historians  of  the  age.  No  event  in  the  history 
of  the  church  of  Smyrna,  or  indeed  of  any  of  the  seven  churches, 
excited  so  much  horror  as  did  this.  In  all  the  records  of  martyr 
history  no  other  scene  has  left  so  deep  an  impression.  As  a  speci- 
men of  the  cruelties  of  the  persecutions  of  that  day,  of  the  nature 
of  paganism,  and  of  the  spirit  of  Judaism,  it  ought  to  receive  very 
earnest  attention. 

Polycarp  was  one  of  the  most  pious,  faithful,  and  amiable  of 
the  Fathers  of  the  Christian  Church.  In  his  early  days  he  had 
enjoyed  the  instructions  of  some  of  the  apostles,  by  whom  he  was 
ordained  in  Smyrna,  where  he  also  spent  his  whole  ministerial 
life.  Wlien  he  was  at  last  called  to  suffer  martyrdom  for  the 
name  of  his  Lord,  he  had  reached  the  age  of  ninety-six  years 
and  was  greatly  beloved  and  revered  by  all  the  people  of  God. 

A  violent  persecution  was  raging  under  the  emperor  Marcus 
Aurelius,  and  this  beloved  man  of  God  was  its  most  distinguished 


220  INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED   KING. 

victim.  Several  Christians,  both  of  that  city  and  of  Philadelphia, 
had  been  cast  to  the  wild  beasts  for  the  amusement  of  the  popu- 
lace, and  Polycarp,  at  the  entreaties  of  his  friends,  was  persuaded 
to  conceal  himself  in  a  place  of  safety,  and  not  needlessly  expose 
himself  to  danger.  Search,  however,  was  made  for  him,  and  his 
place  of  concealment  was  made  known  by  a  child  who  was  tor- 
tured until  it  revealed  the  secret.  He  had  still  time  for  escape, 
but  he  would  not,  saying,  "The  will  of  God  be  done."  When 
seized,  he  melted  the  hearts  of  even  his  captors  by  his  prayer 
for  them ;  but  he  was  dragged  to  tlie  crowxled  ampitlieatre  wlien 
the  games  by  which  the  people  were  brutalized  were  nearly  ended. 
On  his  entry,  a  loud  voice,  which  the  old  man  accepted  as  from 
heaven,  exclaimed,  "Be  strong,  O  Polycarp,  and  quit  you  like 
a  man." 

The  Roman  proconsul,  moved  by  his  age  and  venerable  appear- 
ance, urged  him  again  and  again  to  obey  the  imperial  edict,  and 
to  swear  by  the  fortunes  of  Caesar  and  to  recant.  The  form  of 
recantation  required  was,  "Away  wuth  the  godless!"'  The  aged 
saint,  with  a  sigh,  looked  up  to  heaven  and  said,  "Away  with 
the  godless!"  Again  the  proconsul  urged  him,  "Swear  by  Caesar, 
and  I  wuU  release  thee.  Revile  Christ."  Calmly  he  replied, 
"  Eighty  and  six  years  have  I  served  him,  and  he  never  did 
me  wrong:  how  then  can  I  revile  my  King  and  my  Saviour?" 
Vainly  was  he  threatened  with  being  thrown  to  the  lions  or  burnt 
to  death ;  to  each  menace  he  boldly  replied,  "  I  am  a  Christian." 
The  populace,  infuriated  by  the  brutish  sports,  and  not  yet  satiated 
with  human  blood,  cried  out,  "Away  with  tliis  man,  the  father  of 
the  Christians,  the  subverter  of  our  gods,  who'  teaches  many  not 
to  worship  or  adore  them!"  They  demanded  that  a  lion  should 
be  let  loose  against  him.  This  Philip  of  Tralles,  the  i^residing 
asiarch,  refused  to  do,  on  the  ground  that  the  games  were  finished. 
He  had  been  touched  by  the  example  of  Christian  heroism.  But 
the  populace,  thirsting  for  blood,  cried  out,  "Let  him  be  burnt 
alive !"  and  while  he  stood  calmly  j^raying  the  i)enple  rapidly 
gathered  fuel  from  the  workshops  and  baths  near.  Among 
these  persecuting  enemies  the  Jews  were  foremost.  They  were 
first  and  most  eager  in  bringing  logs  for  the  pile,  and  loudest 
in  clamoring  that  no  mercy  should  be  shown  him. 

The  old  man  ungirded  himself  and  took  his  place  among  the 
fagots.  When  they  were  about  to  nail  him  to  the  stake  he  said, 
"  Let  me  remain  as  I  am ;  for  He  who  giveth  me  strength  to 
sustain  the  fire  will  enable  me  also,  without  your  fastening  me 


THE  QUEEN   OF  THE  LEVANT.  221 

M'itli  nails,  to  endure  its  fierceness."  Tlien,  putting  liis  hands 
behind  him,  he  suffered  himself  to  be  bound,  and  uttered  a  toucli- 
ing  prayer,  thanlcing  God,  who  had  counted  him  worthy  of  the 
honor  of  martyrdom,  for  the  resurrection  to  eternal  life  of  soul 
and  body  in  Christ,  and  ascribing  glory  to  the  blessed  Trinity. 
The  fire  was  kindled,  and,  the  flames  scarcely  touching  him,  he 
was  roasted  rather  than  burned,  upon  which  the  executioner  was 
directed  to  dispatch  him  with  his  sword.  With  their  utmost 
malignity,  the  Jews  were  especially  anxious  that  the  body  should 
be  utterly  consumed,  lest,  said  they,  "these  people  should  leave 
the  worship  of  the  Crucified  One  for  this  man." 

The  ashes  of  Polycarp  were  collected  by  the  faithful  of  his 
flock,  and  deposited  in  a  spot  of  which  the  tradition  has  been 
preserved,  and  which  is  still  devoutly  visited  by  the  Greek  Chris- 
tians of  Smyrna.  The  tomb  is  pointed  out,  close  by  the  ruins 
of  an  ancient  church  on  the  hill-side  to  the  south-east  of  the 
city,  very  near  the  scene  of  his  martyrdom,  and  overshadowed 
by  a  tall  old  cypress  tree.  There  it  stands  as  one  of  the  most 
venerable  objects  that  travelers  visit  in  that  city. 

11.   TEN   DAYS'   TEIBULATION. 

Everything  in  this  message  to  the  church  of  Smyrna  had  a 
bearing  upon  its  main  object,  which  was,  to  give  warning  of  the 
suffering  that  would  come  upon  it.  The  final  warning,  that  it 
should  "have  tribulation  ten  days,"  was  the  climax  of  all  the 
warnings  contained  in  the  message.  Its  language,  though  so 
ominous,  is  also  so  symbolical  that  its  interpretation  becomes  a 
matter  of  difficulty. 

The  first  and  the  greatest  difficulty  pertains  to  the  number 
ten — its  ten  days.  Five  different  opinions  concerning  its  mean- 
ing have  each  been  advocated  by  eminent  commentators:  That 
it  indicates — 1.  Ten  clays'  per seeiition  literally;  some  very  violent 
attack  of  the  enemy,  lasting  only  that  long;  2.  Ten  years'  per- 
secution^ taking,  according  to  a  well-known  i^rinciple  of  Scrij^ture, 
the  day  for  a  year;  3.  Ten  distinct  persecutions,  which,  it  is  suji- 
posed,  marked  the  general  warfare  against  the  Church  during 
those  first  centuries;  4.  A  persecution  that  would  be  very  briefs 
so  brief  that  it  might  be  described  by  a  continuance  of  ten  days; 
5.  A  long  23eriod  of  persecution,  according  to  a  well-known  custom 
of  Scripture  that  uses  ten  for  a  number  that  is  indefinitely  long. 
All  these  have  some  plausibility,  but  they  do  not  satisfy,  chiefly 
because  they  make  too  literal  an  application  of  the  number,  and 


222       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

because  their  various  interpretations  are  not  sufficiently  sustained 
by  the  facts  supposed. 

Of  course,  the  real  solution  must  be  found  in  the  interpretation 
given  to  the  word  ten.  Then,  in  explaining  it,  we  must  be  guided 
by  what  is  known  to  be  its  usual  meaning.  As  to  that,  we  know 
that  it  is  generally  used,  not  as  a  number,  but  as  a  symbol.  Accord- 
ing to  this  usage,  the  idea  of  number  does  not  enter  into  its  appli- 
cation at  all.  It  is  rather  the  scriptural  symbol  for  completeness — 
for  the  fullness  of  the  subject,  whatever  that  subject  may  be.  Its 
meaning,  therefore,  in  the  present  case  must  be  sought  in  the 
completeness,  the  totality,  of  the  tribulations  which  would  come 
upon  that  churcli.  Most  ominous  was  the  prospect  it  opened  to 
them.  Their  cup  of  sufferings  would  be  full.  The  idea  of  time 
or  number  does  not  come  into  the  interpretation,  but  the  degree 
of  tlie  tribulations  or  persecutions  which  they  would  be  called 
to  endure.  The  ten  indicated  the  completeness  or  totality  of  the 
powers  of  the  world  as  arrayed  against  the  Church.  This  is  some- 
thing substantial,  not  loose  and  vague  and  dependent  on  mere 
guesses.  Moreover,  it  falls  in  with  the  central  point  of  the  mes- 
sage, and  is  only  another  form  of  the  same  tiling,  the  one  form 
being  that  the  devil  would  cast  some  of  them  into  prison,  and  the 
other  that  their  tribulation  should  be  full.  Thus  it  accords  with 
the  whole  spirit  of  the  message,  the  design  of  which  was  to 
warn  that  people  of  the  coming  of  enemies  for  their  persecution. 

It  is  not  true,  as  alleged  by  Trench  and  others,  that  the  whole 
purport  of  this  message  is  to  comfort  the  suffering  church  of 
Smyrna;  it  is  rather  to  prepare  it  for  the  coming  persecutions 
by  warning  it  that  they  would  surely  come,  and  that  in  the 
fullness  of  their  tribulations.  It  is  very  suggestive  that  the  mes- 
sage is  so  fully  taken  up  with  such  admonition.  Almost  every 
word  in  it  has  the  same  complexion.  The  central  point  is,  "The 
devil  shall  cast  some  of  you  into  prison."  Their  tribulations  were 
so  great  as  to  receive  the  special  notice  of  the  Son  of  God;  the 
Jews  would  prove  themselves  to  be  a  synagogue  of  Satan  by 
theh'  blasphemy  and  bitter  opposition;  even  the  title  of  the  Son 
of  man  hints  at  the  same  thing  by  proposing  himself  as  an  ex- 
ample to  them  in  his  death  on  the  cross;  and  here  comes  in  the 
climax  asserting  that  the  very  fullness  of  the  world's  persecutions 
would  1)0  lieapcd  upon  them.  All  this  scarcely  loaves  a  question  as 
to  the  meaning  of  the  expression  we  are  considering.  Its  teach- 
ing is  tliat  the  world  would  do  its  worst.  It  would  concentrate 
all  its  powers  upon  the  persecution  of  Christ  and  his  people. 


THE  QUEEN  OF  THE  LEVANT.  223 

Moreover,  these  words  of  warning  were  far  more  significant 
as  addre&sed  to  tlie  cliurch  of  Smyrna  than  they  would  be  if 
addressed  to  any  of  the  other  six  churches.  That  churcli  was 
brought  into  contact  with  the  nations  of  the  world  most  fully 
of  them  all.  The  commerce  of  the  city  made  it  so.  It  was  emi- 
nently the  church  that  would  be  affected  by  the  world;  and  how 
indicative  it  is,  then,  that  the  ten,  the  completeness,  the  totality  of 
the  world,  should  heap  tribulation  upon  it!  The  whole  world 
would  oppose  the  church.  I  hear  these  words  as  the  great  mes- 
sage to  that  church  which  would  be  most  closely  connected  with 
the  world,  and  at  that  early  day  when  they  would  be  an  element 
of  the  beacon  of  the  ages,  and  I  see  the  totality  of  all  the  world's 
energies  and  plans  and  powers  as  arrayed  against  the  kingdom 
of  Christ.  I  see  the  pride  of  time-honored  paganism ;  the  patriot- 
ism that  required  the  deified  emperors  to  receive  the  supreme 
worsliip ;  the  blind,  bigoted  zeal  of  Judaism ;  the  ferocity  of  a 
populace  brutalized  by  the  sight  of  bloody  shows ;  the  ignorance 
of  times  that  were  sunken  in  cruel  superstition;  the  selfishness 
and  pride  of  a  hierarchy  which  had  prostituted  religion  to  their 
own  aggrandizement;  the  sensuality  of  systems  that  had  lost  all 
their  real  piety ;  the  darkest  and  crudest  contrivances  of  the 
Inquisition ;  the  influence  of  courts  sunken  into  the  lowest  de- 
bauchery ;  the  most  profound  and  pretentious  researches  of  science ; 
and  tlie  wildest  and  most  unrelenting  opposition  of  infidelity.  I 
see  the  centuries  immediately  after  the  apostles;  the  time  Of  the 
dark  ages;  the  years  of  the  world  as  it  began  to  awake  from  the 
long  dark  prevalence  of  barbarism ;  and  even  the  days  in  which 
we  are  now  living.  I  see  all  the  energies  of  man  and  all  the 
ages  of  the  world  United  in  the  totality  of  their  power  to  oppose 
and  persecute  and  destroy  the  people  and  the  cause  of  Christ  and 
human  redemption.  I  see  this  foretold  in  the  strong  language 
of  this  passage,  and  I  see  it  fulfilled  in  the  records  of  time  thus 
far,  and  I  cannot  question  but  that  the  opposition  will  continue 
until  the  whole  work  of  Christ's  kingdom  on  earth  shall  be  ended. 

This  interpretation  of  the  expression  is  not  inconsistent  with 
the  gracious  purpose  of  the  message,  which  undoubtedly  was  to 
prepare  God's  i^eople  for  the  coming  calamities  and  to  strengthen 
them  therein.  When  those  calamities  should  come,  it  would  be 
manifest  that  they  were  neither  unforeseen,  unprovided  for,  nor 
without  a  wise  purpose.  Dark  and  dreadful  as  they  might  be, 
they  would  in  the  end  be  made  to  promote  God's  glory  and  the 
ultimate  welfare  of  his  people.    The  world  would  do  its  worst, 


224       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

would  complete  its  opposition,  but,  in  the  midst  of  all.  He  who 
was  the  first  and  the  last,  who  was  alive  though  he  had  been 
dead,   would  take  care  of  his  Church. 

15.   ENCOUEAGEMENTS. 

The  words  of  cheer  which  God  delivered  to  the  church  of 
Smyrna  in  prospect  of  the  sufferings  which  awaited  them  were 
very  plain  and  full  of  encouragement.  What  afflicted  child  of 
God  has  not  rejoiced  in  them  ?  "  Fear  none  of  those  things  which 
thou  shalt  suffer."  What  a  defiance  they  are  to  Satan,  and  to  sin 
and  evil  of  every  name!  The  man  who  hears  these  words  ad- 
dressed to  him  from  the  lips  of  the  Almighty,  and  takes  them 
home  to  himself,  is  above  the  reach  of  persecutors  and  all  their 
schemes,  for  he  knows  perfectly  well  that  infinitely  greater  is 
the  power  with  him  than  can  be  all  the  enemies  that  may  be 
arrayed  against  him.  Moreover,  when  God  in  this  way  ad- 
dresses his  faithful  people,  his  language  is  not  an  ordinary  ex- 
pression of  cheer,  but  is  the  utterance  of  a  gracious  purpose  of 
goodness  toward  them.  It  was  a  word  of  promise  and  power 
that  would  effect  in  them  the  blessed  feeling  which  it  so  posi- 
tively expresses. 

"Fear  none  of  those  things  which  thou  shalt  suffer."  Why 
should  God's  own  people  fear?  The  enemy  was  persecuting 
their  Lord  through  them,  but  would  not  be  able  to  inflict  any 
real  harm  upon  their  Almighty  King.  "Fear  none  of  those 
things  which  thou  shalt  suffer."  Why  should  they,  since  God 
has  put  it  upon  record  that  all  shall  be  for  their  good?  These 
sufferings  of  persecution  from  enemies  would  be  no  worse  and 
no  more  difficult  to  control  than  are  many  of  the  pains  of  sick- 
ness, and  yet  these  are  undoubtedly  overruled  for  the  welfiire  of 
those  who  endure  them.  To  those  suffering  Christians  of  Smyrna 
it  might  have  been  said:  "God  has  promised  that  all  thy  trials 
shall  be  for  thy  good,  and  there  cannot  be  any  mistake  in  the 
good  word  which  he  has  spoken.  The  sufferings  shall  be  for  thy 
good — for  thy  highest  good,  for  good  which  thou  shalt  enjoy  in 
inexhaustible  abundance,  and  that  after  all  the  good  things  of 
earth  shall  have  passed  away."  "  Fear  none  of  those  things 
which  thou  shalt  suffer,"  for  He  who  is  the  first  and  the  hist, 
who  liveth  and  was  dead,  is  able  to  protect,  to  support,  to  comfort, 
to  uphold,  and  to  deliver  thee,  and  to  give  thee  a  glorious  victory 
over  all  thine  enemies. 

"Fear  none  of  those  things  which  thou  shalt  suffer."    These 


THE  QUEEN  OF  THE  LEVANT.  225 

consolatory  words,  rich  and  precious  as  they  must  have  been,  were 
but  the  embodiment  of  the  solace  contained  in  the  various  prom- 
ises God  made  to  them  in  connection  with  the  scenes  of  future 
suffering  of  which  they  were  so  fully  warned.  Merely  to  name 
these  promises  must  have  opened  to  them  a  door  of  blessed  hope. 
Five  distinct  sources  of  encouragement  did  our  Lord  describe, 
even  while  he  foretold  the  cruel  persecutions  they  would  endure. 
Even  to  us  also  of  these  last  days  it  must  be  cheering  to  look  at 
the  alleviations  of  these  future  sufferings:  1.  Their  persecutions 
would  be  under  the  sympathizing  control  of  their  once  suffering 
Lord,  who  was  "the  first  and  the  last,"  and  who  had  himself 
also  died,  but  conquered  death  and  rose  again ;  2.  They  would 
not  be  universal  over  them  all ;  probably  they  would  not  extend 
to  very  many  victims,  for  the  warning  is,  "The  devil  will  cast 
some  of  you  into  prison " — only  some  of  them ;  3.  Their  tribula- 
tions would  be  for  only  a  limited  period,  for,  though  the  expres- 
sion "ten  days"  has  the  symbolic  meaning  of  totality,  it  has  also 
the  subordinate  application  of  brevity  in  time ;  4.  Their  tribula- 
tions would  be  overruled  to  the  production  of  benefits;  that  is, 
the  persecutions  would  be  allowed  in  order  that  the  faitliful  might 
be  tried;  5.  They  would  be  followed  by  a  most  glorious  reward, 
for  the  exhortation  and  promise  are  given :  "Be  thou  faithful  unto 
death,  and  I  will  give  thee  a  crown  of  life."  When  all  these  were 
received  and  properly  considered  as  coming  from  the  lips  of  the 
God  of  truth,  they  must  almost  have  taken  away  the  dread  of 
the  ominous  future. 

It  is  true  that  the  sufferings  of  the  people  of  that  church  .would 
be  terrible,  but  the  Almighty  God  of  forbearance  and  love  would 
be  on  their  side.  Unseen  by  both  friends  and  foes,  their  loving 
Lord  would  stand  by  his  martyrs  even  in  their  dying  agonies. 
From  his  celestial  throne  his  all-seeing  eye  would  be  upon  them, 
bright  and  cheering  to  them,  but  frowning  upon  iheir  enemies. 
What  was  it  to  Abraham,  though  his  very  heart-strings  were  torn 
with  woe  as  he  held  aloft  the  knife,  ready  to  plunge  it  into  the 
side  of  his  appealing  son,  when  he  heard  the  voice  of  God,  so 
full  of  deliverance;  or  to  the  three  Hebrews  of  Babylon,  that  the 
flames  were  roaring  around  them,  when  side  by  side  with  them 
they  had  the  presence  of  the  Son  of  God;  or  to  Stephen,  that 
the  merciless  stones  were  beating  out  his  life,  while  far  above 
the  reach  of  mere  human  view  the  very  depths  of  glory  were 
opened  to  his  gaze,  and  his  eyes  rested  upon  the  beatific  vision ! 

Can  we  read  of  such  scenes  as  these  w'ithout  the  conviction  that 

15 


226       INAUGUKAL  OF  THE  ENTHKOXED  KING. 

to  the  martyrs  of  our  Lord  his  presence  has  always  been  so  real 
and  so  glorious  that  their  agonies  were  even  forgotten?  "Fear 
thou  not;  for  I  am  with  thee:  be  not  dismayed;  for  I  am  thy 
God;  I  will  strengthen  thee;  yea,  I  will  help  thee;  yea,  I  will 
uphold  thee  with  the  right  hand  of  my  righteousness,"  we  may 
be  sure,  is  the  good  word  that  has  borne  them  through  every 
anguish.  This  was  all  in  all  to  the  dying  heroes.  God's  presence 
with  his  martyrs !— what  would  it  not  do  for  them !  It  would 
give  to  them  a  sense  of  security,  peace,  and  comfort  that  would 
drive  away  from  them  every  dread  and  lull  every  pain.  It  would 
fill  them  with  such  a  sense  of  the  glory  awaiting  them,  and  that 
was  just  about  to  burst  upon  them,  that  they  would  be  enraptured 
by  the  i^rospect,  even  as  it  was  also  with  their  Lord,  who  "  for  the 
joy  that  was  set  before  him  endured  the  cross,  despising  the  shame." 
It  would  give  a  dignity,  even  a  glory,  to  their  very  tortures  to  re- 
flect that  they  were  counted  worthy  to  suffer  shame  "  for  the  name 
of  their  Lord."  May  we  not  also  feel  assured  that,  their  Lord 
being  present  with  them  in  their  martyrdom,  there  would  be  a 
supernatural  interposition  that  would  take  away  the  agonies  the 
very  recounting  of  which  makes  our  flesh  to  crawl?  Oh,  the 
gracious  words  of  our  compassionate  Lord,  "Fear  none  of  those 
things  which  thou  shalt  suffer," — to  how  many  martyrs  they  have 
been  brought  home  freighted  with  peace  and  Iieavenly  rapture! 

In  these  cheering  words  the  blessing  of  the  Most  High  God 
was  pledged  to  the  suffering  church  of  Smyrna,  and  that  pledge 
was  fulfilled  to  the  utmost.  That  church  was  blessed  in  a  wonder- 
ful manner  throughout  many  centuries.  Its  subsequent  history 
was  a  history  of  its  martyr  sufferings,  yet  its  light  of  truth  has 
never  become  utterly  extinct.  Christianity,  through  all  the  cen- 
turies, retained  a  foothold  there,  even  in  the  days  of  the  most 
intolerant  rule  of  the  Moslems.  The  church  lost  its  splendor ;  the 
light  has  sometimes  become  very  dim  and  partially  obscured,  but 
the  candlestick  has  never  been  removed.  The  condition  of  the 
Christians  has  been  better  there  than  in  any  other  of  the  six 
churches. 

The  preservation  of  the  church  of  Smyrna  through  so  many 
ages  and  so  many  vicissitudes  is  an  impressive  instance  of  the 
blessing  of  God  down  to  generation  after  generation.  No  other 
churdi  was  called  upon  to  suffer  so  much  for  the  name  of  Jesus, 
and  no  other  church  has  been  kept  by  Christ  so  long  in  existence. 
Compare  it  with  the  church  of  Sardis  or  of  Laodicea  or  of  Ephe- 
sus,  in  cities  that  were  then  rich  and  flourishing,  but  voluptuous 


THE  QUEEN  OF  THE  LEVANT.  227 

and  proud ;  now  the  three  churches  and  cities  are  utterly  extinct, 
while  the  church  of  Smyrna  lias  a  continued  existence  in  an  import- 
ant city  even  to  this  hour.  It  is  a  most  significant  fact  that  that 
church  has  now  existed  for  eighteen  centuries;  it  is  corrupted  by 
the  Greek  superstitions,  but  Clirist  is  its  King  and  Captain  still. 
Moreover,  they  are  not  a  mere  insignificant  handful,  but  they 
are  so  many  and  so  decided  in  their  Christianity  that  the  Moham- 
medans hate  them  and  give  utterance  to  their  bitter  scorn  by  stig- 
matizing their  city  by  the  contemptuous  name  of  injidel  Smyrna. 

The  fact  is  so  remarkable  as  to  call  forth  the  wonder  of  every 
thoughtful  student  of  the  Bible  that  the  two  churches  of  Smyrna 
and  Philadelphia  are  the  only  ones  of  the  seven  against  which 
no  special  charges  are  brought,  and  that  they  are  the  only  ones 
that  have  an  existence  at  the  present  time.  Can  this  be  a  mere 
accident  amid  the  vicissitudes  of  human  affairs?  Is  it  not  rather 
a  decided  and  manifest  proof  of  God's  blessings  upon  fidelity  to 
him  ? 

16.    FIDELITY  AND  EEWARD. 

A  beautiful  and  instructive  feature  of  these  messages  is  that 
each  of  them  contains  two  distinct  promises  or  exhortations  im- 
plying promises— one  pertaining  to  the  particular  local  church, 
and  arising  from  its  special  circumstances,  and  the  other  of  a 
general  character,  applying  to  all  churches  and  all  ages.  In  this 
message  to  the  church  of  Smyrna  the  two  are:  the  local  engage- 
ment, "Be  thou  faithful  unto  death,  and  I  will  give  thee  a  crown 
of  life,"  and  the  general  one  to  all  churches,  "Overcome,  and  thou 
Shalt  not  be  hurt  by  the  second  death." 

As  to  the  first  or  local  application,  both  exhortation  and  prom- 
ise are  shaped  according  to  tlie  circumstances  of  the  church,  as 
epitomized  in  its  central  point  or  leading  characteristic.  Their 
form  is,  "  Be  thou  faithful  unto  death,  and  I  will  give  thee  a 
crown  of  life."  The  nature  of  the  fidelity  of  the  church  is  deter- 
mined by  its  peculiar  circumstances,  and  these  are  embodied  in 
its  central  point,  "The  devil  will  cast  some  of  you  into  prison, 
that  ye  may  be  tried."  The  same  warning  was  called  forth  by 
the  hostility  of  the  Jews,  by  the  sad  prediction,  "  Ye  shall  have 
tribulation  ten  days,"  and  by  the  whole  tenor  of  the  message. 

The  fidelity,  then,  would  of  course  consist  in  their  unflinching 
endurance  of  persecutions.  The  divine  appointment  demanding 
it  would  be:  "Do  not  shrink  from  the  endurance  of  the  suffering 
that  may  be  required  of  you  for  Christ's  sake.      Do  not  apostatize 


228       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

from  your  faith,  even  in  the  face  of  the  greatest  dangers.  Do  not 
deny  your  Lord,  even  if  it  sliould  cost  you  your  lives  to  confess 
his  name.  Do  not  be  frightened  away  from  a  good  confession  by 
the  prospect  of  the  very  greatest  sufferings.  Face  all  the  danger 
and  suffering  without  flinching.  Show  to  your  unrelenting  enemies 
that  they  cannot  conquer  you  by  threats  of  the  most  cruel  tortures 
they  can  contrive.  Trust  me  that  I  will  stand  by  you  in  the  hour 
when  tlie  rage  of  earth  and  hell  shall  be  the  most  fierce.  Encour- 
age and  strengthen  your  j^ersecuted  brethren  by  your  brave  endur- 
ance of  death  with  its  utmost  horrors.  Endure  all  rather  than 
dishonor  me,  my  cause,  and  my  people  by  yielding  to  Satan  and 
his  powers.  Be  thou  faithful  unto  death — not  simply  unto  the 
end  of  life,  but  even  to  the  endurance  of  death,  which  is  the 
worst  evil  that  the  enemy  can  inflict." 

The  reward  that  would  follow  was  described  according  to  the 
well-known  customs  of  the  place  and  the  times.  In  the  Olym- 
pian, the  Corinthian,  the  Isthmian,  and  the  Smyrnian  games  it 
was  the  custom  to  reward  the  victor  in  racing,  wrestling,  boxing, 
or  other  contests  by  wreathing  a  crown  around  his  brows.  With 
this  custom  the  Christians  of  Smyrna  were  familiar.  They  knew, 
too,  that  it  was  the  custom  to  inscribe  the  names  of  such  victors 
in  the  archives  of  the  games,  that  they  might  be  kept  in  per- 
petual remembrance.  The  garlands  which  formed  such  crowns 
were  wrought  out  of  the  leaves  sometimes  of  ivy,  sometimes  of 
parsley,  sometimes  of  olives,  sometimes  of  oak,  and  sometimes 
they  were  woven  of  violets,  and  sometimes  of  roses.  He  who 
received  such  crown  was  held  in  the  highest  honor.  To  reach 
that  crown  was  an  object  which  men  kept  before  them  the  greater 
part  of  their  lives.  They  subjected  themselves  to  toilsome  and 
wearying  training,  and  when  at  length  they  reached  the  coveted 
prize  they  felt  more  than  repaid  for  all  the  hardships  they  had 
endured.  For  that  crown  they  were  willing  to  toil  and  suffer  and 
deny  themselves  to  any  degree.  Crowned  with  the  victorious 
wreath,  they  had  reached  the  joy  of  their  lives. 

Thus  also  does  the  Lord  bestow  a  crown  of  victory  and  honor 
upon  all  those  who  are  conquerors  over  their  spiritual  enemies. 
It  is  well  worthy  of  special  consideration  how  often  a  crown  is 
made  the  emblem  of  the  future  blessings  which  he  has  in  reserve 
for  tliose  who  were  faithful  to  him  while  on  earth.  In  Timothy 
it  is,  "  Henceforth  there  is  laid  up  for  me  a  eroxcn  of  righteotisness, 
which  the  Lord,  the  judge,  shall  give  to  me  at  that  day:  and 
not  to  me  only,  but  to  all  them  also  that  love  his  appearing." 


THE  QUEEN  OF  THE  LEVANT.  229 

In  Peter  it  is,  "When  the  Chief  Shepherd  shall  appear,  ye  shall 
receive  a  crown  of  glory  that  fadeth  not  away."  In  Corinthians 
it  is,  "Now  they  do  it  to  obtain  a  corruptible  crown;  but  we  are 
incorruptible y  In  Isaiah  it  is,  "In  that  day  shall  the  Lord  of 
hosts  be  for  a  crown  of  glory,  and  for  a  diadem  of  beauty,  unto 
the  residue  of  his  people."  In  this  glorious  promise  to  the  faith- 
ful of  Smyrna  it  is  a  crown  of  life.  A  crown  of  righteousness,  of 
glory,  of  life,  of  beauty — an  incorruptible  crown — how  affluent  is 
the  imagery  used  to  depict  the  exceeding  glory  that  God  has  in 
store  for  his  people!  The  crown  which  is  promised  here  would 
be  made  up  of  life — of  life  in  its  vital  ecstasy  and  endless  dura- 
tion. The  life  of  earth  which  they  might  now  lay  down  in  his 
service  would  be  recompensed  with  another  infinitely  more  per- 
fect in  heaven.  "  The  life  so  worn  out  in  his  service  or  laid  down 
in  his  cause  shall  be  rewarded  with  another  and  a  much  better 
life  that  shall  be  eternal" — so  writes  the  godly  commentator  Mat- 
thew Henry. 

This  crown  of  life  with  which  the  faithful  martyrs  shall  be 
adorned  in  glory  will  be  the  symbol  of  victory  by  which  they 
shall  be  distinguished  amid  the  ransomed  ranks.  They  shall  be 
recognized  by  saints  and  angels  as  the  triumphant  heroes  who  suf- 
fered unto  death  for  their  Lord,  before  whom  every  crown  shall  then 
be  cast.  To  their  praise  for  evermore  will  it  be  repeated  that  they 
came  up  out  of  great  tribulation.  Throughout  the  celestial  compa- 
nies they  will  be  recognized  and  spoken  of  as  victors  most  glorious. 

It  was  fitting  that  this  promise  most  singular  and  most  glorious 
should  be  made  to  the  church  of  Smyrna.  That  church  was  dis- 
tinguished above  all  the  others  by  its  pre-eminent  sufferings;  surely 
it  should  also  be  distinguished  for  its  blessed  reward.  Accordingly, 
God  so  ordered  it  in  his  considerate  goodness.  The  crown  of  life 
held  over  its  head  was  shaped  by  his  own  divine  hands.  By  his 
glorious  Son,  the  Captain  of  our  salvation,  it  will  be  placed  on  the 
brow  of  the  victors.  Thought  can  conceive  of  no  honor  greater 
than  this.  Earth  has  no  reward  that  can  be  named  beside  it. 
Honored  Smyrna,  great  were  the  suff"erings  which  thou  didst  en- 
dure, even  unto  death;  poor  Smyrna,  now  enriched;  calumniated 
Smyrna,  now  honored;  threatened  Smyrna,  now  established;  mili- 
tant Smyrna,  now  triumphant;  triumphant  Smyrna,  now  crowned! 

17.   CONQUEST  AND  SAFETY. 
One  of  the  many  remarkable  things  in  these  messages  is  that 
in  each  of  them  some  duty  is  enjoined,  expressed  by  the  ydrd 


230       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

"  overcoineth."  The  nature  of  the  duty  is  in  each  case  deter- 
mined by  the  peculiar  circumstances,  enemies,  or  temptations  with 
which  the  church  had  to  do.  The  reward  would  be  rendered  in 
every  case,  and  it  would  be  of  such  a  nature  as  to  show  its  con- 
nection with  the  sacrifice  made  for  the  cause.  In  each  message 
there  is  an  "overcome;"  so  also  in  each  of  them  is  there  a  blessing 
that  would  follow.  So  would  God  strengthen  and  encourage  his 
servants  to  endure  all.  He  would  bless  them  in  accordance  with 
what  they  courageously  endured  in  honoring  him  before  men. 
There  is  something  that  is  wondrously  interesting  in  the  rela- 
tion which  the  reward  bears  to  the  victory  achieved. 

The  special  reward  here  promised  those  who  should  overcome 
the  enemies  of  both  their  God  and  themselves  was  that  they 
should  not  be  hurt  by  the  second  death.  There  is  a  first  death 
and  a  second  death.  The  one  is  the  death  of  the  bodj^,  which 
none  can  escape,  and  which  many  of  those  who  were  addressed 
in  the  message  would  endure  from  the  hands  of  persecutors;  the 
other  is  death  spiritual  and  eternal,  and  which  the  Scriptures  desig- 
nate by  the  word  hdl.  The  one  is  death  temporal,  and  is  over  in 
an  instant ;  the  other  is  to  be  dying  eternally.  In  this  aspect  hell 
is  appropriately  called  the  second  death.  It  is  like  death  inasmuch 
as  it  is  the  most  fearful  thing  of  which  we  can  conceive,  because 
it  cuts  off  all  hope  and  is  accompanied  by  terrors  inconceivably 
fearful.  It  is  to  suffer  the  pangs  of  death  without  abatement  for 
ever  and  ever.  It  is  infinitely  worse  than  the  first  death,  from 
its  agonies  of  the  soul  and  from  the  awful  thought  of  being  in 
the  woes  of  death  for  evermore.  What  must  it  be  to  live  and 
be  eternally  dying!  Such  is  the  second  death,  so  terrible  that  it 
is  mentioned  but  in  three  other  places  in  the  New  Testament. 

Now  the  pi'omise  most  blessed  to  all  those  who  shall  overcome 
their  si)iritual  foes  is  that  they  shcdl  not  be  hurt  by  this  second  death. 
It  is  said  not  merely  that  the  faithful  conquerors  would  not  die  the 
second  death,  but  that  they  would  not  be  hurt  by  it.  There  is  pro- 
found significance  in  this.  Much  more  is  it  than  that  they  shall 
not  die— even  that  none  of  the  accompaniments  of  death  shall 
come  upon  them.  Nothing  that  produces  death  or  precedes  it 
shall  terrify  them.  None  of  its  horrors  or  alarms  or  evils  of  any 
kind  shall  be  experienced  by  them.  Into  the  regions  of  their 
abode  death  shall  not  enter,  shall  not  be  spoken  of,  thought  of, 
or  feared,  or  its  gloom  even  cast  a  shadow.  What  matter  about 
the  first  death,  even  though  it  come  in  the  most  horrid  form  that 
the  gates  of  hell  can  contrive?    It  will  end  in  a  few  minutes  or 


THE  QUEEN  OF  THE  LEVANT.  231 

hours  at  most.  But  the  second !  How  can  the  lost  escape  its  woes 
that  stretch  away  into  endless  ages? 

This  i^romise  was  wonderfully  appropriate  to  the  conquering 
sufferers  of  Smyrna.  They  would  die  awful  deaths  for  the  cause 
of  their  beloved  Lord,  but  then  they  would  never  die  again.  The 
instant  when  their  heart  stopped  its  beating  would  be  the  last 
instant  of  death  they  would  ever  know.  The  moment  the  body 
of  that  martyr  expires,  death,  with  all  its  terrors,  would  be  over 
for  ever.  As  soon  as  the  first  death  is  gone  the  blessed  saint  enters 
a  realm  where  all  is  imperishable  and  unfading,  and  where  death 
will  be  a  thing  of  the  past.  They  die  for  their  Lord,  then  live 
for  evermore. 

When  looked  at  in  this  light  this  promise  to  the  conquerors 
becomes  unspeakably  precious.  Not  hurt  by  the  second  death  is 
the  surest  promise  of  life  without  an  end.  The  language  is  cal- 
culated to  make  the  deepest  possible  impression  of  future  blessed- 
ness. According  to  it,  they  who  gave  their  bodies  to  be  burnt  in 
the  first  death  will  receive  no  hurt  from  the  second.  They  will 
have  nothing  to  fear  in  the  other  world.  The  first  death  shall 
not  hurt  them ;  the  second  shall  have  no  power  over  them.  Such 
persons  are  the  most  blessed  beings  who  walk  this  earth.  The 
most  exalted  angel  might  envy  them.  No  death  can  touch  them. 
They  can  defy  it,  with  all  its  terrors.  What  tongue  can  utter, 
or  pen  record,  or  heart  imagine,  what  Christ  has  done  in  dying 
for  us? 

From  all  this  we  can  easily  see  how  great  is  the  advance  in  the 
promise  to  this  church  of  Smyrna  over  the  one  made  to  the  Ephe- 
sian  believers.  That  was  a  mere  engagement  to  them  of  the  bless- 
ing of  immortality,  denoted  by  eating  of  the  tree  of  life.  This  one 
goes  much  farther,  inasmuch  as  it  rescues  its  happy  sulyects  from 
all  the  evils  of  death.  They  will  not  even  dread  it.  Their  home 
hereafter  will  be  in  the  blessed  realm  where  life  shall  reign  in  all 
its  perfection. 

18.   SMYRNA  AS  IT  IS  NOW. 

Smyrna  is  the  only  city  of  the  seven  which  has  maintained  its 
existence,  and  which  continues  to  flourish  at  the  present  time ;  all 
the  others  are  either  insignificant  or  ruins.  There  can  scarcely  be 
a  doubt  but  that  the  hand  of  God  is  in  this.  It  has  been  besieged 
and  sacked,  shaken  down  from  its  foundations  by  earthquakes,  its 
inhabitants  almost  annihilated  by  pestilences,  and  it  has  been 
wasted  by  the  wear  and  tear  of  all  these  centuries,  but  still  it 


232       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

exists  and  flonrislies  as  one  of  the  sisterhood  of  eartli's  great 
cities.  Undoubtedly,  it  is  because  of  the  fidelity  of  its  church 
that  it  still  stands  as  a  church,  and  has  been  blessed  as  a  city 
above  the  others.  It  cannot  be  that  this  city,  so  true  to  its  God 
above  the  rest,  should  also  be  above  them  in  the  protection  granted 
it,  and  the  prosperity  still  granted  it,  as  a  mere  accident  amid  the 
vicissitudes  of  human  affairs.  Its  mere  location  in  a  splendid  har- 
bor and  on  the  line  of  a  vast  commerce  will  not  account  for  all; 
for  Ephesus  also  possessed  the  same  advantages,  but  is  now  an 
utter  ruin.  In  its  history  we  cannot  but  read  the  wonderful  work- 
ing of  Him  who  said  to  it,  "Be  thou  faithful  unto  death,  and  I 
will  give  thee  a  crown  of  life." 

Even  at  the  present  day  Smyrna  is  a  great  and  important  city. 
Its  location  is  one  of  surpassing  excellency.  On  one  side  lies  the 
splendid  gulf  by  which  it  was  connected  with  the  ^gean,  and 
through  that  with  all  the  cities  that  lined  the  Mediterranean. 
On  the  other  side  spreads  out  one  of  the  finest  agricultural  coun- 
tries in  the  world,  the  wealth  of  whose  produce  pours  into  it 
from  every  quarter.  In  its  immediate  location  it  lies  on  a  beau- 
tiful plain  which  extends  three  miles  from  the  waters  of  the  beach 
to  a  rampart  of  lofty  hills.  That  plain  it  fills  for  miles  along  the 
shore.  In  its  whole  circumference  it  is  four  or  five  miles.  Its 
climate  is  charming.  Were  proper  sanitary  laws  observed,  it 
would  be  almost  perfect.  Taking  all  these  advantages  into  ac- 
count, it  would  be  no  exaggeration  to  affirm  that  Smyrna  in  its 
location  is  surpassed  by  scarcely  any  other  city  in  the  world. 

We  have  alluded  to  its  bay  or  gulf.  It  runs  up  into  the  land, 
a  beautiful  sheet  of  water,  for  about  thirty-three  miles.  Its  width 
varies  from  five  to  fifteen  miles.  At  its  mouth  it  is  sheltered  by 
a  large  island  which  protects  the  shipping  from  the  winds  that 
so  often  drive  in  from  the  west.  It  is  entered  through  bluff  head- 
lands, one  of  which,  called  the  Blue  Nose,  is  peculiarly  striking 
as  it  stands  like  a  guard  over  the  entrance  to  the  city.  Up  both 
sides  of  the  gulf  lie  several  promontories  and  islands,  some  of 
which  in  olden  times  were  the  haunts  of  Levantine  pirates.  The 
south  side  especially  is  exceedingly  beautiful,  consisting  of  steep 
hills  the  sides  of  which  are  clothed  with  wild  pears  and  various 
evergreens,  while  the  tops  are  bare,  and  at  the  water's  edge  are 
orange-groves  and  waving  masses  of  corn-brakes.  At  the  head  of 
the  bay  this  mountain-range  rises  to  the  height  of  about  three 
hundred  feet,  in  two  peaks  which  are  called  the  Two  Brothers,  and 
on  the  summit  of  one  of  them  is  the  weather  observatorv  of  the 


THE  QUEEN  OF  THE  LEVANT.  233 

city.  Tlie  head  of  the  gulf  is  the  city  harbor,  and  so  well  shel- 
tered is  it  that,  though  there  is  daily  a  strong  breeze,  no  vessel 
is  ever  endangered,  and  so  deep  is  it  that  even  vessels  of  war  and 
large  steamers  can  ride  in  it  with  ease.  No  wonder  that  such  a 
harbor,  on  such  a  line  of  commerce,  should  be  constantly  crowded 
with  vessels  of  every  nation. 

The  scene  as  one  sails  up  the  gulf  and  approaches  the  city  is 
picturesque  in  the  highest  degree.  The  lighthouse  out  in  the  water, 
the  sandy  beach,  at  some  points  running  far  out  amid  the  breakers 
and  sparkling  with  salt-pans,  and  other  objects,  give  it  a  peculiar 
charm.  All  around  the  city,  moreover,  there  are  sites  that  are 
rare  and  beautiful.  The  hills  wliich  stand  back  of  it  on  all  the 
inland  side,  with  their  mystic  ruins  and  their  many  groves  climb- 
ing up  to  their  brow,  far  above  the  elevation  of  the  houses,  are 
magnificent  in  appearance.  The  clusters  of  cypress  trees  which 
mark  the  many  cemeteries;  the  old  city  wall  with  its  gate  ojien- 
ing  upon  a  plain  which  is  entered  over  a  stone  bridge  by  the  side 
of  a  well  celebrated  for  centuries ;  the  bold  Mount  Pagus,  tower- 
ing above  the  other  hills  and  crowned  by  a  ruined  castle;  the 
trellises  of  figs  and  grapes ;  the  fragrant  orchards  of  lemons, 
oranges,  and  citrons;  the  groves  filled  with  doves,  thrushes, 
quail,  and  snipe;  the  waters  of  the  sheltered  bay  swarming 
with  fish;  and  the  sweet,  balmy  atmosphere, — all  these  make 
the  suburbs  of  the  city  an  earthly  paradise. 

The  best  view  that  can  be  had  of  the  city  is  from  the  summit 
of  Mount  Pagus,  the  Castle  Hill  which  towers  high  above  all  the 
south-east  angle  of  the  city.  There  we  take  our  stand.  Around 
us  are  the  venerable  ruins  of  a  castle  or  fortress  supposed  to  have 
been  built  by  Alexander  the  Great.  From  our  lofty  outlook  the 
scenes  we  behold  on  every  hand  are  of  matchless  grandeur,  and 
when  we  associate  them  with  the  memories  of  the  olden  time 
they  are  deeply  impressive.  In  the  distant  west  the  blue  Avaters 
of  the  gulf  lie  gleaming  in  quiet  repose.  Nearer  by,  at  the  head 
of  the  gulf,  is  the  harbor,  with  its  grove  of  stately  masts  of  the 
vessels  that  have  come  from  many  a  port.  On  a  closer  scrutiny 
we  can  discern  among  these  vessels  the  colors  of  Britain,  America, 
France,  Austria,  Russia,  and  other  lands.  Nearer  still,  on  the  fiat 
plain  extending  from  the  water's  brink  to  the  foot  of  the  hill  on 
which  we  stand,  three  hundred  feet  above  the  houses,  lies  the 
city  proper,  with  all  its  busy  life.  A  splendid  sight  it  is,  with 
its  houses  of  glittering  whiteness,  its  slender  minarets  towering  up 
in  every  quarter,  and  its  rows  upon  rows  of  narrow  streets.    Not 


234       INAUGUKAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

far  from  where  we  are  standing,  with  its  solitary  cypress  tree  be- 
side it,  we  behold  what  tradition  atiirms  to  be  the  tomb  of  Poly- 
carp.  Near  to  it  are  the  ruins  of  the  race-course  where  the  mul- 
titude were  wont  to  congregate,  and  where  the  venerable  saint 
expired  amid  the  martyr  flames.  That  n)artyr  tomb,  standing 
there  for  all  these  centuries  in  its  lonely  gloom,  is  a  wonderful 
monument  of  the  reverence  in  which  his  memory  was  held,  of  the 
truth  of  the  divine  record,  and  of  the  suflferings  which  were  the 
special  characteristic  of  the  church  of  Smyrna. 

Although  this  city  is  far  superior,  in  the  greater  part  of  the 
comforts  and  conveniences  of  life,  to  most  Turkish  towns,  there 
is  one  thing  in  which  it  is  sadly  deficient:  its  sewerage  is  pre- 
eminently bad.  Fifteen  hundred  years  ago  it  was  comj^lained  of, 
and  it  is  no  better  at  the  present  time  than  it  was  then.  The 
narrow  streets  are  channels  for  all  the  accumulated  filth  from 
the  houses.  Ordinarily  they  have  no  sidewalks,  but  gradually 
slope  down  from  both  sides,  with  a  very  slight  descent,  to  the 
centre,  which  therefore  becomes  a  gutter  for  the  most  offensive 
wash.  As  might  be  exi^ected,  the  city  is  sometimes  visited  by 
the  most  destructive  pestilences.  Earthquakes,  which  often  visit 
it,  as  well  as  all  that  coast,  are  not  the  only  calamities  by  which 
it  is  afflicted.  It  is  noted  for  the  devastations  which  it  has  often 
suffered  from  the  plague,  an  epidemic  even  more  virulent  in  char- 
acter and  more  fatal  in  its  effects  than  cholera,  which  is  so  justly 
dreaded.  Its  causes  are  this  want  of  cleanliness  in  the  houses, 
streets,  and  inhabitants,  the  neglect  of  the  commonest  sanitary 
precautions,  and  the  pollutions  which  mingle  with  the  water 
used  for  drinking  and  washing  purposes. 

When  the  shadow  of  the  Destroyer  rests  upon  the  doomed  city, 
the  European  consuls  and  merchants  retire  into  the  country  or 
shut  themselves  up  in  their  houses,  admitting  no  one  within 
their  gates.  ]Many  of  the  citizens  then  abandon  their  dwellings, 
and  live  in  the  plains  and  on  the  mountains  under  canvas;  the 
islanders  of  the  Levant  return  to  their  ocean-gardens,  and  silence 
reigns  in  the  Frank  quarters.  But  the  Moslem,  a  fanatical  believer 
in  fate  and  in  the  doctrine  that  human  precautions  avail  nothing 
against  the  fixed  course  of  events,  disdains  to  escape  or  to  use 
the  most  common  measures  of  security.  The  crier  from  the 
morgue  announces  at  certain  hours  the  names  of  those  who  have 
been  stricken  down,  and  invites  their  friends  to  attend  their 
remains  to  the  grave.  Then  their  friends,  disregarding  the  dan- 
ger of  infection,  not  only  attend,  but  even  wash  the  body  before 


THE  QUEEN  OF  THE  LEVANT.  235 

interment,  and  afterward  carry  it  upon  their  shoulders,  a  change 
of  bearers  pressing  forward  at  every  ten  or  twenty  yards  to  sliare 
in  the  last  pious  office. 

19.   INHABITANTS. 

The  population  of  Smyrna  is  probably  in  the  neighborhood 
of  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  thousand.  Of  this  number  about 
eighty-seven  thousand,  or  one-half,  are  Turks,  and  of  the  other 
half  about  forty  thousand  are  Greeks,  twenty  thousand  are  Arme- 
nians, and  twenty  thousand  are  Jews.  The  results  of  this  hetero- 
geneous composition  of  its  population  are  very  curious.  An  eye- 
witness thus  describes  them :  "  The  citizens  are  distinct  from  each 
other  in  religion,  dress,  language,  and  manners.  Each  race  has 
its  own  ceremonies,  its  own  feasts,  and  even  its  own  calendar. 
It  is  not  at  all  unusual  for  one  race  to  celebrate  a  festival  on  a 
day  devoted  by  another  race  to  penance  and  fasting.  The  Turks 
close  their  shops  on  Friday,  the  Jews  on  Saturday,  and  the  Arme- 
nians, Greeks,  and  Franks  on  Sunday.  There  are  no  intermar- 
riages or  social  communication  between  these  dilTerent  races.  They 
never  meet  with  each  other  except  in  the  market-place,  and  they 
converse  together  only  on  the  price  of  cotton  or  other  produce,  or 
on  the  rate  of  exchange  between  piasters  and  dollars.  The  distinc- 
tion of  race  is  more  strongly  marked  amongst  the  women  than 
amongst  the  men.  The  Greek  and  Frank  ladies  have  their  faces 
uncovered;  the  Armenian  and  Jewish  allow  about  half  of  the 
countenance  to  be  seen;  while  the  Turkish  women  hide  every 
feature  but  the  eyes.  A  stranger  would  be  led  to  believe  that 
more  languages  were  sjioken  in  Smyrna  than  in  any  city  which 
has  existed  since  Babel.  On  one  side  caravans  and  strings  of 
camels  pour  in  from  every  part  of  Central  Asia,  Syria,  and 
Arabia;  on  the  other,  fleets  crowd  the  harbor  from  all  the  mari- 
time states  of  Europe  and  America.  The  general  medium  of 
communication  is  the  lingua  Franca,  a  barbarous  jargon  com- 
posed of  bad  Italian  and  worse  Arabic,  together  with  a  plenti- 
ful admixture  of  vulgarisms  and  nautical  phrases  from  every  lan- 
guage of  Europe." 

The  religious  condition  of  Smyrna  is  a  subject  of  the  greatest 
importance  with  all  thoughtful  Christians.  Islaniism,  of  course, 
takes  the  lead  in  numbers,  it  being  a  Turkish  city.  The  fol- 
lowers of  the  false  prophet  have  fifteen  mosques  for  the  celebra- 
tion of  their  rites,  and  the  tall,  slender  minarets  tower  up  in  the 
various  parts  of  the  city.      The  Jews  have  several  synagogues, 


236       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

for  they  still  hold  a  conspicuous  place  in  that  busy  sea-port.  It 
has  been  observed  by  travelers  as  a  significant  fact  that  the  Chris- 
tians are  in  a  better  condition  in  Smyrna  than  in  any  of  the 
other  six  cities.  Numerically  they  are  important,  as  in  their  vari- 
ous branches  they  comprehend  nearly  half  of  the  population. 
The  Armenians  have  at  least  one  church,  and  it  is  in  a  tolerably 
flourishing  condition.  The  Latins  have  a  monastery,  as  well  as 
various  places  of  worship.  The  Greeks  have  several  churches. 
Among  that  people  there  are  many  persons  who  are  interested 
in  the  Word  of  God,  and  diligent  students  of  its  sacred  pages. 
There  are  also  several  missionary  enterprises  in  the  city,  and 
through  them  the  light  is  returning  to  that  old  home  where  it 
once  shone  so  brightly. 

20.   WAENING  OF  THE   BEACOX. 

All  this  suffering  by  the  church  of  Smyrna  is  God's  admonition 
to  us  that,  in  one  way  or  other,  all  the  true  followers  of  Christ 
would  be  called  upon  to  suffer  for  his  name's  sake.  As  the  other 
messages  teach  other  great  features  of  the  Christian  life,  so  suf- 
fering for  righteousness'  sake  is  the  lesson  of  this.  It  is  the  same 
as  taught  by  our  Lord's  warning:  "If  any  man  will  come  after 
me,  let  him  deny  himself,  and  take  up  his  cross,  and  follow  me." 
The  same  is  taught  in  another  place:  "We  must  through  much 
tribulation  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God."  So  is  it  that  this 
element  of  our  heavenly  beacon  is  intended  to  give  us  warning 
of  the  constantly-recurring  persecutions  to  which,  as  the  followers 
of  Clirist,  we  shall  be  exposed.  From  the  reiterated  admonitions 
of  this  kind  we  ought  to  be  prompted  to  prepare  ourselves  to  meet 
with  opposition  and  enemies  in  all  our  Christian  course.  We  should 
expect  that  sufferings  for  Christ's  sake  will  surely  come,  but  at  the 
same  time  remember  that  this  will  not  be  a  real  calamity,  for  the 
teaching  of  our  message  is  that  Smyrna  suffering  was  Smyrna 
bles.sed.  It  should  also  be  borne  in  mind  that  we  have  a  better 
exanii)le  than  that  of  Smyrna— even  that  of  our  Lord;  for  he 
too  was  a  sufferer,  and  in  his  sufferings  he  set  us  an  example. 
In  all  our  afflictions  he  was  afilicted  ;  his  sufferings  were  even 
unto  deatli,  for  the  attribute  he  takes  to  himself  in  this  connec- 
tion is,  "I  am  he  that  liveth  and  was  dead." 

The  message  also  makes  it  sure  tliat  our  sufferings  for  Christ's 
sake  are  i)ro(lu('tive  of  our  highest  welfare.  Certain  it  is  that 
the  most  noble  of  our  race  have  been  those  who  were  made  per- 
fect though   sufl'erings.      They  are  bloody  but  glorious  pages  of 


THE  QUEEN  OF  THE  LEVANT.  237 

history  on  which  this  is  recorded.  It  is  not  likely  that  similar 
persecutions  will  come  upon  the  children  of  God  of  the  present 
day;  but  the  principle  of  opposition  and  hatred  of  our  Lord  and 
his  followers  still  lives,  and  it  does  and  will  show  itself  in  ways 
that  will  be  suited  to  the  age.  Not  by  physical  violence  and 
shedding  of  blood,  but  by  moral  and  mental  persecution,  will 
the  opposition  be  conducted.  The  persecution  is  continued  still, 
and  now  the  suffering  is  from  infidelity,  with  its  malignant  eye 
upon  all  that  is  true  and  hopeful  for  men ;  from  indifferentism 
that  cares  not  about  the  soul  or  God  or  eternity;  from  worldli- 
ness  that  has  neither  eye  nor  ear  for  anything  but  the  present 
day;  from  Socialism  in  its  various  forms,  appealing  to  all  that 
is  vile,  and  arraying  the  passions  of  the  worst  classes  against 
God  and  goodness;  from  lawlessness  animated  only  by  the 
purpose  to  destroy ;  from  hypocrisy  arraying  itself  in  the  liv- 
ery of  Christ  the  better  to  deceive  and  ruin;  from  destructive 
criticism  of  God's  Word,  the  energies  of  wiiich  are  intent  on 
obliterating  every  hope  of  mankind;  from  Mormonism,  whose 
great  appeal  is  to  the  sensual,  the  base,  and  the  degrading;  from 
Arianism,  whose  various  efforts  are  to  take  away  all  the  glory 
from  our  Lord;  and  from  popery,  which  lies  in  wait,  ready  to 
spring  upon  the  simple  truth  as  it  is  in  Christ  Jesus.  All  these 
are  the  sad  fulfillment  of  the  prophetic  warning  in  the  experi- 
ence of  the  church  of  Smyrna,  the  characteristic  of  which  is 
stamped  upon  the  whole  course  of  the  Church  throughout  the 
ages. 

But  there  are  advantages  which  can  be  clearly  seen  as  having 
sprung  from  this  suffering  for  Christ's  sake.  It  is  a  true  record, 
which  has  been  made  through  time,  that  suffering  churches  have 
been  the  best  churches — the  best  in  God's  sight.  We  need  have  no 
fear  for  either  ourselves  or  the  cause  that  w'e  love.  The  sure  word 
of  God  is  pledged:  "Be  thou  faithful  unto  death,  and  I  will  give 
thee  a  crown  of  life."  We  are  to  be  faithful  unto  death — this  day 
and  every  day.  We  are  to  live  a  life  of  entire  consecration,  cruci- 
fied unto  the  world,  and  the  world  unto  us.  And  if  we  have 
sufficient  faith  to  let  him,  day  by  day  and  in  all  things,  dispose 
of  us,  take  what  he  will,  give  what  he  will,  send  where  he  will, 
we  need  not  envy  those  who  literally  suffered  martyrdom  for  his 
name's  sake.  True  it  is  that,  by  divine  appointment,  suffering 
is  to  be  the  lot  of  God's  people.  If  we  suffer,  it  is  in  accordance 
with  his  heavenly  decree.  Instead  of  lamenting  that  it  is  so,  it 
should  rather  be  a  joy  to  us,  that  so  we  shall  be  fulfilling  his 


238  INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

appointment,  and  rising  to  the  highest  destiny  as  he  has  wisely 
arranged.  Nothing  is  more  sad  in  tliis  world  of  sin  and  sorrow 
than  that  the  devil  casts  the  best  of  men  into  prison,  into  the 
fangs  of  beasts,  and  into  roasting  flames;  nothing  is  more  glori- 
ous, in  the  glimpses  which  are  vouchsafed  us  in  the  celestial  world, 
than  that  the  souls  of  the  martyrs  are  now  beneath  the  throne  of 
the  ever-blessed  Jehovah,  awaiting  the  crowns  that  will  yet  be 
placed  upon  their  honored  brows. 


PERGAMOS. 


THE  OXPOBD  OP  THE  ORIENT. 


THE  MESSAGE. 

Aud  to  the  angel  of  the  cliurcli  in  Pergamos  write;  These  things  saith  he 
wliich  hath  the  sharp  sword  witli  two  edges  ; 

I  know  thy  works,  and  where  tliou  dwellest,  even  where  Satan's  seat  is :  aud 
thou  holdest  fast  my  name,  and  hast  not  denied  my  faith,  even  in  those  days 
wherein  Antipas  was  my  faithful  martyr,  wlio  was  slain  among  you,  where 
Satan   dwelleth. 

But  I  have  a  few  things  against  thee,  because  thou  hast  there  them  that 
hold  the  doctrine  of  Balaam,  who  taught  Balak  to  cast  a  stumblingblock  be- 
fore the  children  of  Israel,  to  eat  things  sacrificed  unto  idols,  aud  to  commit 
fornication. 

So  hast  thou  also  them  that  hold  the  doctrine  of  the  Nicolaitaus,  wliich  thing 
I  hate. 

Repent ;  or  else  I  will  come  unto  thee  quickly,  and  will  fight  against  them 
with  the  sword  of  my  mouth. 

He  that  liath  an  ear,  let  him  hear  what  the  Spirit  saith  unto  the  churches; 
To  him  that  overcometh  will  I  give  to  eat  of  the  hidden  manna,  and  will  give 
him  a  white  stone,  and  in  the  stone  a  new  name  written,  which  no  man  knoweth 
saving  he  that  received  it. 


CHAPTER    X. 

THE  OXFORD  OF  THE  ORIENT. 

1.    CELEBRATED  CITY. 

In  all  that  country  which  in  ancient  times  was  called  Mysia, 
the  most  important  city  was  that  which  in  these  messages  was 
called  Pergamos,  but  which  at  the  present  time  is  known  as  Ber- 
gamo. Most  appropriately  has  some  writer  said  of  it  that  it  was 
at  once  "a  royal  residence,  a  university  town,  and  a  cathedral 
city."  Its  location,  the  historical  events  with  wiiich  it  was  con- 
nected, the  high  degree  of  culture  attained  by  its  inhabitants, 
and  the  renowned  institutions  it  contained,  all  united  in  render- 
ing its  name  famous.  Originally  it  was  simply  a  strong  fortress 
that  crowned  the  lofty  peak  of  a  mountain  in  the  midst  of  an 
enterprising  people.  In  jirocess  of  time,  however,  it  felt  the 
invigorating  touch  of  Alexander  the  Great,  whose  successors  were 
impressed  with  its  importance,  and  raised  it  to  an  eminence  which 
few  cities  of  its  age  attained.  So  important  was  it  in  the  height 
of  its  prosperity  that  Pliny  described  it  as  "  longe  clarissimum 
Asise  Pergamum."  It  is  situated  on  the  river  Caicus,  about  thirty- 
five  miles  from  its  mouth,  and  inland  from  the  sea  about  twenty- 
three  miles.  It  lies  at  the  base  and  on  the  declivities  of  three 
high  and  steep  mountains  which  flank  the  city  on  three  sides. 
"The  middle  summit  is  the  highest,  and  is  crowned  by  an  ancient 
and  desolate  castle."  The  ascent  to  the  castle  is  quite  circuitous, 
over  a  broad,  ancient,  paved  road.  Halfway  up  the  hill  is  an 
outwork  consisting  of  a  wall  of  considerable  length  with  fre- 
quent towers.  A  little  above  this  is  a  platform  intended  for  a 
battery,  and  built  entirely  of  marble  fragments  cemented  in  mor- 
tar. The  castle  embraces  the  entire  summit  of  the  hill,  and  in- 
cludes a  space  of  eight  acres.  Facing  the  south-east  is  a  wall  of 
hewn  stone  a  hundred  feet  high,  built  into  the  rock,  which  helps 
to  form  a  spacious  area  where  anciently  stood  a  temple  visible 
everywhere  from  the  plain  of  the  Caicus,  and  even  from  the  sea 
on  the  other  side.  On  the  north  and  west  sides  the  descent  is 
almost  perpendicular  into  a  deep  narrow  valley.     Through  this 


16 


241 


242       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

runs  a  rivulet  with  an  aqueduct  of  lofty  ai'ches  at  one  extremity, 
and  at  the  other  a  massive  pile  filling  the  whole  valley,  and  form- 
ing with  it  a  JVaumachia,  or  place  for  the  exhibition  of  sea-fights. 
When  the  stream  occupied  only  its  natural  bed  and  the  interior 
was  dry,  it  was  probably  used  for  chariot-races  and  gymnastic 
exercises.  At  the  eastern  extremity  of  the  hill  are  the  remains 
of  a  theatre  whose  entrances  are  still  standing.  Its  area,  however,, 
is  filled  with  houses  and  gardens  against  the  sloping  sides  where 
the  semicircular  seats  rose  one  above  another. 

A  recent  traveler  gives  this  description  of  the  city  and  adjacent 
country:  "The  view  from  the  summit  of  the  Acropolis  is  not  ex- 
celled by  any  that  I  ever  saw.  In  every  direction  mountains 
are  seen,  near  by  or  far  away,  and  they  present  every  variety 
of  form  and  every  shade  of  color  known  to  mountain  scenery. 
The  broad  plain  of  the  Caicus  stretches  away  to  the  east,  termi- 
nated by  a  mountain-barrier  dim  in  the  distance,  and  the  same 
plain  continues  its  course  to  the  south-west  until  its  varied  hues 
of  yellow  and  green  are  exchanged  for  the  deep  blue  of  the  sea, 
and  this  is  limited  by  the  dim  mountains  of  the  island  of  Mity- 
lene,  the  ancient  Lesbos.  The  Caicus  is  seen  at  intervals  wind- 
ing its  way  along  the  plain,  and  in  the  mountain-passes  in  other 
directions  many  smaller  streams  are  traced  as  they  thread  their 
way  through  crooked  valleys.  All  the  elements  of  a  magnificent 
landscape — mountains,  plains,  rivers,  and  the  sea — combine  to 
make  this  one  of  the  most  sublime  views  ever  enjoyed  by  the 
people  of  an  entire  city  looking  abroad  from  their  own  house- 
tops. Its  commanding  site  made  the  city  itself  also  a  magnifi- 
cent object  when  seen  from  the  plain  below,  and  especially  from 
the  plain  toward  the  south-west,  whence  it  stands  out  distinctly 
against  the  sky  and  seems  to  exalt  itself  above  all  the  hills." 

Inside  of  what  was  the  city  are  ruins  which  indicate  not  only 
its  former  greatness,  but  also  a  remarkable  degree  of  progress  in 
what  we  are  wont  to  consider  modern  improvements.  In  the 
deep  valleys  that  lie  between  the  hills  on  which  much  of  it  was 
built  there  are  broken  arches  of  immense  sewers,  built  of  brick 
and  marble  fragments,  which  show  that  cleanliness  and  health 
were  cared  for  by  the  old  Pergamese  as  surely  as  they  are  at  the 
present  day.  There  are  also  ruined  arches  of  aqueducts  which 
spanned  the  valleys  and  furnished  the  inhabitants  of  the  city  with 
a  plentiful  supply  of  water.  Perhaps  the  most  interesting  of  such 
remains  are  the  fragments  of  tessellated  pavements  which  have 
been  found  amid  the  unsightly  heaps  of  the  old  city.     These  are 


THE  OXFORD  OF  THE  ORIENT.  243 

specially  interesting;  because  they  are  the  oldest  specimens  of  the 
kind  that  have  been  discovered.  They  are  found  on  the  plat- 
forms that  were  built  at  various  altitudes  on  the  declivities  of  the 
steep  hills.  Aqueducts,  sewers,  and  tessellated  i:)avements  amid 
the  ruins  of  old  Pergamos !— they  give  evidence  of  the  high 
degree  of  culture  and  comfort  to  which  it  attained. 

The  entire  area  of  the  ancient  city  is  now  strewn  over  with 
ruins.  There  are  ruins  in  the  deep  valleys,  ruins  on  the  declivi- 
ties of  the  mountains,  ruins  on  the  highest  peaks,  ruins  around 
the  mud  hovels  where  the  present  population  have  their  habita- 
tion. The  eastern  part,  overhanging  the  great  plain  of  the  Caicus, 
is  a  heap  of  ruins.  This  feature  of  the  city  has  been  thus  summed 
up:  "Nothing  conveys  a  clearer  idea  of  the  enormous  wealth  of 
old  Pergamos  than  the  vast  quantities  of  white  marble  which 
everywhere  strew  its  site.  These  blocks  and  columns  and  sculp- 
tures are  crowded  on  the  surface  and  under  it;  many  of  them 
are  shafts  thirty  and  forty  feet  in  length.  For  centuries  these 
ruins  have  served  as  Turkish  quarries.  The  marbles  are  continu- 
ally being  broken  up  and  burnt  for  lime.  Fragments  of  statues 
strew  the  ground.  Large  sculptures  are  frequently  disinterred, 
but  are  at  once  broken  up  by  the  Turks,  who  believe  that  treas- 
ure is  concealed  in  the  heads  of  these  idols,  which  are  therefore 
at  once  demolished.  This  notion,  combined  with  the  Moslem  hor- 
ror of  idols,  has  probably  destroyed  more  Grecian  statues  at  Per- 
gamos than  now  adorn  the  museums  of  Europe." 

We  shall  be  able  to  form  a  more  accurate  conception  of  the 
ruined  condition  of  the  old  city  if  we  depict  some  of  what  were 
once  its  magnificent  structures.  Among  these,  one  of  the  most 
impressive  is  the  enormous  mass  of  the  broken  walls  of  the 
church  of  St.  John,  the  '^  Agios  Theologos.''''  The  broken  rows  of 
granite  columns,  the  massive  brick-work,  the  slabs  of  marble, 
the  fragments  of  a  huge  dome,  and  other  remains,  show  that  it 
must  have  been  of  enormous  size  and  strength. 

The  ruins  of  the  amphitheatre  are  another  impressive  object. 
So  immense  were  they  that  huts  and  even  gardens  are  now  seen 
in  the  area  it  once  covered,  and  its  marble  fragments  formed  a 
quarry  from  which  the  cemetery  of  the  place  has  obtained  its 
grave-stones  for  many  years. 

We  may  add  a  few  words  more  concerning  its  Naumachia.  It 
was  an  artificial  lake,  for  the  exhibition  of  sea-fights.  Between 
two  of  its  house-clad  hills  there  flowed  the  rivulet  called  Seliuus. 
At  the  upper  end  of  this,  or  where  it  entered  the  city,  it  was 


244       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHEONED  KING. 

spanned  by  the  great  aqueduct.  At  the  lower  end,  or  where  it 
left  the  city,  a  dam  was  placed  across  its  path,  and  the  valley  was 
turned  into  a  lake  on  w^hich  vessels  could  be  manoeuvred  as  in 
a  battle  at  sea.  When  the  water  was  drawn  off  the  space  was 
made  the  scene  of  games,  shows,  and  gymnastic  exhibitions. 

The  Acropolis  was  another  of  its  vast  structures,  the  ruins  of 
which  are  very  striking.  A  traveler  has  thus  described  them : 
"  On  a  bold  hill  just  behind  the  modern  city  is  a  long,  irregular 
line  of  crumbling  wall,  enclosing  many  clusters  of  shattered  ruins 
where  broken  friezes  and  half-sunken  columns  of  white  marble 
shine  forth  in  striking  contrast  with  the  dark  basaltic  rock  of 
which  the  hill  is  composed.  This  was  the  Acropolis,  or  citadel, 
which  originally  comprised  within  its  walls  the  whole  of  the 
ancient  city,  and  where  temple  and  royal  palace  once  rose  majes- 
tically side  by  side  and  towered  over  the  valley  of  the  Caicus 
beneath." 

The  remains  of  the  Nicephorium  are  amongst  the  most  remark- 
able of  the  ol)jects  found  in  this  old  city.  It  was  a  splendid  grove 
in  which  were  erected  the  temples  of  the  chief  gods  that  the 
populace  worshiped.  In  iti^  cool  retreats  were  also  the  healing 
waters  which  drew  so  many  invalids  to  that  favored  city.  But 
its  chief  attraction  was  the  temple  of  ^Esculapius,  the  god  of  the 
city.  Renowned  were  the  church  of  the  Agios  Theologos,  the  tem- 
ple-crowned Castle  Hill,  the  immense  amphitheatre,  the  great  aque- 
duct over  the  Valley  of  Selinus  and  the  famous  Xaumachia— these 
are  all  stupendous  ruins ;  but  more  stupendous  than  tliem  all  was 
the  fane  of  ^Esculapius.  To  this  grove  and  temple,  with  their 
healing  springs,  invalids  were  wont  to  repair  from  every  part 
of  the  land.  The  concourse  to  this  temple  was  almost  without 
number  or  cessation.  Thousands  used  to  offer  their  sacrifice  and 
dedicate  their  votive  gifts,  after  which  they  slept  in  the  porticos 
of  the  temple,  where  it  was  believed  the  god  Avould  reveal  to 
them  in  a  dream  the  remedies  or  the  observances  that  were  to 
cure  them.  As  they  passed  the  night  there  they  invoked  the 
deity,  who  communicated  remedies  either  in  dreams  or  by  his 
priests,  who  distributed  medicines  and  performed  surgical  opera- 
tions. So  M'idespread  was  its  reputation  that  even  emperors  vis- 
ited the  fane  and  waited  for  the  healing  inspiration.  The  em- 
peror Caracalla  in  the  year  2ir)  repaired  to  Pergamos  for  the  re- 
covery of  l)is  healtli ;  but  ^TCsculapius  was  unmoved  by  iiis  prayers. 
When  Prusias,  second  king  of  Bithynia,  was  forced  to  raise  the 
siege  of  Pergamos,   he  nearly  destroyed  this  temple.      Like  the 


THE  OXFORD  OF  THE  ORIENT.  245 

temple  of  Diana  in  Epliesus,  it  possessed  tlie  right  of  asylum. 
Caius  Fimbria  the  proconsul,  when  abandoned  by  his  troops  and 
foreseeing  an  implacable  enemy  in  Sylla,  fled  to  this  sanctuary, 
where,  in  despair,  he  fell  upon  his  sword. 

We  dwell  so  fully  upon  the  description  of  what  this  old  city 
of  Pergamos  was,  because  we  would  know  as  much  as  we  can 
about  the  scenes  and  the  people  among  whom  its  church  was 
founded.  We  would  gather  from  these,  as  hints,  what  sort  of 
people  they  were  to  whom  this  message  came  from  the  throne 
of  God.  We  would  depict  the  influences  which  gave  character 
to  the  church  and  led  to  the  peculiar  developments  of  the  gospel 
there.  We  have  seen  that  the  church  of  Ephesus  was  planted 
amid  scenes  of  superstition,  magic,  w'itchcraft,  and  jugglery,  and 
the  cliurch  of  Smyrna  amid  busy  and  excited  scenes  of  connnerce. 
We  now  see  that  this  of  Pergamos  was  established  amid  gorgeous 
structures  and  splendid  temples,  amid  priests  of  various  deities, 
scholars  from  every  part  of  the  land,  artists  of  the  highest  skill, 
and  invalid  pilgrims  from  far  and  near  throughout  all  Asia. 

2.   THE  CITY  AS   A  EOYAL  EESIDEXCE. 

Pergamos  seems  originally  to  have  been  a  fortress  of  consider- 
able natural  strength,  guarding  the  approaches  from  the  shores  of 
the  ^Egean  into  the  rich  plains  and  valleys  of  the  interior.  When 
the  city  began  to  be  formed  about  the  base  of  the  hill,  the  fortress 
served  as  a  citadel.  In  consequence  of  the  strength  of  the  place, 
it  was 'selected  by  Lysimachus,  one  of  the  genei-als  of  Alexander 
the  Great,  as  a  place  of  security  for  the  reception  and  preserva- 
tion of  his  stolen  treasure,  which  amounted  to  nine  tliousand  tal- 
ents. The  care  of  this  treasure  was  confided  to  Philetaerus  of 
Tium  in  Bithynia,  in  whom  he  i)laced  the  greatest  confidence. 
Phiietferus  remained  for  a  long  time  faithful  to  his  charge,  but 
finally,  B.  c.  283,  in  revenge  for  ill  treatment  by  Lysimachus' 
wife,  revolted  from  him,  appropriated  the  treasures,  and  declared 
himself  independent.  The  misfortunes  of  Lysimachus  prevented 
him  from  taking  vengeance  upon  the  offender,  and  thus  Philetaerus 
remained  in  undisturbed  possession  of  the  town  and  treasure  for 
twenty  years,  having  contrived  by  dexterous  management  and 
wise  measures  to  remain  at  peace  with  all  the  neighboring  powers. 

Philetferus  transmitted  his  principality  to  Eumenes  his  nephew, 
B.  c.  203,  by  whom  its  territory  was  much  extended.  After  a  reign 
of  twenty-two  years  he  was  followed  by  Attains  I.,  a  nephew  of 
Philetserus  and  a  very  successful  monarch,  the  first  to  take  the 


246       INAUGUKAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

name  of  king,  who  flourished  for  forty-seven  years.  On  his  death, 
B.  c.  197,  his  son  Eumenes  II.  became  king,  and  reigned  for  thirty- 
eight  years.  During  liis  wliole  reign  he  remained  the  firm  friend 
of  Rome,  and  because  of  his  services  received  large  accessions  to 
his  territory.  The  city  owed  more  to  liim  than  to  any  other 
sovereign  of  the  Attalic  line.  He  beautified  it  by  erecting  many 
of  its  most  magnificent  buildings.  Under  his  rule  it  became  a 
celebrated  seat  of  literature  and  art.  The  most  lasting  monu- 
ment of  his  liberality  was  the  great  library  which  he  founded, 
and  which  yielded  only  to  that  of  Alexandria  in  extent  and  value. 
Of  this  library,  and  of  the  first  use  of  parchment  skins  for  writ- 
ing in  the  copying  of  books  for  it,  we  shall  hereafter  speak  more 
fully. 

The  next  of  the  family  to  take  the  throne  was  Attains  II.,  a 
younger  brother  of  Eumenes  II.  He  reigned  from  b.  c.  159  to 
B.  c.  138.  As  a  warrior  he  was  the  most  renowned  of  the  family, 
and  in  his  wars  he  was  almost  always  successful.  The  years  of 
repose  which  succeeded  his  wars  he  devoted  to  the  building  of 
cities  and  the  patronage  of  learning.  He  was  surnamed  Phila- 
delphiis,  from  the  fraternal  love  he  displayed  toward  his  brother 
Eumenes  during  the  lifetime  of  the  latter.  The  city  of  Philadel- 
phia, to  whose  church  one  of  the  seven  messages  was  sent,  was 
founded  by  him  and  derived  its  name  from  him. 

The  last  of  these  kings  was  Attains  III.,  son  of  Eumenes  II., 
whose  reign  extended  over  the  brief  period  of  only  five  years, 
and  terminated  the  dynasty,  B.  c.  133.  He  was  not  only  the  last, 
but  also  the  worst  of  them  all.  Indeed,  his  extravagance  was 
so  boundless,  and  his  cruel  murders  so  many  and  so  causeless  that 
an  impression  prevailed  that  he  was  partially  insane.  While 
superintending  the  erection  of  a  monument  to  his  mother  he  was 
affected  with  sunstroke,  and  soon  after  expired.  Upon  his  death 
his  kingdom  became  a  province  of  the  Roman  Empire. 

Such  was  the  history  of  the  kingdom  of  Pergamos.  The  princes 
of  the  Attalian  family  or  dynasty,  who  ruled  over  it  during  its 
whole  career,  were  extraordinary  men,  and  their  influence  upon 
those  who  first  formed  the  church  of  Pergamos  was  such  as  to 
give  us  special  interest  in  them.  It  is  almost  incredible  how  much 
they  did  for  their  kingdom  in  so  short  a  period.  We  must  bear  in 
mind  that  they  found  it  little  more  than  a  mountain  fortress.  And 
what  did  they  make  it?  Besides  the  magnificent  public  buildings 
and  porticos  on  which  they  lavished  the  wealth  which  accrued  from 
their  conquests,  their  love  of  literature  and  of  art  led  them  to  ex- 


THE  OXFORD  OF  THE  ORIENT.  247 

pend  almost  fabulous  sums  in  the  collection  of  a  public  library 
which  rivaled  that  of  Alexandria.  One  of  them  is  said  to  have 
bid  twenty  thousand  dollars,  or  a  sum  equal  to  that,  for  one  pict- 
ure by  the  famous  painter  Aristides,  and  to  have  given  nearly 
double  that  price  for  another  picture  by  the  same  artist.  Through 
their  energy  the  city  spread  down  between  the  rivers  Selinus  and 
Cetius,  far  beyond  the  old  fortress.  They  extended  the  Nicepho- 
rium,  or  grove  of  all  the  gods,  in  which  was  a  collection  of  tem- 
ples to  all  the  principal  deities  of  the  Greek  mythology.  Their 
enormous  fortune  caused  the  name  of  Attalian  wealth  to  pass 
into  a  proverb.  Under  these  able  monarchs  the  city  glittered  with 
baths  and  palaces,  aqueducts,  amphitheatres,  fountains,  statues — with 
all  the  evidences  of  artistic  luxury  and  wealth.  Strangers  were  at- 
tracted thither  from  all  parts  of  the  world  by  the  fame  of  its  riches, 
its  magnificence,  and  its  learning,  and  in  the  time  of  our  Lord 
it  stood  conspicuous  as  the  brightest  and  most  prosperous  of  the 
Asiatic  cities. 

Still  other  inventions  and  improvements  added  to  the  fame  of 
this  city  of  the  Attalian  kings.  It  was  enough  to  render  it  i^eer- 
less  in  renown  that  it  became  the  seat  of  Oriental  learning  in  that 
age.  Among  other  distinguishing  things,  here  were  also  invented 
the  costly  hangings  or  tapestry  which  have  been  so  universally 
employed  in  modern  times,  and  which  were  called  by  the  Romans 
aulcza  because  the  aula  of  the  palace  of  Attains  was  the  first  so 
adorned.  What  other  city  has  had  so  many  honors  connected 
with  its  name  as  had  this  capital  of  the  Attalic  kings — where  the 
beautiful  tessellated  pavements  were  first  used,  where  Oriental  learn- 
ing received  one  of  its  first  and  most  important  impulses,  where 
sumptuous  auleean  tapestries  were  seen  in  the  decorations  of  it's 
palaces,  where  in  one  magnificent  cluster  were  collected  the  most 
gorgeous  of  temples,  where  was  collected  a  libraiy  the  most  valu- 
able save  one  of  all  antiquity,  and  where  the  first  and  best  of 
schools  for  the  teaching  of  medical  science  was  established?  All 
these  improvements  in  the  comforts  and  elegancies  of  life  could 
boast  of  Pergamos  as  their  birthplace  and  home. 

The  sum  of  all,  we  may  present  in  the  words  of  Professor 
Plumptre:  "It  is  not  necessary  to  go  back  to  the  earlier  time 
when  the  rock  citadel  of  Mysia,  about  three,  miles  from  the 
banks  of  the  Caicus,  first  became  celebrated  for  its  worship  of 
the  mysterious  C'abiri,  and  then,  like  other  sacred  places,  became 
a  treasury  where  kings  and  chieftains  deposited  their  wealth.  It 
will  be  enough  to  remember  that  after  the   breaking  up   of  the 


248  INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED   KING. 

Macedonian  monarchy  it  became  the  capital  of  a  wealthy  king- 
dom, and  that  Eumenes  II.  sought  to  rival  the  glory  of  Alexan- 
dria by  the  foundation  of  a  library  in  which  were  stored  the  chief 
works  of  the  literature  and  philosophy  of  Greece;  that  it  became 
famous  for  the  worship  of  the  great  deities  Zeus,  Athene,  Dionysos, 
Apollo,  Aphrodite,  and,  with  a  niore  special  devotion,  of  vEscula- 
pius ;  that  around  that  last  form  of  idolatry  there  gathered  a  great 
medical  school  which  in  after  times  was  rendered  illustrious  by  the 
name  of  Galen.  In  this  religious  character  lay  its  special  claim  to 
greatness.  Dean  Blakesley  has  well  described  it  as  'a  sort  of  union 
of  a  i^agan  cathedral  city,  an  university  town,  and  a  royal  residence ;' 
and  when,  on  the  death  of  Attains  III.,  it  passed  by  his  bequest 
to  the  Roman  republic,  and  afterward  to  the  empire,  it  retained 
its  old  fame,  and  was  described  by  Pliny  as  without  a  rival  in 
the  whole  province  of  Asia." 

3.   iESCULAPIUS.  • 

We  have  already  seen  that  amid  the  leading  pagan  deities  who 
had  their  headquarters  in  the  several  cities  of  the  seven  churches, 
that  of  ^sculapius  was  in  Pergamos.  As  the  meti'opolis  of  Diana 
was  Ephesus,  and  that  of  the  deified  Homer  was  Smyrna,  so  that 
of  this  deity  was  the  city  of  the  Attali. 

In  the  poems  of  Homer,  ^Esculapius  is  represented  as  a  physi- 
cian of  surpassing  excellency.  From  this  normal  conception  of 
him  the  idea  was  developed  until  he  is  found  as  the  god  of  the 
healing  art.  The  myth  concerning  him  was  that,  in  consequence 
of  his  astonishing  success  in  subduing  disease  and  saving  life 
through  his  medical  skill,  Pluto  became  alarmed  lest  his  realms 
should  become  empty  of  inhabitants,  and  appealed  to  Jrpiter, 
who  granted  his  request  and  with  a  flash  of  lightning  struck  the 
great  physician  dead.  Then  mortals  became  indignant  at  the 
loss  of  one  whose  wonderful  cures  had  been  so  great  a  boon  to 
mankind,  and  out  of  that  indignation,  as  well  as  from  gratitude 
for  his  benevolent  services,  they  succeeded  in  having  him  elevated 
to  the  rank  of  the  gods,  among  whom  he  was  distinguished  as  the 
healing  deity. 

So  great  was  the  fame  of  his  skill  that  it  was  currently  beliovod 
that  he  had  even  restored  to  life  many  persons  who  had  been  dead. 
His  statues  represented  him  as  the  ideal  of  manly  strength,  health, 
and  beauty,  seated  ui)on  a  throne,  in  one  hand  holding  a  staff  or 
pole  around  which  was  wreathed  a  serpent,  the  other  hand  resting 
upon  the  head  of  a  serpent,  and  at  his  feet  a  dog,  the  symbol  of 


THE  OXFORD  OF  THE  ORIENT.  249 

watchfulness— a  virtue  shown  by  him  in  his  treatment  of  diseases. 
His  temples  were  always  located  on  hill-sides,  in  healthy  sites, 
and  with  a   spring   of  pure  water  flowing  beside  them. 

This  pagan  deity  J^]sculapius  had  his  metropolis,  his  capital, 
his  headcjuarters,  in  Pergamos.  He  was  the  tutelary  deity  of  the 
city.  So  fully  was  he  identified  with  it  that  a  common  epithet 
by  which  he  was  designated  was  Pergamos  Deus.  According  to 
heathen  phraseology,  he  was  the  guardian  deity  of  the  place. 
Tradition  had  it  that  the  city  was  greatly  indebted  to  him,  inas- 
much as  he  was  regarded  as  its  protector,  the  saviour  of  the  city 
connected  with  which  there  were  so  many  things  that  were  unique 
among  the  gross  superstitions  of  that  age.  In  Pergamos  was  his 
most  magnificent  temple,  from  which  went  out  the  edicts  by  which 
his  worship  Avas  directed.  His  was  the  national  religion.  More- 
over, the  worship  of  iEsculapius  was  the  leading  cultus,  the  pre- 
vailing spirit  which  reigned  among  its  people.  And  sadly  notori- 
ous was  the  idolatry  which  was  developed  therefrom.  It  became 
the  most  splendid  ritual  of  all  that  was  rendered  to  idols  at  that 
time.  As  the  Nicephoriura  with  its  splendid  temples,  the  ele- 
gant buildings  of  the  city,  its  great  library,  its  pavements,  and 
its  aqueducts  were  the  most  gorgeous  of  all  cities,  so  also  were 
the  services  of  its  religion  the  most  imposing. 

Another  influence  of  this  superior  deity  of  Pergamos  was  that 
around  it  was  attracted  a  collection  of  the  most  celebrated  of  other 
pagan  deities.  In  that  beautiful  grove  which  lay  on  the  lower 
declivity  of  its  central  mountain,  extending  to  the  rivulet  Selinus, 
there  shone  the  splendid  temples  of  the  gods  whom  we  have  al- 
ready named.  Of  them  all,  however,  the  centre  and  crown  was 
that  of  Ji^sculapius,  w^hose  fame  was  reflected  from  the  rest,  and 
awakened  the  spirit  which  caused  them  to  be  celebrated. 

Serpent-worship  w^as  the  chief  element  in  the  rites  and  cere- 
monies of  this  deity,  ^sculapius  Avas  always  worshiped  in  the 
form  of  a  snake.  In  his  temples  a  serj^ent  wreathed  around  a 
staff  was  his  invariable  symbol.  The  emblem  was  in  the  form 
of  a  living  serpent,  fed  in  the  temple,  and  considered  as  its  god. 
Beside  that,  however,  there  were  other  rites.  For  instance, 
patients  who  had  been  cured  by  him  were  expected  to  present 
in  his  temple  either  a  goat  or  a  cock.  They  were  also  in  the 
habit  of  hanging  up  in  his  temple  a  thanksgiving  tablet  record- 
ing the  nature  of  their  disease  and  the  method  by  which  it  had 
been  cured.  So  supreme  was  ^sculapius  in  Pergamos  that  its 
coins,  which  are  sometimes  found  at  the  present  day,  are  always 


250       INAUGUEAL  OF  THE  ENTHEONED  KING. 

adorned  by  the  symbol  of  serpent-worship.  So  great  was  the 
esteem  in  wiiicli  he  was  held  that  the  cures  he  effected  were  re- 
garded as  miracles  and  supernatural  mysteries. 

4.   SATAN'S  SEAT. 

"Where  Satan's  seat  is" — tliis  is  a  terrible  description  to  be 
given  of  Pergamos  by  the  lips  of  tlie  God  of  truth  and  righteous- 
ness. No  ordinary  degree  of  wickedness  will  account  for  such 
strong  condemnation.  Such  words  indicate  that  it  was  a  place 
of  peculiar  wickedness,  as  if  Satan  had  there  his  permanent 
home.  He  was  there  enthroned  in  all  his  diabolic  power.  There 
was  something  in  Pergamos  wiiich  gave  it  a  notoriety  above  all 
other  places.  It  seems  to  have  been  the  very  metropolis  and 
fortress  of  the  powers  of  darkness.  It  had  the  bad  pre-eminence 
of  being  the  headquarters  of  opposition  to  Christ  and  liis  cause. 
Tills  is  all  the  more  significant  in  view  of  the  fact  we  have 
already  seen,  that  it  was  the  perfection  of  worldly  culture,  re- 
finement, and  elegance. 

To  study  this  pre-eminent  depravity  of  Pergamos  is  a  task  at 
once  painful  and  instructive.  A  brief  synopsis  of  the  elements 
of  this  great  wickedness  may  be  given  in  these  five  particulars, 
some  of  which  will  call  for  fuller  consideration :  (I)  It  was  the 
metropolis  of  the  worship  of  ^Esculapius,  which  was  in  fact  iden- 
tical with  the  worship  of  the  devil.  (2)  The  very  acme  of  God- 
defying  idolatry  was  reached  in  its  splendid  temples.  (3)  It  was 
the  home  of  the  most  debaucliing  heresies,  such  as  tliat  of  Balaam 
and  the  Nicolaitans.  (4)  The  very  worst  of  persecutions  began 
their  bloody  course  in  this  city,  (o)  It  was  the  fortress,  the  foun- 
tain, of  prevailing  opposition  to  the  cause  of  God. 

This  was  the  sum  of  its  pre-eminent  wickedness;  but  some  of 
its  peculiarities  require  that  we  give  them  special  attention.  AVhy 
it  is  named  as  the  seat  or  throne  of  Satan  appears  especially  in  that 
it  ivas  the  city  of  JEsculapius^  and  in  that  he  teas  worshiped  in  the 
form  of  a  serpent,  the  emblem  of  the  devil.  Even  had  their  gen- 
eral depravity  been  as  great,  no  other  of  the  cities  could  have 
been  so  approi)riately  called  Satan's  seat.  Here  the  devil  was 
worshiped  in  his  recognized  emblem— that  of  a  serpent.  It  is 
startling  to  find  amid  the  ruins  of  Pergamos  one  of  its  old  coins, 
and  on  it  the  likeness  of  a  serpent,  and  then  to  reflect  that  from 
the  fatal  hour  of  the  Fall  this  was  the  devil's  established  emblem. 
Little  did  the  votaries  of  the  healing  god  intend,  when  they  made 


THE  OXFOKD  OF  THE  ORIENT.  251 

a  serpent  his  symbol,  to  identify  his  worship  with  that  of  the  prince 
of  all  evil. 

Still  another  thing  in  the  worship  of  ^sculapius  gave  peculiar 
significance  to  tlie  brand  here  put  on  Pergamos  as  the  throne  of 
Satan.  The  whole  character  and  work  of  the  devil  as  revealed 
in  the  Apocalypse  and  other  parts  of  Scripture  presents  him  as 
always  striving  to  copy  after  the  Most  High  God.  The  first  object 
which  met  the  gaze  of  the  entranced  John  as  heaven  was  opened 
before  him  was  Jehovah  upon  his  celestial  throne.  According 
to  his  deceitful  nature,  Satan  too  sits  upon  a  throne,  but  here  it 
is  in  Pergamos.  "Satan,  in  impious  mimicry  of  God's  throne 
in  heaven,  sits  upon  a  throne  in  Pergamos." 

Another  thing  which  gave  great  significance  to  the  expression 
"Satan's  seat,"  in  this  connection,  was  that  in  Pergamos  the  work 
of  persecuting  the  people  of  God  either  began  or  assumed  a  deadly 
form,  and  that  such  persecutions  were  prompted  by  Satan  himself. 
As  to  the  church  of  Smyrna  it  was  predicted  that  "the  devil  shall 
cast  some  of  you  into  prison,"  so  here  his  work  in  this  respect  was 
seen.  Here  his  agency  is  taken  for  granted,  and  the  dreadful  re- 
sults are  depicted.  It  is  more  than  probable  that  in  Pergamos, 
the  country's  capital,  there  were  courts  of  justice,  which,  accord- 
ing to  forms  of  law,  doomed  the  followers  of  our  I^ord  to  death 
because  of  their  faith,  and  thus  gave  to  persecutions  the  sanction 
and  authority  of  the  government.  This  seems  to  have  been  the 
fact,  inasmuch  as  in  iimnediate  connection  with  the  expressions 
"Satan's  seat"  and  "where  Satan  dwelleth"  is  the  reference  to 
the  martydom  of  Antipas.  Certain  it  is  that  the  diabolic  work 
of  persecution  was  a  peculiarity  at  that  time  of  Pergamos,  and 
that  here  it  was  appropriately  called  the  throne  or  seat  of  Satan's 
power. 

This  brand  "of  infamy  was  justly  fixed  on  Pergamos  for  another 
cause  still.  As  we  have  already  seen,  not  only  was  that  city  the 
metropolis  of  .EsculajMus  and  his  worship,  but  it  was  also  the 
headquarters  of  idolatry.  The  temples  of  all  the  leading  deities 
of  paganism  were  collected  there.  The  very  glories  of  those  great 
temples  were  a  defiance  thrown  in  the  face  of  the  Almighty. 

The  moral  depravity  of  the  place  was  as  might  have  been  ex- 
pected from  its  idolatry.  The  fact  that  one  of  the  rhost  beautiful 
and  attractive  of  all  its  fanes  was  that  of  Venus,  was  in  some 
measure  indicative  of  the  works  of  darkness  which  prevailed. 
Every  intimation  we  can  gather  shows  that  it  was  exceedingly 
corrupt.    In  this  respect  also  it  was  the  seat  of  Satan.    In  every 


252  INAUGURAL  OF  THE  EXTPIROXED  KIXG. 

aspect,  therefore,  was  it  well  named  the  throne  of  the  Evil  One. 
Its  snake-worship,  which  was  nothing  else  than  the  worship  of 
the  devil ;  its  loathsome  practices,  originated  by  the  most  degrad- 
ing heresies;  its  bloody  persecutions,  either  commenced  or  greatly 
increased  there;  its  degrading  lewdness, — all  these  conspired  to 
make  its  brand  of  infamy  but  too  evident  in  its  significance.  So 
deep  was  that  brand,  and  so  keenly  alive  was  the  entranced  seer 
to  the  malice  of  Satan  as  exposed  in  that  city,  that  he  reiterates 
it,  and  repeats  the  awful  charge,  "where  Satan  dwelleth." 

5.   GREAT   LIBRARY  AND   PARCHMENT. 

For  four  things  the  city  of  Pergamos  was  celebrated  throughout 
the  civilized  world:  (1)  As  the  home  of  ^sculapius,  the  birthplace 
of  Galen,  and  the  headquarters  of  the  healing  art.  (2)  For  its 
immense  library— save  one,  the  largest  of  all  antiquity.  (8)  For 
the  invention  of  parchment.  (4)  For  aularian  tapestry  which 
has  adorned  some  of  the  most  sumptuous  halls  the  world  has  ever 
beheld.  Two  of  them— its  renown  as  the  headquarters  of  the 
healing  art,  and  the  invention  of  tapestry — we  have  already  con- 
sidered. It  remains  that  we  should  rehearse  whatever  authentic 
history  has  left  us  concerning  the  library  which  was  the  city's 
greatest  glory,  and  concerning  the  invention  of  parchment. 

In  that  very  happy  description  of  Pergamos  as  "a  cathedral 
city,  an  university  town,  and  a  royal  residence,"  we  have  also 
been  led  to  look  at  it  in  all  these  aspects  save  as  "an  university 
town."  In  this  aspect  its  best  modern  representative  is  Oxford 
in  England.  Oxford,  with  its  Bodleian  Library,  will  give  us 
some  idea  of  what  it  was.  A  better  name,  then,  could  not  pos- 
sibly be  given  to  it  than  "the  Oxford  of  the  Orient." 

Among  the  things  which  gave  this  characteristic  to  Pergamos 
was  the  fact  that  it  contained  an  eminent  medical  school,  whose 
fame  was  increased  by  the  name  of  Galen.  The  healing  god 
^Esculapius,  the  medicinal  waters  of  the  sacred  grove  which  its 
gorgeous  temples  adorned,  the  world-renowned  school  of  the  city, 
—all  these  conspired  to  make  Pergamos  a  most  honored  name 
among  physicians  of  every  age.  From  this  it  resulted  that  its 
streets  usually  swarmed  with  medical  students  from  every  quar- 
ter of  Asia. 

Its  immense  library,  however,  is  that  which  has  usually  attracted 
to  Pergamos  the  most  attention.  That  lil)rary,  if  not  founded  by 
Eumenes  II.,  the  third  of  the  Attalian  dynasty,  received  a  new 
impulse  from  him  that  soon  gave  it   its  pre-eminence.      It  was 


THE  OXFOKD  OF  THE  ORIENT.  253 

founded,  or  aroused  by  him  to  new  life,  about  two  luindred  years 
before  Christ.  Of  all  the  glories  by  which  he  strove  to  exalt  his 
city,  there  was  none  to  which  he  gave  his  heart  so  fully  as  this. 
It  seems  to  have  been  his  reigning  ambition  to  make  the  library 
of  his  city  equal,  if  not  superior,  to  that  of  Alexandria  in  Egypt, 
which  is  acknowledged  to  have  been  the  greatest  collection  of 
literary  treasure  of  all  antiquity.  He  determined  to  collect  into 
it  every  volume  of  Greek  literature,  science,  and  philosophy  that 
was  in  existence.  The  fabulous  sums  of  money  inherited  by  him 
from  his  predecessors  or  acquired  in  his  successful  wars  he  spent 
in  collecting  a  store  of  books  that,  in  value,  would  surpass  that 
of  the  Ptolemies  on  the  Nile.  He  succeeded  so  well  that  the 
number  of  volumes  in  that  enormous  library,  it  is  said,  was  not 
less  than  two  hundred  thousand!  The  philosopher-king  ransacked 
the  whole  world,  bent  upon  collecting  every  existing  work  of 
every  known  author.  He  must  have  had  an  army  of  transcribers 
writing  them  out  for  that  wonderful  collection. 

The  great  difficulty  soon  proved  to  be  that  of  finding  material 
on  which  his  transcribers  could  write  such  countless  numbers  of 
books.  Up  to  that  time  the  substance  generally  used  was  papyrus, 
the  great  field  for  whose  production  was  the  banks  of  the  Nile. 
Ptolemy,  the  king  of  Egypt,  forbade  the  exportation  of  papyrus 
from  his  kingdom,  for  the  purpose  of  checking,  if  possible,  the 
growth  of  the  Pergamean  library  and  preventing  its  rivaling  his 
own.  This  gave  rise  to  a  new  branch  of  industry  at  Pergamos. 
Its  tanners  set  to  work  to  find  some  new  material  for  books.  The 
hides  of  sheep  and  goats  were  gathered  in  from  the  mountains, 
and  by  new  and  improved  methods  of  tanning  a  new  material 
was  prepared,  which  proved  better  than  the  old.  The  rough  sur- 
face of  the  papyrus  was  eclipsed  by  the  new  smoother  and  whiter 
one  developed  in  the  experiments  which  the  necessity  of  the  case 
forced  upon  the  artisans.  From  the  place  where  skins  were  thus 
first  prepared  and  used  for  writing,  and  from  the  beautiful  surface 
they  presented  for  that  purpose,  they  were  called  "  Pergamenffi 
chartse,"  from  which  the  word  "parchment"  was  derived,  and 
the  material  thus  named  has  come  down  to  us  as  that  on  whicli 
documents  intended  to  be  permanent  are  engrossed.  Though  al- 
most two  thousand  years  have  passed  away  since  then,  the  great 
manufactory  of  parchment,  even  to  the  present  day,  is  in  Per- 
gamos, or  Bergamo,  as  it  is  now  called.  The  banks  of  the  lit- 
tle rivulet  Selinus,  which  flows  amid  the  ruins  of  the  old  city, 
are  fringed  with  tanneries  engaged  in  its  production. 


254:  Cn^afgural  of  the  enthroned  king. 

Relieved  by  this  invention  from  his  great  and  only  real  dif- 
ficulty, Eumenes  went  on  with  his  grand  project  of  collecting 
the  greatest  library  the  world  had  ever  seen,  and  succeeded  until 
only  that  of  Alexandria  was  its  superior.  The  immense  store  of 
volumes  continued  to  increase  so  long  as  Eumenes  JI.  held  the 
throne  of  Pergamos,  and  even  so  long  as  the  government  was 
in  the  hands  of  the  Attalian  dynasty.  Even  after  the  independ- 
ence of  Pergamos  was  lost,  and  its  rule  fell  into  the  hands  of  the 
all-conquering  power  of  Rome,  it  continued  still  to  increase. 

But  after  a  time  disaster  came.  The  Roman  Mark  Antony 
made  the  treasure  which  the  wealth  of  the  world  could  not  pur- 
chase a  present  to  the  beautiful  Egyptian  queen  Cleopatra.  Soon 
afterward  it  was  removed  from  Pergamos  to  the  banks  of  the 
Nile,  and  added  to  the  library  of  Alexandria.  The  two  greatest 
literary  treasures  of  any  age  were  then  merged  in  one  and  became 
peerless  in  fame,  and  transcended  in  value  the  libraries  of  that 
or  of  any  other  age  of  the  world.  So  it  stood  and  continued  to 
flourish  for  many  years,  until  out  of  an  insane  and  most  depraved 
zeal  of  the  Moslem  the  reigning  caliph  committed  to  the  flames 
the  greatest,  richest,  most  valuable  collection  of  literary  works 
ever  seen. 

6.   PLANTING  OF  THE   CHUECH. 

From  the  consideration  of  that  in  the  message  which  is  earthly, 
material,  and  pagan,  we  now  turn  to  that  which  is  spiritual,  im- 
mortal, and  divine.  As  to  the  i)lanting  of  this  cliurch  or  the 
first  preaching  of  the  gospel  there  we  know  notliing  with  abso- 
lute certainty.  It  could  hardly  be  but  that  travelers  who  had 
been  at  Jerusalem  attending  on  the  great  Pentecost,  and  had  re- 
turned to  Pergamos,  or  those  on  their  way  through  that  city, 
would  relate,  especially  to  the  more  thoughtful  and  devout,  some 
of  the  strange  events  they  had  witnessed  thei-e;  and  some,  par- 
ticularly of  the  Jews,  would  undoubtedly  listen  to  them  and  be 
more  or  less  impressed.  There  is  no  doubt,  moreover,  that  in 
some  of  those  missionary  tours  whicli  Paul  made  from  Ephesus 
he  visited  a  place  of  so  much  importance  as  was  this  renowned 
city.  Jolm  also,  and  Apollos,  and  others  of  those  earnest  souls 
among  the  first  Christians  would  certainly  not  neglect  a  city 
whose  influence  was  necessarily  so  great.  We  know,  in  fact,  that 
Paul  was  more  than  once  in  its  immediate  vicinity,  and  that  on 
one  special  occasion  he  sojourned  seven  days  at  Troas,  a  city  close 
by  it,  and  enjoyed  a  blessed  communion  season  there  with  his 


THE  OXFORD  OF  THE  ORIE^sT.  255 

friends.    This  could  liardly  be  without  his  visiting  Pergamos  and 
preaching  the  gospel  there. 

It  is  certain  that  at  the  time  tliey  received  this  message  from 
God  the  church  of  Pergamos  was  strong  and  influential.  Of  tlie 
history  of  the  church  after  the  reception  of  this  message  only 
little  is  known.  We  do  know  that  it  lived  on  and  flourished 
for  a  time,  but  beyond  that  no  more.  Like  its  sister  churches, 
it  sufiered  great  persecutions.  The  irresistible  power  of  Rome 
would  tolerate  any  form  of  pagan  worship,  but  no  kindly  hand 
had  it  to  extend  to  the  unotfending  religion  of  Him  who  was 
"meek  and  lowly  of  spirit."  Like  all  other  churches,  that  of 
Pergamos  suffered  on  until  the  time  of  Constantine.  Then  its 
persecutions  ceased,  but  its  piety  did  not  flourish.  It  lived  on, 
for  we  hear  of  its  pastors  or  bishops  in  attendance  at  great  gen- 
eral councils  of  the  Church.  It  sinned,  and  it  sufl'ered  the  penalty 
threatened  in  the  message,  for  the  two-edged  sword  cut  deep. 
Still  its  candlestick  was  not  utterly  removed.  Our  covenant-keep- 
ing God  did  not  forget  or  forsake  the  church  of  Antipas.  Not  a 
little  significant  are  the  words  of  the  traveler  Arundell :  "The 
threat  against  the  church  of  Pergamos  has  been  almost  literally 
fulfilled,  but  still  its  candlestick  has  not  been  removed  out  of  its 
place,  like  that  of  Ephesus.  Pergamos  has,  in  a  measure  at  least, 
been  saved  from  destruction;  for,  though  in  the  midst  of  a  blind- 
ness and  poverty  sadly  contrasted  with  her  former  privileged  con- 
dition under  the  first  rays  of  gospel  light,  and  amid  the  treasures 
of  unperverted  truth,  a  portion  of  her  inhabitants  still  preserves 
the  Christian  name  and  worship." 

7.  TITLE  OF  THE  SOX  OF  MAN. 
The  title  given  to  our  exalted  Lord  in  the  message  to  the  church 
of  Pergamos  is  "He  which  hath  the  sharp  sword  with  two  edges." 
In  the  corresponding  vision  of  him  recorded  in  the  first  chapter 
there  is  an  additional  element:  "Out  of  his  mouth  went  a  sharp 
two-edged  sword."  A  sharp  sword  with  two  edges  coming  out 
of  his  mouth  is  the  whole  symbol.  It  was  a  sword ;  it  was  sharp ; 
it  had  two  edges;  it  was  issuing  from  the  mouth  of  the  Son  of 
man.  The  .noord  gives  warning  that  the  celestial  King  is  armed 
to  meet  whatever  enemy  may  dare  to  oppose  his  cause.  It  is 
sharp,  so  that  it  can  easily  cut  through  every  obstacle  and  pene- 
trate to  the  very  heart.  It  has  tiro  cdr/es,  and  will  therefore  be 
effectual  in  either  direction  :  it  can  either  bless  or  destroy.  It 
comes  Old  of  his  mouth:  this  tells  of  its  peculiar  nature— not  steel 


256       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

or  brass  or  material  in  any  sense,  but  moral,  intellectual  truth 
uttered  by  him — the  Word  he  speaks,  exposing  every  contrivance 
of  lies,  tearing  away  every  covering  of  falsehood,  and  opening 
to  the  light  of  day  all  that  is  dark  and  deceitful.  One  strange 
symbol  is  thus  made  to  stand  out  before  us  as  a  wonderful  reve- 
lation of  the  way  in  which  the  all-wise  and  omnipotent  Head  of 
the  Church  will  defend  his  Church  amid  all  perils. 

The  emblem  is  most  expressive.  Most  forcibly  does  it  describe 
the  Word  of  God  as  in  operation  in  conquering  error  and  opposi- 
tion to  the  Heaven-guarded  Church.  That  this  is  its  true  signifi- 
cance we  are  left  in  no  doubt  when  we  look  at  it  in  the  light  of 
other  scriptures.  In  the  great  epistle  to  another  of  the  seven 
churches  we  read  of  "the  sword  of  the  Spirit  which  is  the  word 
of  truth."  The  mode  of  using  it  is  taught  in  a  memorable  exam- 
ple when  the  Son  of  man  himself,  in  conflict  with  the  prince  of 
darkness,  three  times  over  flashes  the  heavenly  weapon  in  the 
cry,  "It  is  written."  "It  is  written."  "It  is  written."  In  varied 
form  its  matchless  efficacy  is  described  in  the  predicted  doom  of 
the  Wicked  One,  "whom  the  Lord  will  consume  with  the  spirit 
of  his  mouthy  and  shall  destroy  with  the  brightness  of  his  coming." 
Most  satisfactory  is  this  on  the  symbol  now  before  us,  "  the  spirit 
of  his  mouth"  and  "the  brightness  of  his  coming."  What  could 
better  explain  the  meaning  of  the  strange  emblem,  "Out  of  his 
mouth  went  a  sharp  two-edged  sword?"  Still  another  inspired 
utterance  opens  to  us  the  very  kernel  of  celestial  mystery:  "For 
the  word  of  God  is  quick  and  powerful,  and  sharper  than  any 
two-edged  sword,  piercing  even  to  the  dividing  asunder  of  soul 
and  spirit,  and  of  the  joints  and  marrow,  and  is  a  discerner  of 
the  thoughts  and  intents  of  the  heart."  This  leaves  nothing 
doubtful  as  to  the  meaning  of  this  significant  symbol. 

Such  is  the  sword  of  the  heavenly  message,  and  such  the  mode 
of  using  it.  Observe  next  how  applicable  is  the  symbol  to  this 
church  of  Pergamos  and  to  its  peculiar  circumstances.  It  is  won- 
derful in  its  adaptability  to  that  people,  and  wonderful  in  the 
wisdom  of  our  exalted  Lord  in  taking  this  striking  method  of 
making  the  important  facts  known  to  the  Church.  The  title  of 
the  Son  of  man  as  he  appears  in  the  message  was  just  such  as 
that  brilliant,  learned,  but  tempted  people  needed.  The  inhabit- 
ants of  Pergamos  were  mighty  in  their  peculiar  wickedness;  the 
Lord  of  their  church  was  armed  with  the  sword,  sharp  and  two- 
edged.  They  were  learned  through  their  great  medical  teachers, 
their  schools,  and  their  library;  his  power  issued  from  his  mouth, 


THE  OXFORD  OF  THE  ORIENT.  257 

the  vehicle  of  wisdom— a  wisdom  infinitely  greater  than  any  that 
is  found  among-  mankind.  They  had  amongst  them  the  seductive 
doctrines  of  Balaamites  and  Nicolaitans;  he  had  the  weapon  of 
the  double  edge  that  could  cut  through  their  depraved  hearts 
or  cut  away  their  seductive  teachings.  We  see  much  of  the 
appropriateness  of  this  title  in  the  particulars  we  have  already 
named,  but  we  shall  see  still  more  as  we  proceed  in  the  study  of 
the  message.  Exalted  to  the  supreme  throne,  far  above  earth's 
wisest  and  jjroudest  and  most  depraved,  our  Lord  looks  down 
upon  their  plots  against  his  kingdom,  and  with  a  word  he  can 
expose  their  schemes  or  with  a  promise  arouse  to  new  strength 
and  energy  the  hearts  of  his  faithful  followers.  How  vain,  then, 
in  his  sight  are  the  seductions  of  Balaam  or  the  artful  reasonings 
of  Nicolaitans ! 

8.   TEIALS  AND  STEADFASTNESS. 

In  very  strong  language  does  the  heavenly  King  express  his 
approval  of  their  loyalty,  their  courage,  and  their  steadfastness 
in  his  cause.  How  warm  his  words  of  praise:  "I  know  thy 
works,  and  where  thou  dwellest,  even  where  Satan's  seat  is;  and 
thou  boldest  fast  my  name,  and  hast  not  denied  my  faith,  even 
in  those  days  wherein  Antipas  was  my  faithful  martyr,  ^^'ho  was 
slain  among  you  where  Satan  dwelleth !" 

To  understand  this  language  we  must  remember  that  it  cost 
something  to  be  a  Christian  steadfast  and  true  in  the  circumstances 
under  which  the  people  of  that  church  were  living,  and  that  there 
was  much  meaning  in  the  Lord's  words,  "J  know  where  thou  chcen- 
esf.''^  It  was  not  pleasant  and  popular  and  respectable  to  be  a  Chris- 
tian then,  as  it  is  now,  when  it  is  almost  a  needed  i)assport  to  some 
circles  of  society.  It  was  not  fashionable  and  an  honored  and  safe 
thing  then  to  confess  the  name  of  Christ,  as  it  is  now.  On  the 
contrary,  it  would  seem  as  if  then,  and  in  Pergamos,  there  was 
a  league  of  the  world,  the  flesh,  and  the  devil  to  oppose  the 
kingdom  of  our  Lord  and  to  pull  down  his  throne.  IMoreover, 
the  faithful  of  that  city  had  no  experience  to  guide  them,  no 
traditions  to  hallow  the  sacrifices  they  might  make,  and  no  en- 
couragements from  others  to  stimulate  them.  The  greatness,  the 
grandeur,  and  the  learning  of  the  city  were  no  heli>  to  them, 
but  rather  one  of  their  most  formidable  hinderances.  That  they 
remained  faithful  and  trqe  and  steadfast  notwithstanding  all  this 
was  their  greatest  honor,  as  it  most  clearly  i^roved  the  genuineness 
of  their  religious  princii^les. 
17 


258       INAUGUKAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

That  the  church  of  Pergamos  stood  out  against  all  the  al- 
lurements of  their  city  and  maintained  the  integrity  of  their 
Christian  principles  and  practices  was  the  excellency  which  was 
noticed  and  extolled  by  their  Lord.  To  be  unflinching  followers 
of  the  humble,  reviled,  even  accursed,  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  required 
a  degree  of  faith  and  firmness  which  we  can  scarcely  exaggerate. 
Daily  to  pass  by  gorgeous  palaces,  theatres,  and  magnificent  tem- 
ples; to  visit  celebrated  schools  and  world-renowned  libraries, 
constantly  to  see  thousands  of  scholars  and  princes  from  all  lands, 
and  to  witness  grand  processions  accompanied  with  all  that  was 
attractive  and  beautiful  and  soul-stirring,  and  yet  to  find  a  greater 
attraction  in  the  humble  assemblies  of  those  who  were  despised 
and  poor  and  even  slaves, — this  told  of  a  depth  of  faith  which 
could  be  comprehended  only  by  the  heart-searching  and  heart- 
reading  Son  of  God. 

But  there  was  a  devotion  deeper  still.  To  refuse  to  participate 
in  the  spirit  and  customs  of  paganism  was  to  take  a  position  out- 
side of  respectable  society,  and  in  proud  Pergamos  that  must  have 
been  a  great  sacrifice.  Paganism  was  fashionable  there,  and  the 
gay,  the  heartless,  and  the  frivolous  resorted  to  the  temples  as 
to  places  of  show  and  amusement.  They  were  fashionable  meet- 
ing-places. Paganism  pervaded  and  gave  tone  and  character  to 
everything.  It  was  the  very  atmosphere  around  them,  and  that 
in  the  most  seductive  form.  Paganism  was  in  the  markets,  where 
the  Christian  had  to  decide  whether  he  would  buy  and  eat  the 
meat  which  had  first  been  offered  to  idols;  in  the  amusements, 
which  were  filled  with  stories  and  customs  learned  in  places  of 
heathenism ;  in  every  object  met  with  as  one  walked  through  the 
streets,  where  buildings  or  pictures  or  statues  of  some  deified  monster 
disfigured  every  corner;  in  the  pomp  and  noise  of  processions  from 
temple  to  temple  in  honor  of  some  deity ;  in  the  customs  of  society, 
all  of  which  were  in  some  way  moulded  by  the  worship  of  ^scu- 
lapius,  Venus,  Jupiter,  or  some  other  idol;  in  their  feasts,  where 
idol-meats  were  on  the  tables  and  idol  conversation  was  the  theme 
on  every  tongue ;  in  the  customs  of  society,  where  births  and  mar- 
riages and  funerals  were  all  pervaded  by  the  spirit  of  idol-worship  ; 
in  schools  and  workshops  and  exchanges,  in  all  of  which  the 
names  of  pagan  deities  were  constantly  heard;  and  in  music  and 
recitations  and  lectures,  in  all  of  wliich  the  never-exhausted  themes 
pertained  to  their  gods  and  deified  lieroes.  To  stand  up  in  the 
midst  of  all  these,  faithful  and  untainted,  required  a  strength  of 
religious  principle  of  which,  with  our  weak  faith,  we  can  scarcely 


THE  OXFOED  OF  THE  ORIENT.  259 

conceive.  It  required  a  courage  which  must  have  come  from  God's 
own  planting  and  the  Holy  Spirit's  nourishing.  It  could  have 
been  done  only  through  a  faith  that  made  realities  of  things  un- 
seen, and  a  hope  that  carried  far  above  the  seductions  of  earth 
and  the  glories  of  the  present. 

More  potent  still  were  the  influences  which  were  in  operation 
to  lead  the  faithful  of  this  church  away  from  the  cause  that  was 
so  dear  to  them  and  from  the  King  whom  they  adored.  Not  only 
did  foul  paganism  taint  everything  with  which  they  had  to  do, 
but  that  paganism  was  made  more  degrading  still  by  its  alliance 
with  a  loathsome  sensuality.  All  those  splendid  temples  and 
services  and  processions  and  attractive  sites  were  mixed  with  a 
lewdness  the  most  filthy.  That  mystic  grove  was  sacred  to  the 
gods;  but  these  were  unclean  in  themselves,  and  corrupting  in 
their  influence  upon  those  who  resorted  thereto.  From  all  this 
sensuality,  so  congenial  to  the  depraved  heart,  had  the  heroic 
Christians  of  Pergamos  torn  themselves  away  when  it  interfered 
with  the  supreme  adoration  which  they  were  to  render  to  their 
exalted  and  holy  God.  Everything  must  be  sacrificed  by  them, 
in  order  that  they  might  prove  themselves  loyal  to  their  heavenly 
King.  They  stood  every  test,  and  received  the  approbation  of 
their  loving  Lord. 

jMore  decided  still  was  the  opj^osition  which  they  had  to  en- 
counter, and  which  could  not  force  them  to  flinch  from  their  faith 
and  unconquerable  love.  Those  brave  Christians  held  fost  to  the 
name  of  their  Lord,  and  would  not  deny  their  faith,  even  though 
persecution  held  over  them  the  sword,  the  flames,  and  the  roar 
of  hungry  beasts.  In  what  special  forms  their  sufferings  for  the 
name  of  Jesus  came  we  are  not  informed,  but  that  they  were 
very  dreadful  is  without  question.  Several  allusions  in  the  mes- 
sage clearly  intimate  that  the  diabolic  work  had  already  com- 
menced. The  mention  of  the  martyrdom  of  Antipas,  the  as- 
sertion that  the  headquarters  of  Satan  were  there,  and  the  inti- 
mation of  crises  when  they  must  either  confess  or  deny  their 
Lord, — all  these  tell  of  tortures  inflicted  and  blood  shed.  Those 
first  persecutions  of  the  inexperienced  Christians  must  have  been 
awful.  They  must  have  been  peculiarly  terrible,  because  that 
they — persecutions,  instead  of  glorious  reward — were  the  fate  of 
those  who  were  giving  up  all  for  their  Lord ;  because  of  their 
inexperience  as  to  the  divine  support  all  martyrs  for  Christ 
might  expect;  because  of  the  fresh  wrath  of  Satan  aroused  by 
the  noble  steadfastness  of  the  followers  of  Christ,  as  well  as  by 


260       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

the  new  invasion  of  his  kingdom ;  and  because  of  the  cruelties 
inflicted  by  the  hands  of  men  long  brutalized  through  paganism. 

It  should  also  be  noted  to  the  honor  of  those  first  brave  martyrs 
that  they  might  easily  have  escaped  by  simply  denying  their  Lord. 
Had  they  only  uttered  a  word  against  the  Crucified  One,  or  thrown 
a  snuff  of  incense  on  the  pagan  flames,  they  would  have  been  in- 
stantly released.  Yield,  however,  by  the  slightest  word  or  act, 
they  would  not,  since  that  would  have  been  recreant  to  their 
Lord,  for  whose  glorious  name  they  were  willing  to  give  up 
all,  even   to  lay  down  their  lives. 

Then,  too,  their  works  of  loving  loyalty — how  many  and  grand 
and  true  they  were!  Though  we  find  no  detailed  record  of  them 
it  is  not  difficult  to  conceive  what  some  of  them  must  have  been. 
We  can  easily  imagine  how,  to  any  who  would  listen,  they  would 
tell  of  the  heavenly  city  and  temple  more  glorious  than  the  earthly 
one  wherein  they  dwelt;  direct  inquiring  souls  to  the  wondrous 
Lamb  of  God  who  taketh  away  the  sins  of  the  world ;  heal  the 
wounds  and  soothe  the  sorrows  of  those  who  had  suffered  for  the 
dearest  of  names;  defend  the  renown  and  extol  the  excellencies 
of  that  dear  Friend  who  was  altogether  lovely;  and  strain  every 
nerve  to  build  up  the  kingdom  whose  glories  shall  outshine  and 
whose  duration  shall  outlast  all  the  empires  of  earth.  Such  works 
as  these  they  must  have  been  which  the  Son  of  man  applauded 
in  the  church  of  Pergamos. 

9.   ANTIPAS. 

The  gracious  consideration  of  our  ever-blessed  Lord  is  here  seen 
in  rescuing  from  oblivion  and  placing  in  everlasting  remembrance 
one  name  that  otherwise  had  never  been  heard  of  in  the  annals  of 
earth.  It  was  that  of  Antipas,  to  which  the  Lord  of  the  Church 
gave  divine  immortality  by  the  tender  epithet  "  My  faithful  mar- 
tyr." This  heroic  man  was  thus  honored  as  if  he  were  the  only 
— at  least  the  chief— martyr  for  the  name  of  the  heavenly  King. 
"My  faithful  martyr" — what  unspeakable  honor  as  coming  from 
the  lii)s  of  heaven's  adorable  King!  Though  named  but  once, 
what  a  flood  of  light  is  opened  by  that  one  expression!  "Even 
in  tliose  days  wherein  Antipas  was  my  faithful  martyr,  who  was 
slain  among  you,  where  Satan  dwelleth."  This  tells  little  about 
Jiim,  but  it  tells  much  about  the  state  of  the  Church  at  that  time 
and  in  that  place.  All  that  is  known  with  certainty  about  this 
first  martyr  is  soon  told.  The  most  reliable  traditions  concern- 
ing him  assert  that  he  was  one  of  those  who  became  followers 


THE  OXFOED  OF  THE  ORIENT.  2G1 

of  Christ  while  our  Lord  was  on  earth ;  that  he  firmly  faced  the 
persecutions  of  the  priests  of  ^Esculapius  in  Perganios,  wlio  were 
exceedingly  violent  in  their  rage  against  the  increasing  numbers 
of  the  Christians;  that,  as  Paul  was  attacked  and  Stephen  slain, 
so  he  was  put  to  death  in  a  popular  tumult ;  and  that,  in  order 
to  make  his  death  as  terrible  as  possible,  he  was  executed  in 
an  iron  cage  shaped  like  a  bull  and  heated  red  hot. 

The  comforting  fact  to  us  at  the  present  day  is  that  the  Son 
of  man,  even  though  armed  with  the  sword  of  the  double  edge, 
took  notice  of  that  solitary  follower  so  loyal  and  steadfast.  So 
important  was  his  fidelity  regarded  that  its  record  is  made  on 
the  insjjired  page,  where  nothing  finds  a  place  excepting  what 
is  of  prime  moment.  Then,  if  it  be  on  these  pages,  is  it  not 
also  written  in  the  book  of  life?  Though  nothing  more  is  known 
of  Antipas  in  any  writing  of  man,  there  is  a  celestial  record  where 
all  is  put  down  with  unerring  accuracy.  No  other  account  of  him 
exists  on  earth ;  but  there  is  a  martyrology  in  heaven  wherein  all 
is  written  in  full  and  from  which  no  name  is  ever  blotted  out.  ^^'e 
would  like  to  know  more  of  this  faithful  hero  who  gave  up  his 
life  for  that  Name  that  is  above  every  other  name;  we  would 
like  to  know  more  of  him  whom  alone  God  has  named  in  that 
suffering  age  and  churcR;  but  we  must  wait  until  the  book  of 
remembrance  is  fully  opened.  Meanwhile  we  "must  leave  the 
name  that  thus  shines  like  a  star  in  the  firmament  of  heaven, 
without  knowing  more  than  that  he  who  bore  it  had,  in  open 
conflict  against  the  powers  of  evil,  borne  his  witness  that  Christ 
is  the  one  Healer,  Preserver,  Saviour,  and  that  he  had  drawn 
upon  himself  the  wrath  of  those  who  had  seen  their  craft  en- 
dangered, or  were  roused,  apart  from  motives  of  interest,  to  fanatic 
indignation." 

10.    CENTEAL  POINT. 

The  burden  of  this  message,  its  central  point,  is  in  the  charge 
against  the  church,  "  Thou  hast  there  them  that  hold  the  doctrine 
of  Balaam,''''  and  "so  hast  thou  them  also  that  hold  the  doc- 
trine of  the  Nicolaitans,  which  thing  I  hate."  What  was  the 
precise  nature  of  the  sin  here  charged  against  them?  It  is  not 
charged  that  as  a  church  they  were  guilty  in  this  thing,  but  that 
they  suffered  to  remain  among  them  those  who  were  so  guilty; 
they  knowingly  continued  them  as  members  of  their  church ; 
they  fraternized  with  them  in  full  communion ;  they  tolerated 
them  in  good  standing,  as  if  no  spot  were  upon  them  ;   they  asso- 


262       INAUGUKAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

ciated  with  them  in  worship,  at  the  Lord's  Supper,  and  at  their 
love-feasts,  as  if  their  known  errors  in  practice  and  theory  were 
of  no  account.  No  stigma  Avas  fixed  upon  their  sins,  no  discipline 
exercised,  no  distinction  made.  Who  these  were,  professing  to 
be  Christians,  but  adherents  of  the  doctrines  of  Balaam  and  the 
Nieolaitans,  we  shall  examine  hereafter;  but  the  censure  upon 
the  church  for  suflFering  them  to  continue  among  its  members 
must  first  receive  attention. 

The  great  evil  of  retaining  in  unquestioned  fellowship  those 
who  deny  fundamental  truths  and  indulge  in  sinful  practice  is 
here  impressively  pointed  out  as  a  warning  for  all  succeeding 
ages.  It  is  a  great  sin  and  a  very  dangerous  thing  to  retain  in 
full  fellowship  of  the  Church  those  who  in  both  theory  and  prac- 
tice are  unsound  and  unholy.  God  warns  us  of  it,  and  holds  that 
warning  up  to  be  seen  of  the  whole  Church. 

(1)  It  is  a  sin  to  hold  fellowship  with  such  evil,  because  we  shall 
thereby  strengthen  it  by  the  weight  of  our  influence  and  example. 
I  may  condemn  the  principles  and  stigmatize  the  practice,  but 
who  will  believe  me  while  I  hold  their  advocates  as  my  chosen 
friends  and  acknowledged  partners  in  the  general  faith  ?  Why  do 
I  hold  Christian  fellowship  with  them,  but  because  I  believe  in 
their  tenets?  Thus  do  I  strengthen  and  encourage  them  in  the 
evil  system  of  which  they  form  a  part. 

(2)  It  is  a  sin,  because  we  thereby  partake  of  the  evil  with  which 
we  hold  fellowshii).  On  that  account,  looking  at  another  aspect 
of  the  matter,  the  great  Head  of  the  Church  commands  us  to 
separate  from  all  that  is  untrue  and  unholy:  "  Wliat  agreement 
hath  the  temple  of  God  with  idols;  for  ye  are  the  temple  of  the 
living  God:  as  God  hath  said,  I  will  dwell  in  them,  and  walk  in 
them ;  and  I  will  be  their  God,  and  they  shall  be  my  people. 
Wherefore  come  out  from  among  them,  and  be  ye  sejiarate,  saith 
the  Lord,  and  touch  not  the  unclean  tiling;  and  I  will  receive 
you,  and  will  be  a  father  unto  you,  and  ye  shall  be  my  sons  and 
daughters,  saith  the  Lord  Almighty." 

(o)  It  is  a  sin  to  continue  in  fellowship  with  those  who  are  cor- 
rupt in  theory  and  practice,  because  it  is  a  deplorable  indication 
that  our  own  hearts  are  too  much  in  love  with  that  which  is  evil. 
Where  then  is  that  keen  sensitiveness  that  takes  alarm  at  even 
the  slightest  taint  of  impurity?  Where  is  that  supreme  love  for 
purity  of  heart  and  life  that  is  wounded  by  even  the  presence 
of  anything  that  is  unholy? 

(4)  It  is  sin,  because  association  with  falsehood  and  guilt  will 


THE  OXFORD  OF  THE  OEIENT.  263 

inevitably  containiiiate  our  own  souls,  and  dull  their  delight  in 
what  is  spotless  and  in  the  very  beauty  of  holiness.  The  whole 
teaching  of  experience  goes  to  prove  that  constant  familiarity 
with  evil  will  make  its  own  evil  impression.  Did  it  prove  so 
at  that  time  with  the  church  of  Pergamos?  The  spirit  of  Balaam 
was  amongst  them;  and  as  the  counsel  of  that  seducer  was,  "Get 
his  people  to  sin  against  God,  and  then  his  divine  protection  will 
be  withdrawn,"  so  the  fatal  counsel  to  these  persecuted  Christians 
would  be,  "Deny  the  true  God  before  the  enemy,  insult  his  name; 
then  will  the  persecutor  cease  from  his  opposition,  and  your  suf- 
ferings end."  Their  steadfastness  could  not  be  overcome  by  force, 
but  it  could  be  by  craft.  This  was  the  old  policy  of  Balaam,  and 
the  adoption  of  it  in  that  church  was  rendered  probable  by  har- 
boring in  it  those  deceivers  who  were  still  possessed  of  Balaam's 
spirit. 

(5)  The  fifth  aspect  of  this  sin  is  that  the  evil  is  hateful  in  the 
sight  of  God.  This  is  the  worst  of  all.  So  grievous  was  it  that 
it  was  specially  mentioned.  God's  words  were,  "So  hast  thou 
also  them  that  hold  the  doctrine  of  the  Kicolaitans,  which  thing 
I  hatey  The  evil  is  one  which  God  hates;  then  how  hateful 
it  should  also  be  in  the  sight  of  his  people !  If  corrupters  of  the 
faith  are  continued  in  the  Church,  where  is  there  a  participation 
of  God's  Spirit?  Where  is  there  conformity  with  the  charge, 
"Let  the  same  mind  be  in  you  which  was  also  in  Christ  Jesus?" 
Where  is  the  effort  after  the  high  attainment,  "Be  ye  therefore 
perfect,  even  as  your  Father  which  is  in  heaven  is  perfect"? 

Looked  at,  therefore,  from  any  and  all  of  these  views,  we  must 
be  impressed  with  the  great  sin  and  danger  of  retaining  in  the 
Church  i^ersons  who  are  corrupt  and  corrupters,  persons  whose 
whole  influence  is  to  spread  error  and  sin  in  practice.  To  have 
them  and  to  retain  them  amid  the  body  of  God's  true  followers 
is  to  encourage  and  strengthen  them  in  their  evil,  to  partake  in 
some  measure  of  their  guilt,  to  manifest  a  satisfaction  in  their 
sin  which  ill  becomes  those  who  are  sincere  followers  of  our 
Lord,  to  run  a  fearful  risk  of  becoming  contaminated  with  the 
same  impurities,  and,  above  all,  to  continue  in  that  which  is 
known  certainly  to  be  hateful  in  the  sight  of  God. 

11.   BALAAM. 

There  is  hardly  a  character  so  strange  in  the  whole  Bible  as 
is  "this  strange  mixture  of  a  man,"  as  some  writer  has  styled 
him.     There  are  so  many  incongruities,  so   naany  things  appar- 


264       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

ently  incompatible,  that  we  scarcely  know  where  to  put  him — 
whether  to  regard  hini  as  an  inspired  prophet  of  God,  or  as  a 
great  deceiver  with  splendid  talents  which  he  prostituted  to  igno- 
ble i^urposes.  Now  we  hear  from  him  some  of  the  most  sublime 
utterances  that  ever  fell  from  human  lips ;  anon  we  see  him  crawl- 
ing in  a  loathsome  hypocrisy  made  up  of  boasting,  covetousness, 
and  cunning  seduction  ;  again  he  is  seen  plotting  schemes  by  which 
to  ruin  a  whole  nation,  and  lajnng  snares  for  the  accomplishment 
of  purposes  absolutely  diabolic. 

What  are  we  to  make  of  a  character  composed  of  such  contra- 
dictions? That  he  had  some  knowledge  of  the  true  God  there 
is  no  question,  and  that  God  made  some  unusual  communications 
to  him  is  also  certain.  This  is  made  evident  by  his  dread  of  at- 
tempting anything  which  God  had  not  commanded,  by  his  accept- 
ing the  rebuke  imparted  through  the  dumb  beast,  and  by  his  sub- 
lime utterances  concerning  the  Most  High.  Where  did  he  get 
that  knowledge,  and  who  was  he? 

He  is  abruptly  introduced  into  the  narrative  as  "Balaam  the 
son  of  Beor  of  Pethor."  This  takes  us  for  his  native  place  to 
the  highlands  of  Mesopotamia,  near  the  Euphrates,  the  ancient 
home  of  Abraham  and  Jacob,  and  at  least  eighteen  days'  journey 
to  the  far  East.  As  to  his  knowledge  of  the  true  religion  and 
the  communications  he  received  from  Jehovah,  we  can  conceive 
of  three  sources  from  which  he  received  these  superior  advantages: 
(1)  The  fame  of  the  great  miracles  which  the  God  of  Israel  had 
wrought  on  behalf  of  his  people  at  the  Red  Sea,  at  Sinai,  at  tlie 
smitten  rock,  at  the  battle-field  with  the  forces  of  Bashan,  and 
many  others,  must  have  filled  the  whole  country  and  made  a  deep 
impression  on  him,  a  shrewd  and  observing  man.  (2)  There  must 
have  been  many  traditions  handed  down  from  ancient  timej  con- 
cerning the  true  religion,  and  God's  intercourse  with  men  in  all 
tliat  region  where  he  resided,  all  of  which  he  would  carefully 
treasure  up  and  use  in  connection  with  his  profession  of  super- 
natural power.  (3)  There  can  be  but  little  doubt  that  in  Balaam 
there  lingered  some  traces  of  the  old  religion  of  Abraham,  and 
that,  in  a  degenerate  form,  he  assumed  and  made  them  the  basis 
of  his  soothsaying,  by  which  he  liad  established  a  great  re^'-ita- 
tion  at  a  time  when  magi(!ians  had  such  wide  influence.  The  re 
is  no  doubt  that  he  was  a  sorcerer  of  very  great  celebrity,  and 
held  in  high  esteem  in  all  that  country,  where  every  form  of  sooth- 
saying had  such  a  hold  upon  the  minds  of  the  people.  This  may 
be  seen  from  the  fact  that  kings  and  princes  resorted  to  him  for 


THE  OXFOED  OF  THE  ORIENT.  265 

aid  in  times  when  extreme  danger  impended  over  them  and 
their  people.  He  was  also  a  man  of  great  ability,  of  fine  poetic 
talents,  capable  of  influencing  others,  and  adroit  in  turning  cur- 
rent events  to  his  own  personal  advantage. 

Such  was  the  man  to  whom  Balak,  the  king  of  Moab,  had 
recourse  when  threatened  with  a  great  danger.  Balak  had  un- 
questionably watched  with  deep  solicitude  the  movements  of  the 
Israelitish  people,  their  slow  but  steady  progress  toward  his  own 
borders,  the  miraculous  victories  they  had  gained  over  every 
enemy  in  their  way,  and  the  marvelous  deliverances  which  had 
been  wrought  on  their  behalf  by  a  power  that  without  a  doubt 
was  more  than  human.  They  were  now  at  the  door  of  his  king- 
dom ;  a  battle  with  them  was  inevitable,  and  it  was  certain  that 
his  forces  could  not  stand  before  them.  What  was  he  to  do? 
What  hope  was  there  for  him,  excepting  in  some  other  sooth- 
sayer who  could  cope  with  Moses,  the  enemy's  invincible  leader? 
In  that  extremity  he  was  directed  to  Balaam,  the  magician  of 
the  East,  whose  feats  of  divination  were  famed  in  all  that  region. 
Could  that  great  sorcerer  be  induced  to  pronounce  his  malediction 
upon  Israel,  then  his  people  might  be  saved.  To  inflict  such  curse 
upon  an  enemy  when  about  to  engage  in  battle  was  a  common 
practice  at  that  day.  Accordingly,  he  sent  ambassadors  to  Balaam, 
then  residing  in  a  place  called  Pethor  in  Mesopotamia,  though  it 
required  a  journey  of  eighteen  days  to  reach  him.  They  made 
that  long  journey  "  with  the  reward  of  divination  in  their  hands," 
and  found  the  great  soothsayer.  They  besought  him  to  utter  the 
malediction,  offering  him  unlimited  reward,  and  in  the  name  of 
their  master  endeavoring  to  conciliate  him  with  flattering  words. 
Then  followed  the  strange  scenes  so  familiar  to  every  reader  of 
Scripture :  the  ambassadors  going  back  and  forth  over  the  eighteen 
days'  journey  between  king  and  necromancer;  Balak  enumerat- 
ing and  offering  everything  that  Balaam  could  desire  in  treasures, 
honors,  or  power;  presenting  sacrifices,  i:)rompted  by  avarice,  offered 
upon  altar  after  altar,  as  if  they  might  influence  the  Most  High 
to  curse  his  people;  the  Lord  most  peremptorily  refusing,  and 
at  the  same  time,  by  using  the  weakest  and  most  unlikely  instru- 
ment, preparing  comfort  for  his  people  in  the  dark  days  that 
were  coming  upon  them,  endowing  the  stupid  ass  with  the  power 
of  speaking  what  might  well  humble  and  terrify  the  covetous 
false  prophet.  INIuch  as  the  heartless  Balaam  desired  it,  he  was 
not  permitted  to  utter  the  desired  curse,  but,  instead  of  a  curse, 
was  forced  to  pronounce  on  Israel  a  blessing. 


266       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

Foiled  in  the  project  of  cursing,  Balaam  did  not  at  once  return 
to  his  Eastern  home,  but,  lingering  in  the  neighborhood  of  Moab 
and  Midian,  who  were  leagued  togethei;,  he  conceived  another  and, 
as  he  judged,  a  more  effectual  stratagem.  At  his  suggestion  Balak 
threw  into  the  way  of  the  Israelites  the  most  alluring  temptations 
to  idolatry  and  lewdness.  Assuming  that  neither  he  nor  any  one 
else  could  curse  the  Israelites  so  long  as  they  remained  faithful 
to  Jehovah,  Balaam  would  make  them  curse  themselves  by  a 
wicked  departure  from  tlie  ways  of  righteousness.  The  strata- 
gem succeeded  only  too  well.  Israel  was  ensnared  by  the  impure 
and  idolatrous  worship  of  Baal-Peor,  and  in  the  visitation  of  God's 
anger  therefor  twenty-four  thousand  of  the  people  were  cut  off 
by  plague.  The  punishment  of  the  covetous  prophet  was  signal 
and  sudden.  The  machinations  of  Balak  brought  on  the  very 
crisis  he  was  striving  to  avert,  and  the  hosts  of  Moab  were  routed 
with  immense  slaugliter.  Among  the  slain  were  the  princes  of 
Moab,  and  Balaam,  wlio,  instead  of  the  rewards  of  divination, 
found  a  very  different  reward  in  the  miserable  death  he  suffered 
with  the  slaughtered  enemies  of  Jehovah. 

We  can  easily  understand  why,  ever  afterwards,  Balaam  was 
considered  as  the  type  of  the  seducer  and  the  destroyer.  The 
event  itself,  so  terribly  branded  in  upon  the  nation's  history; 
occurring  just  at  that  crisis  when  they  stood  on  the  banks  of  the 
Jordan,  ready  to  cross  over  into  the  promised  land,  but  their  arrival 
marked  by  the  wailing  of  thousands  of  their  families,  the  calamity 
being  so  deeply  humiliating  and  so  full  of  shame,  and  that  with- 
out one  comforting  ingredient  or  one  honorable  thing  to  alleviate 
the  sorrow ;  the  certainty,  more  and  more  fully  realized,  that  all 
had  been  brought  on  them  by  the  atrocious  schemes  of  the  gifted 
but  depraved  prophet,— all  these  meeting  in  the  event,  conspired 
to  make  it  memorable  among  the  stirring  scenes  which  had  marked 
the  annals  of  the  chosen  people. 

What  sad  significance  does  this  give  to  the  charge  in  the  mes- 
sage: "Thou  hast  there  them  that  hold  the  doctrine  of  Balaam, 
who  taught  Balak  to  cast  a  stumbling-block  before  the  children 
of  Israel,  to  eat  things  sacrificed  unto  idols,  and  to  commit  forni- 
cation !"  This  was  the  doctrine  whose  aim  was  to  deceive,  seduce, 
nnd  ruin.  Balaam  was  to  be  the  standing  type  of  those  who, 
through  boasting,  covetousness,  and  seduction,  would  bring  down 
the  judgment  of  God  upon  the  churches  wherein  they  were  found. 
Alas!  they  are  never  wanting,  but  in  every  age  they  are  found, 
the  real  antichrists  who  are  ever  the  most  baleful  enemies  of  the 


THE  OXFOED  OF  THE  OEIENT.  267 

Church  of  Christ.  The  beacon  warns  us  that  throughout  all  time 
there  would  be  those  who  would  thus  pervert  their  privileges  and 
hold  the  truth  in  unrighteoushess. 

12.   THE  NICOLAITANS. 

Who  were  the  Nicolaitans,  whose  doctrines  and  practices  were 
so  enormous  in  the  sight  of  God  ?  This  question  we  have  endeav- 
ored to  answer  already,  and  have  only  a  few  sentences  to  add  in 
this  place.  They  seem  to  have  been  a  very  corrupt  sect  of  errorists 
that  sprang  up  wherever  the  gospel  was  planted  almost  as  surely 
as  tares  accompanied  the  first  appearance  of  the  growing  wheat. 
Their  radical  error  seems  to  have  been  their  gross  perversion  of 
the  gospel  doctrine  so  clearly  stated  by  Paul :  "Ye  are  not  under 
the  law,  but  under  grace  "—meaning,  of  course,  "Ye  are  not  under 
the  law  as  a  met  hod  of  justification  before  God,  but  under  grace, 
through  Mhich  alone  can  any  be  saved."  Just  as  the  depraved 
heart  perverts  everything,  it  j)erverted  this,  and  made  it  teach 
that  we  are  not  under  the  law  as  a  ride  of  life,  but  are  free  from 
its  restraints,  and  hence  obedience  is  a  mere  matter  of  choice.  If 
we  are  not  under  the  law,  then  we  are  independent  of  it,  and  free 
to  sin  as  much  as  we  wish ;  or,  rather,  there  is  no  sin  for  believers, 
since  it  has  all  been  pardoned  already.  This  is  a  malignant  root 
of  evil  that  has  sprung  up  in  forms  of  antinomianism  wherever 
the  pure  doctrines  of  grace  have  been  inculcated.  It  is  a  master- 
stroke of  Satan  by  which  the  grace  of  God  is  turned  into  lascivi- 
ousness.  There  could  not  be  a  more  deadly  error,  nor  one  more 
common.  It  cuts  the  roots  of  all  restraints  and  paralyzes  all 
motives.  So  has  it  always  been  in  ftict.  So  was  it  with  these 
Nicolaitans  whose  presence  was  such  a  sore  evil  in  the  church 
of  Pergamos. 

Their  errors  in  doctrine  led  to  practices  that  were  guilty  and 
vile.  They  yielded  to  the  influence  of  the  vilest  passions.  Espe- 
cially did  they  regard  fornication  as  a  matter  of  indifference. 
"Meats  sacrificed  to  idols,  and  fornication,"  was  the  common 
formula,  the  description  of  that  vile  conduct  which  was  every- 
where characteristic  of  these  corrupters  of  the  faith.  When  we 
have  said  that  their  evil  practices  were  such  that  they  cannot 
be  named  we  have  given  the  sum  of  all.  This  is  the  reason  why 
again  and  again  it  is  repeated,  "  which  thing  God  hates."  It  is 
the  reason  why,  of  all  erroneous  sects,  the  Nicolaitans  were  the 
worst.  It  is  the  reason  w'hy  the  great  charge  brought  against 
the  church  of  Pergamos  was  that  it  allowed  persons  of  this  name 


268  INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

and  character  to  remain  amongst  their  members.  It  is  also  the 
reason  why  the  warning  against  them  is  made  so  conspicuous  in 
this  great  beacon  of  the  ages. 

Alas!  the  leaven  of  the  Nicolaitans  is  even  now  working.  We 
know  this  when  we  hear  the  plausible  assertions  paraded  that 
the  terrors  of  the  law  must  not  be  j^reached ;  that  nothing  but 
"believe,"  "believe,"  must  ever  be  heard;  that  love  must  be 
all;  that  the  only  sound  ever  uttered  must  be  "come,  come!" 
This  is  the  old  story.  It  is  the  perverting  of  most  glorious  truths. 
It  is  sapping  the  foundations. 

13.   IDOL  MEATS  AND  FOENICATION. 

A  formidable  stumbling-block  in  the  way  of  the  first  converts 
from  heatlienism  was  formed  by  their  constantly  coming  in  con- 
tact with  the  question  of  the  using  of  meats  whicli  had  been 
sacrificed  to  idols.  The  first  form  of  the  trouble  was  in  connec- 
tion with  the  feasts  given  in  honor  of  the  idols  at  their  temples, 
at  which  a  large  portion  of  the  flesh  of  animals  offered  in  sacri- 
fice was  consumed.  Festivals  must  have  been  very  frequent  and 
attractive  at  Pergamos,  where  there  were  so  many  splendid  tem- 
ples of  the  gods.  The  fact  is  that  much  of  the  social  life  of  pagan 
cities  was  connected  with  their  idolatrous  feasts. 

There  was  still  another  great  difficulty  for  the  early  Christians 
connected  with  meats  that  had  been  offered  in  sacrifice.  Such 
meat  formed  the  staple  of  ordinary  entertainments  in  private 
families  and  among  neighbors.  Only  a  part  of  the  animals  offered 
in  sacrifice  was  retained  by  the  priests  at  the  temple,  and  the  re- 
mainder was  returned  to  the  offerer,  who  took  it  to  the  shambles, 
where  it  was  sold  as  ordinary  meat.  Such  meat  would  then,  of 
course,  be  purchased  by  families  and  set  on  the  table  at  their  feasts. 
What  were  Christians  to  do  when  invited,  as  they  would  be,  to  such 
entertainments  with  their  friends  and  neighbors?  They  were  thus 
met  with  the  idol  meats  at  the  temple  feasts,  at  social  entertain- 
ments, at  family  meals.  Everywhere  they  had  the  same  difficulty. 
They  could  not  touch  the  meat  set  before  them  on  any  occasion 
without  thereby  sanctioning  the  idol  sacrifices.  To  avoid  it  com- 
pletely they  must  cut  themselves  off  from  almost  all  social  life, 
and  that  with  friends,  relatives,  and  neighbors. 

Another  great  sin — namely,  that  of  fornica.tion — was  also  essen- 
tially bound  up  witli  the  festivals  of  the  temples.  It  was  not 
only  not  censurable,  but  at  some  of  the  temples  it  was  a  part 
of  the  worship.    From  the  nature  of  the  case  the  rites  cannot  be 


THE  OXFOED  OF  THE  ORIENT.  269 

described  farther  than  to  say  that  impure  women  were  a  j)art  of 
the  attendants  of  the  temple.  The  rites  were  sucli  that  decency 
forbids  that  tliey  be  even  named. 

We  can  now  see  how  very  great  were  the  dangers  and  tempta- 
tions to  the  first  converts  in  these  pagan  cities  from  these  two 
causes— that  is,  from  meats  that  liad  been  offered  to  idols,  and 
from  fornication.  To  refuse  to  partake  of  such  meats  would  almost 
exclude  them  from  all  social  life.  Nearly  all  the  entertainments 
of  such  cities  were  the  idol  feasts,  and  most  social  meals  had  the 
same  idol  taint.  Then,  if  the  Christian  were  present  at  such  feasts, 
either  public  or  private,  he  would  do  so  much  toward  countenancing 
idol-worship.  If  he  did  not  attend,  he  became  an  outcast  from  all 
social  life.  The  result  was  that  many  of  them  yielded  to  the  temp- 
tation, joined  in  the  pagan  festivals,  partook  of  the  idolatry,  and  so 
proved  recreant  to  their  God. 

This  evil  was  the  great  stumbling-block  in  the  early  churches  of 
Asia  Minor,  It  was  the  root  of  all  the  sinful  practices  of  the  Nico- 
laitans.  Of  these  there  seem  to  have  been  three  parties  represented 
in  the  three  churches — Pergamos  with  its  Balaamites,  Ephesus  with 
its  Nicolaitans,  and  Thyatira  with  its  school  of  Jezebel.  They 
all  amounted  to  substantially  the  same  thing,  and  had  their  plea 
in  misrepresented  Christian  liberty.  "  The  result,"  as  one  has 
well  said,  "was  disorderly  conduct  under  the  cloak  of  liberty; 
the  first  specific  mark  of  this  disorderliness  being  a  participation 
in  heathen  sacrificial  banquets;  the  second,  connected  with  the 
first,  a  sexual  laxity  amounting  to  actual  unchastity."  Another 
writer  has  presented  the  matter  so  well  that  we  cite  his  words 
in  full.  In  this  church  of  Pergamos  "there  were  evidently  law- 
less persons  who  abused  the  doctrines  of  grace;  who  promised 
liberty,  being  themselves  servants  of  corruption,  and  turned  the 
grace  of  God  into  lasciviousness,  enticing,  like  Balaam,  his  people 
to  eat  idol  meats  and  to  commit  fornication.  The  eating  of  idol 
meats  would,  in  such  a  city  as  Pergamos,  be  as  great  a  stumbling- 
block  as  caste  at  the  present  day  in  India.  To  refuse  to  partake 
of  things  offered  to  idols  was  not  only  to  renounce  idolatry,  it 
was  more :  it  was  to  abstain  from  almost  every  public  and  private 
festivity,  to  withdraw  in  a  great  measure  from  the  social  life  of 
the  place.  To  kill  and  to  sacrifice  were  almost  identical,  and 
while  the  rich  feasted  his  friends,  the  poor  man,  after  making 
his  offering  of  a  share  to  the  temple,  sold  the  rest  in  the  market. 
But  the  sin  of  the  Nicolaitans  was  not  the  eating  of  that  which 
had  been  offered  to  the  idol,  and  was  then  sold  or  used  at  private 


270       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

entertainments :  it  was  taking  a  place  at  heathen  festivals  in  honor 
of  the  false  god,  and  then  pleading  that  they  did  it  in  Christian 
liberty,  and  that  an  idol  to  them  was  nothing,  for  they  knew  the 
whole  system  to  be  a  fraud.  With  this  stumbling-block  we  see 
how  closely  joined  was  the  other.  Here,  as  in  the  decree  of  the 
Council  of  Jerusalem,  the  two  sins  are  spoken  of  together,  for 
the  impure  character  of  heathen  festivals  rendered  them  almost 
inseparable,  especially  in  an  Oriental  Greek  city."  ]Meats  offered 
to  idols  and  fornication  were  the  type,  the  sum  and  substance, 
of  the  sinful  doctrines  and  practice  of  the  depraved  Nicolaitans, 
some  of  whom  were  found  in  the  church  of  Pergamos,  were  tol- 
erated by  that  church,  endangered  its  purity  and  peace,  called 
down  upon  it  this  censure  of  the  heavenly  King  with  the  two- 
edged  sword,  and  caused  its  errors  to  find  a  place  in  the  great 
beacon  intended  to  be  a  warning  to  all  the  people  of  God  so 
long  as  the  Church  would  be  in  a  militant  state  on  earth. 

14.   ADMONISHED  TO  EEPENT. 

The  church  of  Pergamos  was  in  this  dangerous  condition  of 
harboring  the  corrupt  Nicolaitans  with  all  their  abominations. 
The  marvel  was  that  the  glorious  Head  of  the  Church  did  not 
cut  them  off  at  once,  but,  on  the  contrary,  called  upon  them  to 
repent  and  to  free  themselves  from  such  foul  contagion.  He  calls 
upon  the  church,  in  which  there  were  doubtless  many  who  were 
his  true  followers.  He  calls  upon  the  city,  which  had  so  many 
privileges  and  which  might  have  risen  so  high  in  blessings  and  in 
Christian  character.  He  calls  upon  the  Nicolaitans  themselves, 
as  if  they  were  not  utterly  hopeless,  but  might  be  delivered  from 
these  sorely  debasing  influences. 

The  call  upon  church,  city,  and  heretical  sect  is  to  repent  of 
their  sinful  courses  and  debasing  tendencies.  It  was  demanded 
of  them  that  they  shoidd  consider,  should  reflect  upon  the  height 
from  whence  they  had  fallen,  upon  what  they  had  once  been, 
and  then  upon  the  glory  to  which  they  might  yet  attain.  Surely 
it  could  not  be  that  they  would  still  harbor  such  corrupt  and 
abominable  influences!  Would  they  only  reflect  upon  what  were 
the  doctrines  and  practices  of  the  Balaamitos  and  Xicolaitans, ' 
surely  they  would  expose  themselves  to  their  corrupting  influ- 
ences no  longer! 

Repent  was  the  most  solemn  and  earnest  call  upon  that  church 
whose  highest  interests  were  so  greatly  imi)eri]ed.  Well  might 
the  church  of  Pergamos  be  called  to  repent,  since  the  evil  tend- 


THE  OXFORD  OF  THE  ORIENT.  271 

encies  which  they  encouraged  were  abhorred  by  the  all-seeing 
and  holy  God.  Well  might  they  be  called  upon  to  repent,  since 
their  sinful  course  was  worse  than  even  that  of  Ephesus  itself, 
the  wretchedness  of  which  was  so  deeply  deplored.  Repent  surely 
they  would,  did  they  only  realize  that  they  were  harboring  those 
enemies  of  the  church  and  God  and  truth  whose  teachings  were 
branded  as  utterly  corrupt  and  corrupting. 

Then  the  considering,  the  awaking  to  a  sense  of  their  sin  and 
danger,  must  be  followed  by  their  turning  from  their  course  and 
at  once  casting  out  from  their  midst  all  those  who  followed  the 
doctrines  of  the  Balaamites  and  the  Xicolaitans  with  their  debasing 
practices.  The  great  sin  of  the  church  consisted  not  only  in  their 
not  detesting  the  corruptions  of  these  flagrant  transgressors,  but 
also  in  dealing  with  them  in  kindness  and  retaining  them  among 
their  number.  Of  this  they  must  repent.  It  was  a  sin  and  a  folly 
over  which  they  might  well  lament  in  dust  and  ashes.  Harsh 
as  the  sentence  might  seem,  the  true  people  of  God  must  have 
no  fellowship  with  a  sect  whose  tenets  were  so  utterly  depraving. 
They  must  wash  their  hands  from  their  evil  practices  and  exclude 
them  from  an  intimacy  they  had  continued  too  long.  Nothing 
less  than  utter  separation  would  evince  the  sincerity  of  their  re- 
pentance. However  painful  it  might  be  to  sever  the  ties  which 
bound  them  to  friends  or  neighbors  or  kindred,  the  transcendent 
moment  of  the  cause  required  that  the  sacrifice  be  made.  Repent! 
The  demand  is  imperative.  It  must  be  heeded,  or  God  be  offended, 
souls  be  contaminated,  and  sore  chastisements  be  brought  down 
upon  the  offending  church. 

In  this  solemn  call  to  repentance  for  affiliating  with  evil  there 
was  a  far  wider  purpose  than  the  mere  interests  of  that  church. 
The  call  was  to  sound  out  through  the  whole  Church  and  down 
through  the  ages.  It  was  to  form  an  important  ingredient  in 
the  great  beacon  that  was  to  serve  for  the  warning  of  all  God's 
people  to  the  end  of  time. 

15.   FIGHTING   WITH   THE  SWORD   OF   HIS  MOUTH. 

The  urgent  call  upon  this  church  was  to  repent  of  the  sin  and 
thus  escape  the  danger  of  retaining  among  their  number  persons 
who  adhered  to  the  seductive  tenets  of  Balaam  and  the  foul  prac- 
tices of  the  Nicolaitans,  and  to  show  their  repentance  by  promptly 
excluding  from  their  communion  professed  members  whose  pres- 
ence must  contaminate  the  whole  body.  Then  follows  the  warn- 
ing, so  solemn  as  coming  from  the  lips  of  the  Amen,  that  if  they 


272       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

did  not  heed  it  tlie  lieavenly  King  would  come  quickly  and  "fight 
agaiurit  them  with  the  sword  of  his  mouth." 

There  are  three  peculiarites  in  this  figurative  expression:  (1) 
The  first  is  the  association  with  the  sad  history  of  Balaam  which 
is  called  up  by  the  connection  of  the  church  with  those  who  were 
in  sj)irit  his  followers.  They  were  Balaamites,  and  the  fate  of 
tliat  deceiver  might  well  give  them  alarm.  The  warning  is 
framed  according  to  their  own  profession,  and  extended  to  those 
who  held  them  in  church-fellowship.  Its  meaning  can  be  under- 
stood only  by  reference  to  him  whose  character  they  bore.  The 
leading  events  in  his  ruinous  career  are  made  emblematic  of  the 
events  which  they  might  expect.  Balaam's  history  is  given  so 
much  prominence  in  the  counsel  and  warning  to  this  church  be- 
cause the  central  point,  the  very  substance,  of  the  message  was 
the  charge  against  it  that  it  retained  among  its  members  those 
who  were  followers  of  his  doctrines  and  practices. 

(2)  The  second  peculiarity  of  this  strangely  significant  warning 
is  the  use  of  the  expression  "sword"  as  a  symbol  of  the  word 
of  truth  from  the  lips  of  God.  This  also,  no  doubt,  arises  from 
the  scenes  of  Balaam's  history,  wherein  he  was  confronted  by 
the  angel  of  God  with  the  drawn  sword.  The  appropriateness 
of  this  representation  of  the  Word  of  God  is  also  seen  from 
another  part  of  Scripture,  where  it  is  called  the  "sword  of  the 
Spirit."  That  divine  sword  can  cut  the  soul  to  pieces.  In  ac- 
cordance with  this,  in  still  another  inspired  utterance  we  read: 
"Therefore  have  I  hewed  them  by  the  prophets;  I  have  slain 
them  by  the  words  of  my  mouth ;  and  my  judgments  are  as  the 
light  that  goeth  forth."  The  teaching  of  all  this  undoubtedly  is 
that  by  the  instrumentality  of  the  truth,  as  by  a  keen,  cutting 
sword,  God  would  visit  that  erring  church  and  wound  it  sorely 
unless  prevented   by  its  timely  repentance. 

(3)  In  the  third  place,  he  would  himself  thus  effect  that  sepa- 
ration from  the  contaminating  influence  of  those  heretical  teachers 
whom  the  church  would  not  be  persuaded  to  exclude  from  their 
number.  This  he  would  do  by  his  Word,  the  sword  of  his  Spirit, 
whose  effort  would  be  to  convince,  to  persuade,  and  so  to  separate. 
The  doctrines  of  Balaamites  and  Nicolaitans  were  that  in  which 
the  great  danger  to  the  church  was  involved.  The  doctrines  would 
be  most  effectually  met  by  the  truth.  The  word  of  truth  was  that 
against  which  they  could  not  stand.  Truth  would  show  the  absurd- 
ity of  the  tenets  of  their  seducers,  and  raise  a  sentiment  against 
them  that  would  culminate  in  their  exclusion  from  the  communion 


THE  OXFORD  OF  THE  ORIENT.  273 

of  God's  true  people.    This  would  be  the  work  of  the  Spirit  warn- 
ing against  falsehood  and  corruption. 

Such  discriminating  and  exscinding  power  of  the  Word  of  God 
is  plainly  taught  in  both  Old  and  New  Testaments.  In  the  one  we 
see  it  in  such  passages  as  these:  "And  he  hath  made  my  mouth 
like  a  sharp  sword;  in  the  shadow  of  his  hand  hath  he  hid  me, 
and  made  me  a  polished  shaft;  in  his  quiver  hath  he  hid  me." 
In  the  other,  the  New  Testament,  we  find  such  teaching  as  this: 
"The  word  of  God  is  quick,  and  powerful,  and  sharper  than  any 
two-edged  sword,  piercing  even  to  the  dividing  asunder  of  soul 
and  spirit,  and  of  the  joints  and  marrow,  and  is  a  discerner  of 
the  thoughts  and  intents  of  the  heart.  Neither  is  tliere  any  crea- 
ture that  is  not  manifest  in  its  sight:  but  all  things  are  naked  and 
opened  unto  the  eyes  of  him  with  whom  we  have  to  do,"  How 
effectual  would  such  words  be  against  the  deceiving,  seducing 
enemies  that  were  lurking  in  that  church !  How  thoroughly 
would  it  expose  them,  and  how  certainly  would  it  arouse  a  feel- 
ing against  them,  that  could  be  satisfied  only  by  their  exclusion 
from  the  fellowship  of  them  whom  they  were  seeking  to  seduce 
and  corrupt!  The  two-edged  sword  out  of  the  mouth  of  the  Son 
of  man  was  a  most  significant  expression  in  the  connection  where 
it  is  here  found.  "  What  the  seer  beheld  in  vision  was  the  expres- 
sion of  the  truth  that  the  message  he  was  about  to  record  would 
be  conveyed  in  keen  and  piercing  words,  cutting  through  the 
ulcers  of  the  soul,  cutting  off"  the  diseased  members,  laying  bare 
the  inmost  organs  of  the  inner  life,  slaying  those  who  deserved 
slaughter;  but  also  wounding  to  heal,  even  slaying  that  he  might 
raise  from  the  dead."  The  word  would  cut  deeply,  and  separate 
from  the  church  those  who  by  their  presence  would  corrupt  the 
whole  body.  By  its  two  edges  that  sword  would  cure  some  and 
kill  others,  and  so  save  the  church. 

Then  the  language  of  the  message  was  such  as  to  indicate  that 
there  could  not  safely  be  any  delay.  Its  most  pressing  call  was, 
"Eepent,  or  else  I  will  come  unto  thee  quickly,  and  will  fight 
against  thee  with  the  sword  of  my  mouth."  Quickly,  unex- 
pectedly, and  in  a  most  etfective  manner  would  God  come  and 
accomplish  that  separation  to  which  the  church  was  summoned, 
but  would  not  heed.  What  dire  calamities  might  be  expected 
to  accompany  the  irresistible  work  of  the  Holy  Ghost  as  the 
church  was  sifted  and  purified!  The  analogy  of  the  days  of 
Balaam  which  has  led  us  thus  far  may  justly  lead  us  still  farther. 
The  twenty-four  thousand  of  Israel  and  those  who  sinned  with 


274       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

them,  that  lay  bleeding  in  that  slaughter,  and  the  thousands 
more  of  Moab  and  Midian,  with  the  deceived  princes  and  the 
deceiving  prophet  among  them,  whose  fate  could  never  be  for- 
gotten, proclaimed  what  a  fearful  thing  it  is  to  trifle  with  the 
threatenings  of  the  Most  High  God,  and  proved  that  the  majesty 
of  his  Word  shall  be  maintained,  however  great  may  be  the 
tempest  of  battle  that  may  thereby  be  aroused. 

IG.   OVERCOME  WHAT? 

The  "overcometh"  in  this  message  has  an  extent  and  permanence 
of  meaning  that  the  same  word  has  not  in  any  other  of  the  mes- 
sages to  the  seven  churches.  It  indicates  a  contest  which  had  been 
commenced  in  that  church,  which  would  go  on  through  time,  and 
the  issues  of  which  would  be  momentous.  In  this  church  that 
contest  took  on  a  definite  form,  and  presented  questions  which 
could  not  be  evaded,  but  which  would  come  up  again  and  again 
so  long  as  the  kingdom  of  our  Lord  should  continue  in  a  militant 
state.  There  can  be  no  doubt  but  that  this  was  permitted  for  an 
all-wise  purpose.  A  i)ractical  question  of  boundless  importance 
was  awakened  then,  in  the  beginning,  in  order  that  the  All-wise 
Spirit  might  give  it  an  answer  that  was  infallible  and  that  should 
be  heard  at  every  turn  of  the  never-ending  contest. 

The  "overcoming"  was  then,  was  in  all  after-ages,  is  now,  and 
evermore  will  be,  in  the  contest  with  antinomianism  in  all  its 
forms  and  degrees.  Antinomianism,  opposition  to  the  law  of 
God  as  a  rule  of  duty,  assumed  a  definite  form  in  the  church  of 
Pergamos,  and  its  atrocity  in  the  sight  of.  God  was  thus  evinced 
so  clearly  that  never  more  could  there  be  any  doubt  as  to  its 
real  character.  The  prevailing  temptations  to  it  were  the  using 
of  meats  ichich  had  been  sacrificed  to  idols,  and  fornication.  These 
temptations  were  very  strong.  To  avoid  the  first  required  almost 
the  total  abandoning  of  all  social  life,  for  that  ingredient  of  idol- 
atry had  wrought  itself  into  nearly  all  the  intercourse  of  society. 
As  to  the  other,  the  prevalence  of  immorality,  in  addition  to 
the  ordinary  attractions  of  sensuality,  the  whole  worship  was  im- 
pure, and  indulgence  in  the  crime  incurred  no  censure.  Instead 
of  lewdness  being  a  crime,  it  was  a  part  of  the  service  of  their 
impure  deities  and  was  incorjiorated  with  tlieir  ordinary  worship. 
It  would  seem  to  have  been  almost  impossible  to  remain  a  true 
and  untainted   Christian  in  such  an  atmosphere  as  that. 

From  this  it  will  be  seen  how  much  was  implied  in  the  call 
to  overcome  the  prevailing  temptations  in  such  a  state  of  society 


THE  OXFOKD  OF  THE  ORIENT.  275 

as  that  by  which  the  church  of  Pergamos  was  surrounded.  This 
was  what  the  faithful  must  conquer.  To  rise  above  tliese  ele- 
ments of  practical  antinomianism  was  the  more  praiseworthy  in 
the  sight  of  God  in  that  they  were  the  first  and  great  offences 
into  which  the  early  Christians  ordinarily  fell.  Steadfastly  to 
resist  them  w^as  made  the  great  test  of  true  conversion  from 
paganism  to  Christianity.  Moreover,  the  contest  with  these  was 
to  be  renewed  from  age  to  age.  It  is  a  struggle  which,  in  all 
its  essential  elements,  is  required  of  the  people  of  God  even  at 
the  present  time.  Even  now  is  the  call  made  on  us  to  overcome, 
and  the  jiromise  is  given  of  the  richest  reward  if,  faithful  to  our 
God,  we  prove  ourselves  conquerors,  and  more  than  conquerors, 
through  Him  that  loved  us. 

17.   THE  HIDDEN  MANNA. 

To  this  tempted  church  of  Pergamos  were  given  two  of  the 
most  blessed  promises  in  the  inspired  "Word — namely:  "To  him 
that  overcometh  will  I  give  to  eat  of  the  hidden  manna,  and 
will  give  him  a  white  stone,  and  in  the  stone  a  new  name  written 
which  no  man  knoweth,  saving  he  that  receiveth  it."  The  two 
promises  were  substantially  the  same  in  the  engagement  they 
made  to  those  who,  being  as  sorely  tempted  as  we  can  conceive 
possible,  would  yet  be  faithful  to  their  heavenly  Lord  by  over- 
coming all  that  could  be  plotted  against  them  to  lead  tliem  away 
from  truth  and  rigliteousness.  The  two  promises  are  given  in 
order  that,  if  possible,  the  latter  may  add  to  the  blessedness 
which  is  made  sure  by  the  former.  The  repetition  of  the  engage- 
ment serves  to  keep  the  mind  lingering  upon  the  gracious  words 
of  God,  and  so  causes  a  deeper  impression  to  be  made.  Besides, 
by  presenting  the  promise  in  two  different  aspects  additional  feat- 
ures of  it  are  brought  out  and  its  amazing  riches  are  more  clearly 
seen. 

The  resemblance  of  that  which  is  promised  to  the  self-denial 
through  which  the  victory  is  to  be  won  and  the  reward  reached 
is  one  of  the  things  which  tends  to  make  the  message  most  start- 
ling. If  the  people  of  God  would  deny  themselves  by  refusing 
to  eat  of  the  pagan  meat,  then  their  holy  Lord  would  reward 
them  by  giving  them  to  eat  of  the  heavenly  bread  which  wouhl 
render  their  souls  most  blessed.  Our  adorable  Father  knoweth 
our  frame.  He  is  acquainted  fully  witli  our  souls,  and  all  their 
aspirations,  and  with  every  method  by  which  they  may  be  influ- 
enced.     This  is  the  way  which  he  sees  to  be  best  in  this  case. 


276       INAUGUKAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

This  establishing  of  a  resemblance  between  the  earthly  fidelity 
and  the  spiritual  and  eternal  recompense  indicates  a  wisdom  that 
is  greater  far  than  that  of  earth. 

The  question  is  thus  answered  why  the  special  promise  made 
to  the  faithful  of  Pergamos  should  be  that  of  manna.  The  very 
word  was  calculated  to  stir  up  the  souls  of  the  ijatriotic  Israelites 
as  it  took  them  back  in  their  history  to  the  days  when  Jehovah 
himself  was  their  supreme  leader.  It  told  them  of  the  time  when, 
day  by  daj^,  they  were  fed  by  the  bread  which  God  sent  down 
fi'ora  heaven.  It  renewed  the  blessed  assurance  of  his  help,  and 
warranted  in  them  the  joyous  anticipation  that,  as  that  food  from 
heaven  had  been  sent  down  to  them  in  the  Avilderness,  so  would 
they  in  the  days  to  come  receive  such  spiritual  nourishment  as 
would  be  seasonable,  abundant,  refreshing,  and  directly  from  the 
hand  of  their  ever-living  Lord.  That  they  should  cut  themselves 
off  from  the  pagan  festivals,  with  all  their  associations,  was  ask- 
ing much ;  but  this  promise  was  more  than  a  recompense,  for  it 
made  sure  to  them  the  bliss  of  the  Holy  Spirit's  constant  pres- 
ence with  them  as  long  as  they  might  be  continued  on  earth,  and 
then  the  rapture  of  the  new  feast  in  the  Father's  heavenly  man- 
sion.   Would  not  this  more  than  make  up  for  all  ? 

The  manna  of  the  wilderness — we  know  Avhat  it  was ;  but  this 
spiritual  manna — what  is  it?  The  blessing  that  was  engaged  to 
the  faithful  by  it  was  doubtless  twofold — namely,  that  sijiritual 
nourishment  of  the  believer  on  earth  which  the  evangelical  proi^het 
describes  when  he  exhorts,  "  Hearken  diligently  unto  me,  and  eat 
ye  that  which  is  good,  and  let  your  soul  delight  itself  in  fatness," 
and  that  celestial  and  eternal  blessedness  of  the  saint  when,  all 
the  sins  and  sufferings  of  earth  being  over,  his  exalted  Lord  shall 
drink  new  wine  with  him  in  his  Father's  kingdom.  Both  of  these 
were  assuredly  included  in  the  promise,  and  both  of  them  are 
still  in  store  for  those  who  are  unflinching  in  their  fidelity  to 
their  Lord. 

Then  what  concerning  this  are  we  to  understand  when  we  hear 
it  described  as  the  hidden  manna'?  Again  are  we  taken  back  to 
the  old  days  of  Israel.  The  earthly  manna  was  sent  down  from 
heaven,  day  by  day,  as  long  as  it  was  needed ;  but  then  the  supply 
ceased.  It  ceased,  but  the  gracious  consideration  of  Jehovah  would 
not  suffer  its  benefits  to  end  at  the  same  time.  He  made  provision 
that  its  memory  should  endure  and  bless  his  people  for  evermore. 
To  this  end,  though  the  ordinary  manna  perished  after  the  day 
of  its  descent,  he  ordered  a  portion  of  it  to  be  gathered  and  pre- 


THE  OXFORD  OF  THE  ORIENT.  277 

served  as  a  momento,  and  he  himself  kept  it  from  spoiling.  His 
command  concerning  it  was,  "  Take  a  pot,  (a  golden  pot,)  and  put 
an  omer  full  of  manna,  and  lay  it  before  the  Lord,  to  be  kept  for 
your  generations."  In  accordance  with  this  command,  a  golden 
I)ot  of  the  manna  was  put  in  the  ark  and  ke^Dt  for  many  a  gen- 
eration in  the  temple. 

This  element  of  the  manna's  history  becomes  significant  when 
transferred  to  the  spiritual  manna  which  was  promised  to  the 
ftiithful.  Of  old,  the  manna  was  laid  up  to  be  preserved  for  gen- 
erations, and  was  never  seen  by  human  eye  except  by  that  of  the 
high  priest,  and  tliat  but  once  every  year.  Ho  the  celestial  manna 
is  safely  guarded  for  the  faithful,  as  yet  hidden  from  all  save  those 
wdio  are  priests  of  the  living  God. 

When  thus  regarded,  as  now  hidden  or  unknown  by  even  true 
believers,  this  divine  supply  of  blessings  is  to  be  regarded  in  two 
aspects :  It  first  tells  of  the  joyous  experience  of  the  child  of  God 
wiien,  in  conversion,  he  enjoys  the  bliss  of  passing  from  darkness 
into  Christ's  marvelous  light;  and  afterward  of  the  unknown 
and  indescribable  joy  of  the  ransomed  when  they  awake  to  the 
sight  of  the  beatific  vision.  It  is  abundantly  evident  from  all 
the  Scriptures,  both  Old  Testament  and  New,  that  God  has  laid 
up  provision  sufficient  for  all  the  wants  of  the  soul  in  both  time 
and  eternity.  The  Bible  is  ablaze  with  tidings  of  this  all  over 
its  sacred  pages.  What  else  means  it  that  we  read,  "  Eye  hath 
not  seen,  nor  ear  heard,  neither  have  entered  into  the  heart  of 
man,  the  things  which  God  hath  prepared  for  them  that  love 
him"?  What  tidings  are  those  from  the  celestial  throne:  "Be- 
loved, now  are  we  the  sons  of  God,  and  it  doth  not  yet  appear 
what  we  shall  be:  but  we  know  that,  when  he  shall  ajipear,  we 
shall  be  like  him ;  for  we  shall  see  him  as  he  is  "  ?  What  marvels 
of  revelation  were  those  which  were  witnessed  when  the  great 
New  Testament  prophet,  in  bitter  tears  that  no  other  being  could 
be  found  for  the  undertaking,  beheld  the  Lion  of  the  tribe  of 
Judah,  the  Root  of  David,  prevailing  to  open  the  sealed  book  of 
providence,  and  to  loose  the  seven  seals  thereof,  and  thus  make 
known  to  the  ransomed  the  mysteries  which  were  contained  there- 
in! What  rapture  throughout  all  heaven  as  saints  and  angels 
l)eheld  on  its  opening  pages  the  sublime  counsels  and  infinite 
glories  of  the  Deity ! 

Then,  too,  the  unknown  joys  of  the  soul  at  the  time  of  conver- 
sion, and  afterward,  throughout  all  the  believer's  earthly  career, 
contain  twio  elements  which    can  be   distinctly  traced:    one,  the 


278       INAUGUEAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

ravishing  view  of  Christ  which  breaks  out  in  the  exclamation, 
"He  is  the  chief  among  ten  thousand!"  Tlie  othei',  the  bliss  of 
knowing  that  sin  is  fully  pardoned,  and  all  danger  of  condem- 
nation over  for  ever.  Who  can  describe  the  rapture  of  the  soul 
when  Christ,  hitherto  hidden  in  his  human  nature,  first  breaks 
out  in  that  effulgence  a  specimen  of  which  was  beheld  in  the 
glory  of  his  transfiguration !  Sometimes  that  bliss  is  so  great 
that  the  soul  wants,  and"  can  endure,  no  more.  Until  then  the 
gracious  Lord  was  hidden,  and  to  the  unrenewed  heart  was  "as 
a  root  out  of  a  dry  ground;  and  had  no  form  or  comeliness."  At 
the  time  when  the  soul  passes  from  darkness  into  the  marvelous 
light  of  God  the  intervening  veil  is  taken  away  and  the  Beloved 
stands  revealed  as  the  chief  among  ten  thousand,  the  Glorious 
One  who  is  all  that  the  convert  needs  or  can  desire.  Then  is  he 
seen  and  enjoyed  as  the  Bread  of  life,  the  all  in  all,  the  fountain 
opened  to  the  house  of  David  and  to  the  inhabitants  of  Jeru- 
salem, the  hidden  manna,  but  revealed  for  the  satisfaction  and 
strength  of  the  new  man. 

From  this  cause,  and  from  the  gracious  operation  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  upon  the  heart,  it  comes  to  pass  that  the  sincere  child  of 
God  is  admitted  into  a  blessedness  of  w^hich  the  carnal  heart  is 
entirely  ignorant.  The  secret  of  the  Lord  is  revealed  to  such 
blessed  ones  even  here.  The  happy  believer,  like  his  Lord,  has 
meat  to  eat  of  which  the  world  does-  not  know.  He  begins  to 
realize  what  must  be  the  sweetness  of  angels'  food.  By  the  gracious 
Physician  who  came  from  heaven  he  has  administered  to  him  "the 
medicine  of  immortality."  The  world  does  not,  cannot,  know  what 
he  is  ijermitted  even  now  to  enjoy.  Sometimes  he  is  raised  so  high 
on  the  mount  of  bliss,  and  has  such  ravishing  views  of  his  Lord, 
that,  like  Peter  when  blinded  by  the  manifested  glory  of  his 
Lord,  he  wants  never  to  come  down,  but  to  stay  and  revel  for 
ever  in  the  heavenly  glory.  Neither  is  it  joy  alone  which  arises 
from  partaking  of  this  celestial  manna,  but  the  whole  soul  is 
strengthened  and  nourished  thereby.  It  becomes  the  very  ali- 
ment and  life  of  the  new  man  in  Christ  Jesus.  The  entire  being 
is  filled  with  it,  and  the  saint  increases  in  everj^  one  of  the  graces 
of  the  Spirit. 

Such  is  the  effect  of  the  promised  manna  even  in  time;  but 
there  will  be  a  fruition  of  it  that  will  be  infinitely  better  in  the 
world  to  come.  Its  real  value  is  hidden  even  from  the  believer 
in  this  present  earthly  and  imperfect  state.  Only  when  we  shall 
sit  down  with  our  exalted  Lord  at  the  heavenly  ban(|uet  in  his 


THE  OXFOED  OF  THE  ORIENT.  279 

Father's  halls  shall  we  know  its  full  sweetness.  Then,  and  not 
till  then,  shall  it  be  fully  known  what  the  celestial  portion  is  that 
is  laid  up  for  those  who  now  deny  themselves  the  sinful  pleasures 
of  earth.  Animated  by  that  glorious  prospect,  we  may  look 
through  faith  to  the  celestial  throne,  and  there  behold  all  the 
righteous  dead,  and  all  those  who  shall  yet  join  them,  awaiting 
in  blissful  prospect  that  better  portion  which  their  Lord  is  getting 
ready  for  them.  They  had  refused  the  polluted  meats  of  heathen 
temples  and  other  sinful  indulgences,  and  they  have  God's  as- 
sured promise  that  they  shall  be  admitted  to  the  holy  feast  of 
heaven  in  the  everlasting  temple,  the  palace  of  the  supreme  King. 
We  can  imagine  what  will  be  some  of  its  serapliic  joys,  but  we 
cannot  imagine  the  bliss  that  will  come  directly  from  Christ  into 
the  soul  amid  its  inconceivable  ecstasies.  In  the  effort  to  fathom 
what  that  hidden  heavenly  manna  must  be,  our  best  course  will 
be  to  take  our  Lord's  own  words  as  our  guide:  "I  am  the  bread 
of  life ;  he  that  cometh  to  me  shall  never  hunger ;  and  he  that 
believeth  on  me  shall  never  thirst."  "This  is  the  bread  which 
cometh  down  from  heaven,  that  a  man  may  eat  thereof  and 
not  die;  ....  if  any  man  eat  of  this  bread,  he  shall  live  for 
ever."  Can  we  read  all  this  without  being  entranced  at  the  pros- 
pect of  that  heavenly  communion  with  Christ  and  with  the  holy 
and  the  blest? 

Our  w^hole  souls  are  carried  away  in  the  prospect  which  the 
promise  of  the  heavenly  manna  opens  up  to  us  in  the  eternal 
future.  We  shall  see  Jesus  as  he  is,  and  through  that  beatific 
vision  we  shall  be  made  like  him ;  and  this  shall  be  to  us  the 
hidden  manna  which  shall  then  be  brought  forth  from  the  sanctu- 
ary in  the  immediate  presence  whence  it  had  been  so  long  with- 
drawn from  sight.  Then  shall  the  glory  of  Christ,  now  shrouded 
and  concealed,  be  revealed  to  his  people  in  all  its  briglitness.  The 
righteous  who  are  now  beneath  the  throne  awaiting  the  hour  of 
blessed  consummation  shall  then  sit  down  with  their  Lord  at  the 
long-expected  feast  of  immortality.  The  beatific  vision  shall  burst 
upon  them.  They  shall  be  filled  with  rapture  immortal  at  the 
realization  that  they  had  been  enabled  by  grace  to  resist  the  at- 
tractions of  sense  and  sin,  and  now  see  before  them  only  an  eter- 
nity of  full  and  most  blessed  satisfaction. 

18.   THE   WHITE   STONE  AND  THE   NEW   NAME. 
It  has  already  been  pointed  out  as  one  of  the  peculiarities  of 
these  messages  that  in  each  of  them  there  are  two  distinct  promises 


280       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHEONED  KING. 

— one  local  to  the  particular  church,  and  shaped  according  to  its 
existing  circumstances;  the  other  addressed  to  the  whole  Church 
of  God,  of  all  times  and  places.  In  the  present  instance  the  first 
promise  was  the  hidden  manna,  which  we  have  just  considered. 
The  other  promise — the  promise  intended  for  all  Christians  until 
the  end  of  time — is  that  to  those  who  should  overcome  sense  and 
sin  would  God  give  a  white  stone,  and  in  the  stone  a  new  name 
written,  which  no  man  hioweth  saving  he  that  receiveth  it. 

There  can  hardly  be  a  doubt  that  this  promise  refers  to  the 
ancient  and  beautiful  custom  of  the  tessera  hospitalis.  There  were 
then  no  public  houses  of  entertainment,  and  consequently  the 
traveler  on  a  long  journey  was  under  the  necessity  of  in  some 
way  finding  lodgement  in  private  houses  where  he  could  spend 
one  or  more  nights  as  he  needed.  Such  a  traveler  has  found  a 
home  with  a  kind  family,  and  a  strong  attachment  has  sprung 
ujj  between  him  and  his  host.  The  hour  has  come  for  him  to 
depart,  but  he  and  his  friend  cannot  separate  without  first  inter- 
changing some  token  of  their  friendship.  For  this  purpose  they 
use  the  well-known  tessera  hospitalis  as  a  memento  of  the  days 
of  their  intercourse  and  a  pledge  of  the  covenant  of  enduring 
friendshii^  which  they  form. 

This  token  was  a  small,  four-sided  (hence  the  name  tessera), 
oblong  piece,  generally  of  stone,  though  sometimes  of  other  mate- 
rial. This  carefully  prepared  pledge  was  split  into  two  equal  parts, 
on  the  inner  side  of  one  of  which  the  host  wrote  his  own  name, 
and  that  of  the  guest  on  the  other.  These  parts  were  then  inter- 
changed, the  guest  carrying  away  with  him  the  name  of  the  host 
and  the  host  retaining  that  of  his  friend.  To  render  them  still 
more  significant  and  precious,  and  to  prevent  imposture  in  their 
use,  they  were  preserved  with  the  most  inviolable  care,  being 
concealed  so  that  the  names  on  them  were  known  to  no  mortal 
saving  themselves.  Thereafter  they  were  always  carried  as  the 
pledge  of  fidelity  and  means  of  recognition  known  only  by  the 
parties  themselves.  In  all  after-years  the  tessera  hospitalis  would 
open  to  each  other  the  door  of  hospitality  and  secure  instant  con- 
fidence. Even  death  did  not  end  their  value,  but  they  went  downi 
as  the  bond  of  friendship  to  children  and  grandchildren  i;i  nil 
the  future.  They  were  perfectly  inviolable,  and  bound  the  parties 
in  the  most  secret,  sacred,  and  enduring  loyalty  to  each  other. 
Every  other  conceivable  bond  might  be  broken — the  tessera  hospi- 
talis never. 

"We  give  a  reported  instance  of  the  observance  of  this  custom. 


THE  OXFORD  OF  THE  ORIENT.  281 

In  an  ancient  Greek  writing  we  have  tliis  record:  "Hanno  in- 
quires of  a  stranger  where  he  may  find  Agoristodes,  and  discovers 
to  his  surprise  that  he  is  addressing  tlie  person  of  his  search.  "If 
so,"  lie  says,  "compare,  if  you  please,  this  hospitable  tessera.  Here 
it  is;  I  have  it  with  me."  Agoristodes  replies,  "It  is  the  exact 
counterpart;  I  have  the  other  part  at  home."  Hanno  replies, 
"O  my  friend,  I  rejoice  to  meet  thee;  thy  father  was  my  friend, 
my  guest;  I  divided  with  him  this  hospitable  tessera.^'  "There- 
fore," said  Agoristodes,  "thou  shalt  have ^ a  home  with  me,  for 
I  reverence  hospitality."  Beautiful  illustration  of  gospel  truth! 
The  Saviour  visits  the  sinner's  heart,  and,  being  received,  as  a 
guest,  bestows  the  white  stone,  the  token  of  his  unchanging  love. 
He  enrolls  our  name  among  his  friends.  He  makes  an  everlasting 
covenant  with  us,  ordered  in  all  things  and  sure.  He  promises 
never  to  leave  nor  forsake  us.  He  tells  us  we  shall  never  perish. 
He  gives  us  the  tessera,  the  white  stone. 

Such  was,  without  a  doubt,  the  custom  to  which  there  is  here 
a  reference.  The  white  stone  was  a  token  of  friendship  and  a 
pledge  of  fidelity  in  all  time  to  come.  So,  to  all  who  denied 
themselves  for  his  sake,  would  God  give  a  pledge  of  close,  per- 
petual, personal,  and  inviolable  friendship.  This  gracious  engage- 
ment is  made  in  such  emblematic  terms  as  are  calculated  to  leave 
the  deepest  and  dearest  impression.  It  would  seem  that  the  Spirit 
of  inspiration  would  not  only  impart  that  most  blessed  truth,  but 
also  do  it  in  terms  so  striking  and  so  multiplied  that  they  would 
carry  it  home  to  the  heart.  This  we  believe  was  the  fact,  and 
we  should  follow  his  example  in  tracing  its  meaning. 

We  look  first  at  the  suitableness  of  the  words  for  conveying 
the  spiritual  ideas— the  emblem  and  pledge  of  God's  divine  friend- 
ship. In  connection  with  this,  incidentally,  we  have  a  corrobora- 
tion of  the  authenticity  of  the  Sacred  Scriptures.  The  white  stone 
— why  is  that  particular  thing  used  as  God's  testimony  and  pledge 
of  his  never-failing  friendship— the  emblem  of  the  Earnest,  the 
"witness  of  the  Spirit?"  Why  is  it  especially  used  in  this  mes- 
sage to  the  Pergamese  church?  There  is  meaning  in  it.  Says 
one  of  the  most  trustworthy  of  all  modern  travelers:  "It  is  a 
remarkable  fact  that  in  the  vicinity  of  Pergamos  an  unusual  num- 
ber of  white  stones  cover  the  ground  in  every  direction,  and  the 
traveler  can  hardly  fail  to  be  struck  with  the  applicability  of  the 
words  in  which  the  Scriptural  promise  to  this  church  is  couched." 
Then  most  significant  is  it  that  it  is  a  ivhite  stone.  The  word  car- 
ries us  up  amidst  the  brightness  and  the  purity  of  the  skies,  for 


282  INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

"  white  is  everywhere  the  color  and  livery  of  heaven."  Most  re- 
markable is  it  that  amid  the  revelations  of  celestial  glories  this 
description  is  so  often  found.  We  see  the  Son  of  God  with  "his 
head  and  his  hairs  xvJUte  like  wool,  as  ivhite  as  snow."  We  have 
also,  besides  this  white  stone,  the  ^^ivhite  raiment,"  the  ^^  ivhite 
robes,"  the  ^^ white  cloud,"  the  "fine  linen  clean  and  white,^'  the 
'■'■white  horses,"  as  well  as  the  "great  ivhite  throne."  In  other 
parts  of  Scripture  it  is  of  frequent  occurrence;  as,  the  angels  in 
the  deserted  sepulchi^  of  our  Lord  appearing  in  icJiite,  and  the 
Ancient  of  days  when  seen  in  the  vision  of  Daniel,  "in  garments 
as  white  as  snow."  In  all  these  and  similar  expressions  we  find 
the  word  as  indicative  of  purity,  splendor,  glory.  So  here,  the 
lohite  stone  is  the  purity,  the  brilliancy,  of  God's  witness  to  us 
of  his  favor. 

Still  another  prospect  is  opened  to  us  by  the  significant  ^'■new 
name."  This  hints  at  the  shining  glory  that  is  coming.  It  is  one 
of  the  key-words  of  the  messages,  as  it  is  of  the  whole  Apocalypse. 
"He  who  is  the  giver  of  this  revelation  everywhere  sets  forth  him- 
self as  the  only  renewer  of  all  wliich  sin  had  made  old ;  the  author 
of  a  new  creation  even  in  the  midst  of  a  decaying  and  dying 
world;  and  thus  we  have,  besides  the  " /^e»'  name"  here,  the  ^'- new 
Jerusalem,"  the  '■'■■new  song,"  and  the  '■'■new  heaven  and  the  new 
earth." 

These  are  stirring  words  in  the  symbols.  New  and  white,  when 
thus  used  by  our  glorious  Lord  in  connection  with  the  events 
through  which  the  faithful  are  yet  to  pass,  are  calculated  to  excite 
adoration  in  our  souls.  Higher,  far  higher,  are  we  admitted  into 
the  heavenly  mysteries  when  we  find  them  associated  with  the 
white  stone  and  the  new  name.  These  bring  us  into  the  core 
of  the  sublime  promise.  In  the  neiv  name  we  have  the  key  of 
the  exalted  mystery. 

In  scriptural  phraseology  the  name  means  the  person  himself. 
It  is  the  expression  for  the  sum  of  all  his  attributes  or  charac- 
teristics. It  is  the  embodiment  of  what  he  is.  Hence  the  new 
name  is  the  new  man.  Our  promise  here  is  another  form  for 
the  gracious  assurance,  "  If  any  man  be  in  Christ,  he  is  a  new 
creature:  old  things  are  passed  away;  behold,  all  things  are  be- 
come new."  Then  do  we  see  the  glory  of  the  promise  in  that  the 
victor  over  the  temptations  of  the  flesh  has  a  new  relation  to 
God  as  his  Father  and  to  Christ  as  his  Elder  Brother  and  Friend, 
new  prospects  as  co-lielr  with  the  Son  of  God  in  the  heavenly 
reward  once  set  before  Him,  new  companions,  eveij  saints  of  the 


THE  OXFORD  OF  THE  ORIENT.  283 

Lord  and  angels  ministering  at  the  throne,  and  a  new  nature, 
so  that  he  has  become  lilce  the  divine  Son,  and  partaker  of  the 
heavenly  glory. 

Even  a  higher  element  still  is  there  in  the  blessed  promise. 
The  precious  stone,  emblematic  of  "the  witness  of  the  Spirit," 
bearing  witness  with  the  spirit  of  the  saint,  is  a  wonderful  gift — 
more  precious  that  it  is  white,  pure,  glorious,  heavenly;  more 
precious  still  is  the  name— celestial,  Christ-like;  more  precious 
still  that  it  is  new,  above  that  of  earth  or  ransomed  saint;  high- 
est of  all,  that  no  man  knoweth  it  saving  he  that  receiveth  it — beyond 
the  experience  of  mortal,  higher  than  human  language  can  describe 
or  heart  of  man  can  imagine.  This  is  the  climax ;  the  promise  is 
hidden  in  glory  which  cannot  be  described — so  rapturous  that  noth- 
ing but  experience  of  its  glory  can  enable  the  ransomed  soul  to 
understand  it. 

In  the  expression,  "  new  name  which  no  man  knoweth  sav- 
ing he  that  receiveth  it,"  we  have  the  substance  of  the  experi- 
ence of  the  believer  when  first  he  passes  from  nature's  dark- 
ness into  God's  marvelous  light.  Who  of  us  has  not  seen  and 
heard  it?  The  true  convert  shows  his  joy  in  the  radiance 
of  his  countenance.  He  wonders  that  he  had  not  known  this 
bliss  of  pardon  long  before.  He  cannot  understand  why  every 
one  does  not  see  the  unspeakable  rapture  of  salvation  and  give 
all  his  heart  to  his  Saviour.  His  constant  trouble  is  that  he 
cannot  tell  all  the  blessedness  that  he  is  finding  in  Jesus.  As 
we  listen  we  hear  from  him:  "What  means  this  joy  of  soul 
which  I  can  scarce  contain  ?  Why  did  I  not  know  of  this  blessed- 
ness before?  Surely  no  other  person  has  ever  found  such  happiness 
in  Christ."  The  very  words  of  one  such  blessed  saint  were:  "Oh 
that  I  could  but  let  you  know  what  I  now  feel !  Oh  that  I  could 
show  you  what  I  see!  Oh  that  I  could  tell  the  thousandth  part 
of  the  sweetness  that  I  now  find  in  Jesus!  You  would  then 
think  it  worth  while  to  make  it  your  business  to  be  religious. 
Oh,  dear  friends,  you  little  think  what  Christ  is  worth !  I  would 
not  now  for  a  world— nay,  for  a  million  of  worlds,  be  without 
Christ  and  pardon.  Oh  that  you  did  but  see  and  feel  what  I 
do!  Oh,  my  friends,  worldly  pleasures  are  poor,  poor,  miser- 
able things  compared  with  one  glimpse  of  the  glory  which  shines 
so  brightly  in  my  soul!"  We  listen  to  such  ecstatic  joy  of  soul, 
and  then  we  understand  something  of  the  meaning  of  this  promise, 
"  which  no  man  knoweth  saving  he  that  receiveth  it." 

All  this  is  included  in  the  promise  of  the  white  stone  with  the 


284      INAUGUEAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

new  name.  Then,  when  we  are  assured  that,  like  to  the  earthly 
pledge,  it  secures  the  most  dear  and  intimate  friendship  of  Jesus 
— a  friendship  that  never  can  be  weakened  by  years  of  time  or 
ages  of  eternity;  a  friendship  that  can  be  enjoyed  at  any  hour; 
a  friendship  the  blessedness  of  which  is  ready*  for  us  in  all  places — 
then  is  it  any  wonder  we  can  aver  that  there  is  no  other  promise 
more  precious  than  this,  even  amid  the  most  glorious  engagements 
of  the  heavenly  world?  The  man  who  carried  with  him  the  secret 
tessera  hospitalis,  no  matter  where  he  was  and  no  matter  what  the 
day  or  hour  might  be,  was  sure  of  a  warm  heart  and  an  open  hand 
from  his  friend  who  never  could  and  never  would  be  separated 
from  him.  Such  is  the  assurance  we  have  that  the  Friend  that 
sticketh  closer  than  a  brother  will  always  and  everywhere  be 
ready  to  protect,  receive,  and  bless  us!  Such  is  the  most  blessed 
reward  that  is  promised  to  the  conqueror  of  sense  and  sin.  Could 
we  help  it  that  over  this  promise  of  promises  we  have  lingered 
so  long,  unable  to  tear  ourselves  away  from  the  wondrous  mes- 
sage from  the  Lord  of  the  churches  to  the  faithful  champions  of 
his  cause  in  Pergamos? 


THYATIRA 


THE  WHITE  CASTLE. 


THE  MESSAGE. 

And  unto  the  angel  of  the  church  in  Thyatira  write:  These  things  saith  the 
Son  of  God,  who  hath  his  eyes  like  unto  a  flame  of  fire,  and  his  feet  are  like 
fine  brass ; 

I  know  thy  works,  and  charity,  and  service,  and  faith,  and  thy  patience,  and 
thy  works ;  and  the  last  to  be  more  than  the  first. 

Notwithstanding  I  have  a  few  things  against  thee,  because  thou  sufiFerest  that 
woman  Jezebel,  which  calleth  herself  a  prophetess,  to  teach  and  to  seduce  my 
servants  to  commit  fornication,  and  to  eat  things  sacrificed  unto  idols. 

And  I  gave  her  space  to  repent  of  her  fornication  ;  and  she  repented  not. 

Behold,  I  will  cast  her  into  a  bed,  and  them  that  commit' adultery  with  her 
into  great  tribulation,  except  they  repent  of  their  deeds. 

And  I  will  kill  her  children  with  death ;  and  all  the  churches  shall  know 
that  I  am  he  that  searcheth  the  reins  and  hearts :  and  I  will  give  unto  every 
one  of  you  according  to  your  works. 

But  unto  you  I  say,  and  unto  the  rest  in  Thyatira,  fas  many  as  have  not 
this  doctrine,  and  which  have  not  known  the  depths  of  Satan,  as  they  speak,) 
I 'will  put  upon  you  none  other  burden: 

But  that  which  ye  liave  already,  hold  fast  till  I  come. 

And  he  that  overcometh,  and  keepeth  my  works  unto  the  end,  to  him  will 
I  give  power  over  the  nations : 

And  he  shall  rule  them  with  a  rod  of  iron ;  as  the  vessels  of  a  potter  shall 
they  be  broken  to  shivers ;  even  as  I  received  of  my  Father. 

And'  I  will  give  him  the  morning  star. 

He  that  hatli  an  ear,  let  him  hear  what  the  Spirit  saith  unto  the  churches. 

286 


CHAPTER    XI. 

THE  WHITE  CASTLE. 

1.    THYATIRA. 

Ix  several  aspects  the  message  to  the  church  of  Thyatira  is  not 
so  attractive  as  most  of  the  otliers.  The  city  itself  has  scarcely 
anything  for  which  it  was  especially  distinguished.  It  had  no 
fascinating  history  extending  back  into  the  ages  of  antiquity,  no 
renowned  line  of  kings,  no  great  events  which  left  a  peculiar 
impress  upon  the  race,  no  splendid  buildings  which  served  as 
models  for  after-times,  no  great  work  of  any  kind  to  give  celebrity 
to  its  name.  On  a  beautiful  plain  of  Asia  it  lay  unnoticed  amid 
its  rampart  of  mountains,  pursuing  its  arts  of  industry,  while  the 
other  cities  around  it  became  celebrated  by  their  storms  of  war 
and  their  bloodshed  and  woes  of  the  battle-field.  So  also  its 
church  in  itself  was  marked  by  no  great  events  to  give  it  dis- 
tinction amid  the  annals  of  the  divine  kingdom. 

The  modern  name  given  to  this  city  by  the  Turks  is  Ak-hissar,  or 
the  White  Castle.  It  received  this  name  probably  because  of  the 
great  heaps  of  white  marble  which  are  found  in  its  neighborhood,  or 
possibly  because  of  a  broken-down  tower  which  is  a  very  conspic- 
uous object  that  meets  the  eye  as  one  approaches  the  ruins  of  the  old 
city. 

In  the  days  of  its  glory  Thyatira  w^as  one  of  the  chief  towns  of 
the  kingdom  of  Lydia,  on  its  extreme  border  toward  Mysia.  It 
was  situated  on  the  old  Roman  road  between  Pergamos  and  Sardis, 
about  forty-eight  miles  from  Pergamos  and  twenty-seven  from 
Sardis.  A  more  beautiful  location  for  a  little  city,  away  from  the 
great  arteries  of  life,  amid  mountains  and  streams  and  fertile  plains, 
could  not  well  be  imagined.  About  sixty  miles  from  the  ^gean 
shore  on  the  uplands  between  the  rivers  Caicus  and  Hermus,  and  on 
the  southern  slope  of  a  mountain  ridge,  amid  the  atfluents  of  the 
latter  stream  lay  the  city,  specially  interesting  to  us  because  of  this 
message  from  the  enthroned  King.  In  the  distance  from  it  may  be 
seen  the  peaks  of  the  higher  mountains;  at  their  foot  lies  a  most 
beautiful  and  fertile  plain  some  twenty  miles  wide,  near  whose 
centre  rises  an  amphitheatre  of  hills  containing  in  its  bosom  the 

287 


288       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

favored  city.  A  small  affluent  called  Lycus  flows  by  its  side,  and 
with  other  mountain  streams  carries  to  it  abundance  of  pure  and 
refreshing  water.  Almost  as  beautiful  as  Damascus,  it  lives  amid 
that  ascending  region  of  Asia  Minor.  The  gales  from  the  distant 
plains  and  higher  lands,  the  streams  from  the  fertile  hills,  the  rills 
from  the  uplands,  and  the  verdure,  fragrance,  and  shade  of  the 
cypress  and  other  groves,  all  conspire  to  give  to  the  spot  the  sweet- 
ness of  an  earthly  paradise. 

The  approach  to  it  from  the  west  is  peculiarly  charming.  AVith 
the  sea  some  fifty  miles  behind  us,  on  the  distant  north  the  vale  of 
the  Caicus,  on  the  south  the  broad  stream  of  the  Hermus,  and  the  little 
rivulets  of  the  Lycus  by  our  side,  we  ascend  the  higher  lands  toward 
the  interior.  We  pass  over  a  hilly  but  fertile  region,  a  region  ren- 
dered still  more  charming  by  the  many  streams  and  by  the  groves 
of  oaks  and  acacias  that  bound  our  path  on  either  hand.  Hallowed 
memories  of  the  past  also  render  our  journey  still  more  enchanting. 
Over  this  very  same  road  the  beloved  John,  "the  holy  theologian," 
no  doubt  often  passed,  on  the  business  of  the  kingdom,  we  draw 
near  to  the  city  which  had  been  honored  as  the  seat  of  one  of  the 
seven  churches;  and  in  the  words  of  one  who  saw  it  in  all  its 
beauty:  "The  eye  tracks  across  the  plain  the  silver  thread  which 
marks  the  course  of  one  of  the  affluents  of  the  Hermus ;  and  in  the 
centre,  nourished  by  its  verdure,  are  crowded  the  white  roofs  of  a 
wide-si:)read  Turkish  city,  with  here  and  there  a  minaret  towering 
in  the  midst,  and  many  a  clump  of  tall  cypresses  raising  their 
funereal  plumes  on  high  ;  while  the  whole  is  girt  with  a  rich  fringe 
of  orchards  and  watered  gardens  over  which  the  silver  mist  drawn 
up  by  the  sun  hangs  in  a  thin,  quivering  cloud.  This  is  Ak-hissar, 
'the  White  Castle,'  the  ancient  Thyatira." 

As  we  journey  on  to  enter  the  city,  we  pass  on  the  left  a  public 
well  around  which  are  gathered  loiterers  enjoying  the  scented 
breezes,  and  on  the  right  an  old  ruined  tower,  the  hoary  monarch  of 
bygone  ages.  We  pass  on  through  a  street  lined  on  both  sides  with 
wretched  houses  at  irregular  intervals,  and  see  minarets  rising  here 
and  there,  interspersed  with  tall,  solemn  cypresses,  a  great  dome 
most  conspicuous  of  all,  and  at  a  short  distance  beyond  a  rampart  of 
hills  that  seem  to  lean  against  the  clouds.  C'lose  inspection  shows 
the  streets  to  be  narrow  and  fdthy,  and  the  houses  to  be  mean  and 
cheerless. 

An  American  missionary.  Rev.  Pliny  Fisk,  wiio  often  visited  it, 
thus  describes  the  city:  "Thyatira  is  situated  near  a  small  river,  a 
branch  of  the  Caicus,  in  the  centre  of  an  extensive  plain.    At  the 


THE  WHITE  CASTLE.  2S9 

distance  of  three  or  four  miles  it  is  almost  completely  surrounded 
by  mountains.  The  houses  are  low ;  many  of  them  of  mud  or  earth. 
Excepting  the  motsellim's  palace,  there  is  scarcely  a  decent  house 
in  the  place.  The  streets  are  narrow  and  tilthy,  and  everything 
indicates  poverty  and  degradation."  Another  of  our  missionaries 
gives  a  fuller  description  of  its  present  condition:  "The  town  is 
located  in  a  plain  of  considerable  size,  and  is  hardly  visible  on  being 
approached,  by  reason  of  the  profusion  of  foliage.  The  plain  itself 
is  bounded  on  all  sides  by  mountains,  and  cotton  and  madder,  a 
kind  of  reddish  root,  are  raised  abundantly.  I  observed  that  this 
root  is  abundantly  cultivated  in  all  that  region,  and  forms  an 
important  article  of  export  for  England,  where  it  is  used  for  dyeing 
purposes. 

"  The  Christian  traveller  and  missionary  naturally  looks  for 
something  interesting  in  a  place  where  once  existed  a  true  church 
of  Christ.  But,  alas,  how  sadly  is  he  disappointed!  The  place 
presents  an  ajjpearance  nothing  different  from  other  Turkish 
towns.  Everything  wears  a  Mussulman  aspect.  The  houses, 
streets,  dress,  occupation  and  language  of  the  inhabitants  all  in- 
dicate a  predominating  Turkish  influence.  Christianity  exists 
there  in  name,  but  it  is  the  bare  name;  its  spirit  has  long  since 
fled.  The  Greeks,  especially,  seem  to  be  peculiarly  superstitious. 
I  visited  their  church  and  found  it  to  be  full  of  pictures  and 
other  marks  of  a  degenerate  Christianity.  A  long  string  of  these 
images,  extending  from  one  side  of  the  church  to  the  other,  was 
suspended  so  low  as  to  permit  the  worshipper  to  approach  and 
kiss  them  ;  and  so  frequently  had  this  adoration  been  bestowed 
on  them,  that  all  appeared  soiled  from  the  frequent  contact  of 
the  lips.  Over  the  entrance  of  the  church,  I  observed  the  repre- 
sentation of  a  grave  old  man,  with  a  silvery  head,  surrounded  by 
angels.  Suspecting  the  object  designed  to  be  shadowed  forth,  I 
inquired  of  a  lad  standing  by  what  that  figure  meant?  He 
instantly  replied,  '  It  is  God.'  I  observed  two  similar  representa- 
tions of  the  Deity  in  the  interior  of  the  church.  The  churchyard 
is  used  as  a  burying-place.  Candles  are  lighted  at  the  heads  of 
the  graves  in  the  night,  and  incense  is  often  burned.  When  the 
process  of  decay  has  proceeded  so  far  as  to  leave  nothing  but  the 
bones,  these  are  taken  up  and  thrown  into  a  sealed  vault,  over 
which  a  chapel  is  fitted  up,  and  in  which  mass  is  said  over  these 
relics  of  the  dead  for  the  benefit  of  their  souls.  A  feeling  of 
abhorrence  came  over  me,  as  I  stood  in  the  place  where  such 
abominations  are  committed." 
19 


290       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

Arundell  entered  the  city  from  the  east,  and  he  thus  describes 
it:  "The  appearance  of  Thyatira  as  we  approached  it  was  that 
of  a  very  long  line  of  cypresses,  poplars,  and  other  trees,  among 
which  appeared  the  minarets  of  several  mosques  and  the  roofs  of 
a  few  houses  at  the  right.  On  the  left  a  view  of  distant  hills, 
the  line  of  which  continued  over  the  town;  and  at  the  right 
adjoining  the  town  was  a  low  hill  with  two  ruined  windmills. 
Thyatira  is  a  large  place,  and  abounds  with  shops  of  every  de- 
scription. The  population  is  estimated  at  three  hundred  Greek 
houses,  thirty  Armenian,  and  one  thousand  Turkish  ;  nine  mosques, 
one  Armenian,  and  one  Greek  church.  We  visited  the  latter;  it  was 
a  wretcliedly  poor  place,  and  so  much  below  the  level  of  the  church- 
yard as  to  require  five  steps  to  descend  into  it."  "Very  few  of 
the  ancient  buildings,"  says  another  traveler,  "remain;  one  we 
saw,  which  seems  to  have  been  a  market-place,  having  six  pillars 
sunk  very  low  in  the  ground.  I  find  by  several  inscriptions 
that  the  inhabitants  of  this  city,  in  the  days  of  heathenism, 
were  great  votaries  and  worshipers  of  the  goddess  Diana.  The 
city  has  a  very  great  convenience  of  water,  which  flows  in  every 
street,  coming  from  a  neighboring  hill  about  a  mile  off,  there 
being  thousands  of  pipes  to  convey  it  to  every  part  of  it.  As 
in  many  other  places,  the  Armenians  are  the  chief  merchants 
here,  bringing  from  Persia  and  selling  sashes,  handkerchiefs,  and 
other  goods.  The  business  of  the  city  is  chiefly  that  of  cotton 
wool,  which  is  sent  to  Smyrna  in  large  quantities."  "  It  is  this 
trade,  the  crystalline  waters,  cool  and  sweet  to  the  taste,  the 
wholesome  air,  the  rich  and  delightful  country,  which  cause  this 
city  so  to  flourish  in  our  day,  and  to  be  more  happy  than  her 
other  desolate  and  comfortless  sisters." 

2.   HISTORY  OF   CITY   AND   CHUECH. 

As  to  the  history  of  this  city  and  church,  it  needs  to  occupy 
but  little  space.  Indeed,  but  little  is  known  concerning  it.  Com- 
pared with  the  cities  of  the  other  churches,  it  was  of  modern 
origin.  Its  admirable  location  seems  to  have  attracted  the  special 
notice  of  Alexander  the  Great,  as  he  swept  through  the  country 
toward  the  conquest  of  Persia.  Then,  after  his  premature  death, 
some  of  his  generals  returned  to  the  place,  and  set  about  the 
work  of  building  up  its  houses  and  walls.  A  colony  from  Mace- 
donia was  carried  there,  and  the  place  grew  rapidly  into  an  inir 
jjortant  city.  Other  nationalities  were  attracted  to  it,  and  it  after- 
ward presented   a   singular  medley  of  nations   and  races.      The 


THE  WHITE  CASTLE.  291 

names  which  are  even  now  found  on  its  monuments  show  that 
its  population  was  made  up  of  very  diverse  elements.  There  is 
no  doubt  that  Greeks,  Romans,  Asiatics,  Chaldeans,  Jews  and 
others  were  among  those  who  formed  the  heterogeneous  popu- 
lation. 

The  origin  of  the  church  can  be  conjectured  only— but  that 
with  considerable  plausibility.  A  hint  in  another  part  of  Scrip- 
ture gives  a  clew  by  which  we  are  led  to  a  tolerable  degree  of 
certainty  as  to  the  way  in  which  the  gospel  was  first  carried  to 
that  people.  That  hint  we  have  in  Acts  16: 14.  For  the  first  time, 
so  far  as  we  are  informed,  that  that  gospel  was  ever  heard  in 
Europe,  Paul  and  his  companions  were  engaged  in  publishing 
the  good  tidings.  It  was  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  citj-  of 
Philippi  in  Macedonia,  on  the  Lord's  day,  and  to  a  little  pray- 
ing circle  of  devout  women.  They  sat  down  and  related  the 
story  of  redemption  by  the  blood  of  Christ.  Among  those  true- 
hearted  hearers  was  one  whose  name  can  never  be  forgotten. 
That  name  was  Lydia;  and  the  simple  history  concerning  her 
was  that  she  was  "a  seller  of  purple  of  the  city  of  Thyatira, 
which  worshipped  God."  She  listened,  was  convinced,  converted, 
gave  her  heart  to  God,  with  her  family,  professed  her  faith  in 
her  new-found  Saviour,  and  proved  the  sincerity  of  her  love  by 
the  kindest  hospitality  to  the  missionaries  wiio  were  engaged  in 
the  blessed  work  of  the  kingdom.  ^ 

That  this  devout  woman  was  the  honored  instrument  of  in- 
troducing the  gospel  of  the  blessed  God  into  that  city,  one  of  the 
seven,  is  more  than  probable.  That  she  was  a  person  of  means 
and  influence,  as  well  as  zeal,  is  very  evident  from  the  narrative. 
Being  in  the  trade  of  purple  dyes,  or  purple  vests,  and  being  a 
resident  of  the  place,  there  is  scarcely  a  doubt  but  that  she  was  in 
frequent  intercourse  with  Thyatira,  though  a  far  distant  Asiatic 
town.  She  would  be  there  frequently,  without  a  doubt.  Then 
the  glimpse  of  her  zeal  which  we  have  at  Philippi  leaves  scarcely 
a  question  but  that  she  would  tell  her  relatives  and  friends  the 
blessed  tidings  of  the  Saviour  she  had  found.  This,  no  doubt, 
was  the  first  glimmer  of  the  true  light  amid  that  people.  It 
would  shine  brighter  and  brighter,  still  other  radiance  being 
added  from  many  a  quarter,  until  the  darkness .  was  broken  and 
the  light  of  truth  established. 

Though  Thyatira  is  a  city  of  recent  origin  as  compared  with 
some  others  of  the  seven,  yet  it  has  stood  for  at  least  twenty 
centuries.    For  two  thousand  years  has  it  been  a  city;  and  it  is 


292       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHEONED  KING. 

still  a  place  of  some  importance.  The  number  of  habitations  that 
are  assessed  is  about  two  thousand.  Of  these,  seventeen  hundred 
and  fifty  are  inhabited  by  Turks,  three  hundred  by  Greeks  and 
thirty  by  xArmenians.  Thus,  making  the  usual  estimate  of  five 
persons  to  the  household,  this  would  give  a  population  of  eight 
thousand  three  hundred  and  fifty  Turks,  one  thousand  five 
hundred  Greeks,  and  one  hundred  and  fifty  Armenians,  or,  in 
all,  ten  thousand  persons.  But  there  are  also,  probably,  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty  habitations  which  are  mere  huts,  that  do  not 
pay  any  tax.  Tliese  would  contain  seven  hundred  and  fifty 
persons  more ;  and  so,  the  whole  population  numbers  about  ten 
thousand  seven  hundred  and  fifty  souls. 

The  business  of  the  place  has  also  remained  nearly  the  same 
through  all  these  ages.  The  occupation  of  Lydia  is  the  occupa- 
tion of  its  inhabitants  still.  When  Seleucus  Nicator,  a  successor 
of  Alexander,  brought  thither  his  military  colony,  planted  the 
city  and  gave  it  the  name  of  his  daughter,  Thyater,  he  intended 
merely  to  make  it  a  strong  military  post,  but  very  different 
became  its  destiny.  The  quiet  pursuits  of  industry,  and  not  the 
confused  noise  of  marching  armies,  distinguished  it  from  the 
first,  and  distinguish  it  still.  In  the  peaceful  arms  of  its  sur- 
rounding mountains  it  lies  in  repose.  The  country  around  it  is 
peculiarly  adapted  for  the  production  of  cotton,  and  of  a  root 
that  is  used  in  making  scarlet  dyes.  These  two  industries,  accord- 
ingly, are  the  chief  occupation  of  its  people.  Its  scarlet  cloths  are 
famed  throughout  all  the  land,  and,  with  its  cotton,  are  sent  in 
large  quantities  to  the  Smyrna  market. 

Tlie  traveler  is  impressed  by  certain  things  in  Thyatira  that 
are  very  singular,  and  peculiar  to  it  alone.  Among  them  is  its 
language.  This  is  Turkish,  the  language  of  the  whole  country ; 
but  in  writing  it  the  Greeks  use  their  own  Greek  characters,  as 
the  AriTienians  also  use  the  Armenian. 

We  are  told  of  a  singular  kind  of  bread  which  seems  to  be  a 
peculiarity  of  Thyatira.  It  is  made  in  thin,  flat  cakes,  not  much 
thicker  tlian  brown  paper,  and  is  sold  by  the  yard ;  when  eaten, 
it  is  either  doubled  up  or  several  folds  of  it  are  i)laced  together. 

In  perhaps  no  other  part  of  proconsular  Asia  is  there  so  much 
wretched  superstition  as  here.  The  worship  of  its  nominal  Ghris- 
tians  is  little  else  than  a  mass  of  gross  credulity.  It  would  seem 
to  be  impossible  that  human  beings  could  stoop  to  such  stupid 
infiituation.  Some  of  the  names  of  our  holy  religion  are  there; 
but  the  ideas  are  not  imagined.      Strings  of  saints  and  angels  in 


THE  WHITE  CASTLE.  293 

childish  pictures,  and  abominable  representations  of  the  Deity, 
are  all  the  objects  that  fill  their  cliurches.  The  only  effect  of 
their  worship  niust  be  to  amuse  and  degrade.  This  is  the 
character  of  their  Christianity ;  but  only  a  small  portion  of  the 
population  profess  even  that.  There  is  but  one  Greek  church, 
and  one  small  Armenian  congregation.  All  tlie  rest  of  the  people 
are  Mohammedans,  insomuch  that  no  less  than  nine  minarets  are 
seen  towering  uji  amid  the  cypress  trees. 

3.    APOLLO  ITS  DEITY. 

At  the  time  of  the  messages,  the  chief  object  of  worship  in  the 
city   was    Apollo,  whose   worship    had    been    introduced    by   the 
Macedonians  when  they  established  the  colony.      They  gave    to 
him  many  names  and  adored  him  as  the  vSun-god.    As  Diana  in 
Ephesus,  and    ^Esculapius  in   Pergamos,  so    his  temi)le  and    ser- 
vices  gave   character   to    all   the   religious   rites   and    ceremonies 
of  the  city.      His  statue  of  ivory  and   gold,  richly   gilt,  shone 
with  a  dazzling  brightness,  as  became  the  god  of  the  sun.      In 
accordance  with   this   and    as  a   rebuke    to    the  idolatry,   Christ, 
the  Son  of  tlie  Highest,   is  descriljed  as  the  true  and  infinitely  I 
brighter  glory,  with  "  eyes  like  unto  a  flame  of  fire,  and  his  feet  / 
like   fine   brass."      The   message,    as    were    all    the    others,    was/ 
framed  according  to  the  peculiarities  of  the  place  and  the  peojjle 
to  whom  it  was  sent. 

Apollo  was  the  recognized  deity  of  the  city,  and  his  statue  and  , 
temple  adorned  it  as  the  capitol  of  his  worship  in  that  land ;  but  J 
other  pagan  deities  had  also  a  subordinate  position.  The  old  coins 
of  the  city  are  impressed  with  the  effigies  of  Bacchus,  Minerva,  and 
Cybele ;  but  the  principal  deity  of  the  city  api^ears  to  have  been 
the  Sun-god,  introduced  by  the  Macedonian  colonists.  We  are 
also  told  that  "there  was  outside  the  walls,  in  the  midst  of  an 
enclosure  called  the  Court  of  the  Chaldeans,  a  small  temiile  dedi- 
cated to  a  sybil,  Sambethe,  an  Oriental  object  of  idolatry,  said 
to  have  been  introduced  by  the  Jews  of  the  dispersed  tribes  from 
Chaldea  or  Persia."  Diana,  especially  had  many  devotees,  and 
perhaps  this  arose  from,  the  fact  that  the  city  was  surrounded,  at 
the  distance  of  a  mile  or  two,  byhills;  for  one  of  her  attributes  was 
that  she  reigned  over  hills.  In  those  days  Diana  was  honored 
as  the  patron  goddess  of  their  hills,  and  their  veneration  for  that 
imaginary  deity  is  illustrated  by  many  inscriptions  discovered  on 
mouldering  stones  and  columns  in  the  city  and  neighborhood — 
on  one  of  which  she  bears  the  title  of  "Diana  Montana."    An 


294       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

ancient  monument  has  been  found  there  which  is  described  as 
having  been  erected  in  honor  of  one  of  her  priestesses,  named 
Ulpia  Marcella,  by  the  senate  and  people ;  and  on  a  broken  stone 
in  a  wall,  near  a  fountain,  is  traced  the  remains  of  an  inscription, 
"To  Diana,  Goddess  of  the  Mountains." 

Tlie  present  condition  of  this  city,  botli  socially  and  morally, 
is  known  with  a  considerable  degree  of  fullness.  As  we  have 
already  stated,  it  has  a  population  of  ten  or  twelve  thousand 
souls;  and,  as  in  the  days  of  Lydia  and  the  Apocalypse,  it  is 
still  celebrated  for  its  purple  or  scarlet  dyes.  The  scarlet  color- 
ing, the  material  for  which  grows  abundantly  in  the  neighbor- 
hood, gives  it  a  considerable  trade,  as  does  also  the  cotton  which 
is  cultivated  in  all  the  surrounding  country.  It  is  now  a  well- 
to-do  market  town. 

Its  religious  condition  may  be  inferred  from  what  we  have 
already  stated,  that  it  contains  nine  mosques,  and,  besides  a  small 
Armenian,  a  Greek  church.  Quite  significant  is  it  that  the  pure 
light  is  again  beginning  to  shine  in  that  region  of  deep  darkness. 
Our  American  missionaries  are  there,  carrying  the  glad  tidings 
from  a  land  the  very  existence  of  which  was  not  known  at  the 
time  of  the  messages.  They  have  a  little  church,  with  its  pastor, 
and  a  school  for  the  boys  and  girls  of  Thyatira.  Glorious  truth 
that,  even  after  so  many  centuries,  the  name  of  Him  "  who  hath 
his  eyes  like  unto  a  flame  of  fire,  and  his  feet  are  like  fine  brass  " 
should  still  be  adored! 

4.   TITLES  OF   CHEIST. 

One  of  the  peculiarities  of  the  arrangement  of  the  messages  is 
the  correspondence,  in  each  of  them,  between  the  title  given  to 
the  heavenly  Lord  and  both  the  chief  idol  of  the  city  and  the 
circumstances  of  the  church  to  which  the  message  is  addressed. 
The  title  contrasts  the  divine  King  with  the  idol  to  show  that  he  • 
is  the  true  and  all-perfect  Lord.  It  is  also  contrasted  with  the 
pagan  deity,  to  bring  out  in  a  clearer  light  His  supreme  and 
infinite  glory. 

In  the  present  case  the  divine  title  has  undoubtedly  a  reference 
to  the  chief  pagan  deity  of  Thyatira,  and  to  the  condition  of  its 
church  which  called  forth  the  message.  There  is  a  double  title 
—the  first  one  being  "  The  Son  of  God.^^  This  is  the  first  place 
in  the  messages  where  this  name  is  given  to  the  Lord  of  the 
churches.  There  must  be  a  reason  for  this.  At  least  one  good 
reason  we  can  clearly  discern.    He  is  the  Son  of  God— the  Only- 


THE  WHITE  CASTLE.  295 

begotten  of  the  Eternal  Father ;  the  possessor  of  the  divine  name 
and  nature ;  the  co-equal  of  the  almighty  and  everlasting  Jehovah. 
Hence  he  is  himself  divine  and  possessed  of  both  the  right  and 
the  power  to  condemn  the  sin  in  the  church,  and  to  execute  the 
penalty  it  provoked.  Even  the  word  God  is  not  used  without 
significance,  in  order  that  the  majesty  of  Him  with  whom  they 
had  to  do  might  be  more  deeply  impressed  upon  the  church.  As 
God — the  Sou  of  God — ho^  was  supreme;  hence  the  sin  of  the 
church  was  committed  against  his  divine  authority,  and  would 
necessarily  call  down  upon  it  the  execution  of  his  divine  justice. 
He  was  God,  the  only  living  and  true  God;  and  the  sun-god, 
Apollo,  even  in  all  the  splendors  by  which  he  could  be  surrounded, 
was  but  a  senseless  idol,  an  insult  to  Jehovah  and  a  delusion  to  his  \ 
votaries.  The  very  name,  Son  of  God,  gives  reality  and  power  to 
the  rebuke  which  the  great  sin  of  the  people  was  calling  down 
upon  them. 

The  divine  titles  that  are  used  here,  without  a  doubt,  had  refer- 
ence to  the  chief  idol  of  the  city ;  but,  still  more  significantly,  to 
the  sad  condition  of  the  church  wliich  had  called  for  this  message. 
They  were  used  in  accordance  with  the  central  point  which  is  the 
burden  of  the  coinmunication  from  the  throne.  The  eyes  were 
bright  and  penetrating,  like  a  flame  of  fire ;  the  feet  were  dazzling 
as  liquid  brass  that  was  flowing  out  of  the  furnace.  Those  burn- 
ing eyes  could  pierce  through  the  pretenses  of  the  seducers  who, 
in  the  guise  of  zeal  for  the  truth,  were  leading  the  church  down 
into  the  depths  of  corruption.  That  clear  sight  could  penetrate 
every  plausible  excuse  for  yielding  to  the  allurements  of  sin  and 
sense.  That  keen  vision,  cutting  through  hearts  and  reins,  could 
lay  open  all  pretenses  of  temptress  and  victims.  In  the  clear 
and  comprehensive  words  of  Dr.  Craven:  "The  eyes  of  flame  i 
are  not  only  indicative  of  spirit-searching  power,  but  also  of  the 
wrath  of  the  Son  of  God,  the  Husband  of  the  Church,  flaming 
against  those  guilty  of  spiritual  as  well  as  physical  adultery." 

The  feet,  like  molten  brass,  have  also  a  terrible  significance  as 
they  describe  the  Son  of  God  in  his  relation  to  the  church  and 
its  tempters.  Most  impressive  is  the  description  here  given  of 
Christ,  "His  eyes  like  flaming  fire,  and  his  feet  like  burning 
brass;"  denoting  thereby  his  piercing  sight  to  discern  his  enemies, 
his  fiery  indignation  and  fierce  wrath  ready  to  take  hold  of  them, 
and  his  irresistible  power  and  strength  to  vanquish  and  tread 
them  under  his  feet.  His  feet,  like  the  dazzling  glow  of  melted 
brass,   no  doubt    indicated  his  majesty  as  he  moved   among  the 


296       INAUGUEAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

churches.  They  also  told  of  his  irresistible  power,  by  which  he 
could  subdue  and  tread  under  foot  all  his  foes.  Then  also,  those 
burning  eyes,  flashing  in  wrath,  would  scorch  and  destroy  the 
evil,  and  the  evil  ones,  who  would  corrupt  his  cause.  The  whole 
description— the  Son  of  God,  the  burning  eyes,  the  gleaming  feet 
of  brass— told  of  his  majesty,  his  justice,  his  holiness,  and  his 
peerless  glory. 

5.    COMMENDATIONS. 

As  in  the  other  messages,  the  tender  consideration  of  our  Lord 
is  seen  here  in  cheering  the  church  by  expressing  his  approbation 
of  whatever  goodness  he  found  therein,  before  he  condemned  the 
evil  in  it  which  called  forth  his  censure.  To  make  this  praise  the 
more  emphatic,  he  places  it  first,  as  if  it  were  congenial  with  his 
nature  to  praise  rather  than  blame. 

He  assures  them  that  their  good  works  are  not  overlooked  or 
forgotten.  The  name  he  took,  and  the  words  he  spoke,  were 
clearly  intended  to  cheer  and  strengthen  them.  His  eyes  of 
burning  brightness  could  penetrate  to  the  love  of  their  heart,  as 
well  as  to  the  work  of  their  hands.  No  good  thing  which  his 
Church  has  performed  for  his  cause  is  unnoticed  by  him  who  is 
the  tender  and  considerate  Lord. 

In  order  to  make  his  words  of  commendation  the  more  emphatic, 
he  specifies,  in  full  detail,  the  various  virtues  on  account  of  which 
he  greatly  loved  them.  Of  these,  he  places  first  their  works  of 
charity,  or  love— love  to  God  and  their  fellow  men — love  which 
led  them  to  relieve  their  Christian  brethren  whenever  they  found 
them  in  distress.  He  assures  them  that  his  gracious  eye  was  fixed 
upon  them  while  they  were  engaged  in  that  devoted  service.  He 
specifies  next  that  faith,  or  fidelity,  which  led  them  to  adhere 
steadfastly  to  their  profession  at  any  risk  or  sacrifice.  Next  he 
api^lauds  their  patience  in  enduring  much  persecution  for  the 
sake  of  that  name  which  was,  to  them,  above  every  other  name 
or  motive.  Their  good  works,  unwearying  service,  and  unfalter- 
ing zeal,  and  faith  that  never  doubted,  were  all  distinctly  before  his 
loving  eye,  and  made  them  dear  to  his  heart.  Tbeir  i)ast  course 
was  approved  in  his  sight,  and  their  works  at  the  present  time 
were  still  beheld  faithful  and  devoted  before  him. 

Most  rare  and  wonderful  is  the  testimony  of  the  Lord  to  the 
character  of  that  church,  namely,  that  "  the  last  works  were  more 
than  the  first."  They  excelled  them,  not  only  in  number,  but 
also  in  their  character  of  tender  devotedness.    These  were  most 


THE   WHITE  CASTLE.  297 

encouraging  words  to  that  sorely-tried  but  faitliful  people.  They 
must  have  been  eminently  comforting  to  them.  We  can  hardly 
conceive  of  anything  which  would  have  been  more  so.  Instead 
of  declining  in  faith,  and  love,  and  good  works  as  so  many  others 
were,  they  were  improving  in  all  the  graces  of  the  Spirit.  An  old 
commentator  described  the  Heaven-approved  course  of  this  church  : 
"Her  special  and  peculiar  commendation  was  this:  'that  her  last 
works  were  more  than  her  first;'  that  is,  her  last  works  were  bet- 
ter, did  exceed  and  excel  the  first.  Ephesus  was  best  at  first,  and 
worse  at  last ;  but  Thyatira's  last  works  were  best.  It  is  a  blessed 
thing  when  Christians  grow  in  goodness,  increase  in  holiness  and 
obedience,  when  their  last  days  are  their  best  days;  their  last 
works,  and  their  last  fruit,  their  best,  their  fairest  fruit."  In 
the  same  spirit,  a  modern  writer  holds  up  the  bright  example 
of  Thyatira:  "Those  works  which  have  been  recently  performed 
are  more  numerous,  and  more  commendable,  than  those  which 
have  been  rendered  formerly.  That  is,  they  were  making  pro- 
gress; they  had  been  acting  more  and  more  in  accordance  with 
the  nature  and  claims  of  the  Christian  profession.  This  is  a  most 
honorable  commendation,  and  one  which  every  Christian,  and 
every  church,  should  seek.  Religion  in  the  soul,  and  in  a  com- 
munity, is  designed  to  be  progressive;  and,  while  we  should  seek 
to  live  in  such  a  manner  always  that  we  may  have  the  commen- 
dation of  the  Saviour,  we  should  regard  it  as  a  thing  to  be  greatly 
desired  that  we-  may  be  approved  as  making  advances  in  know- 
ledge and  holiness;  that  as  we  grow  in  years  we  may  grow  alike 
in  the  disposition  to  do  good,  and  in  the  ability  to  do  it;  that 
as  we  gain  in  experience  we  may  also  gain  in  a  readiness  to  apply 
the  results  of  our  experience  in  promoting  the  cause  of  religion." 
This  strong  commendation  from  her  Lord  puts  Thyatira  in 
that  respect  at  the  head  of  the  churches,  and,  at  the  same  time, 
makes  the  sin  of  those  who  would  pull  her  down  from  that 
blessed  eminence  all  the  more  flagrant.  How  great,  the  contrast 
with  Ephesus,  where  the  deplorable  charge  was:  "Thou  hast 
left  thy  first  love!"  How  painful  the  contrast  with  so  many 
churches  and  so  many  individuals  at  the  present  time,  with 
whom  at  first  all  is  ardor,  and  zeal,  and  rapture;  but  soon  the 
zeal  is  gone,  the  love  is  cold,  and  the  brightest  prospects  and 
purposes  all  clouded  !  How  needful  this  caution  from  the  great 
Beacon  that  was  to  flame  on  high  and  afar  in  every  generation! 
Oh  that  on  the  frontal  of  every  church  door,  and  as  the  motto 
inscribed  on  every  heart,  were  the  inspired  words:   "Giving  all 


298       INAUGUEAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

diligence,  add  to  your  faith  virtue;  and  to  virtue  l^nowledge; 
and  to  knowledge  temperance ;  and  to  temperance  patience ;  and 
to  patience  godliness;  and  to  godliness  brotherly  kindness;  and 
to  brotherly  kindness  charity." 

The  wonderful  thing  in  the  message  here,  and  the  thing  which 
is  most  encouraging,  is  that  the  God  of  the  Church  gives  such 
minute  attention  to  the  good  works,  and  even  the  praiseworthy 
shades  tliereof.  Though  he  be  engaged  in  directing  the  most 
sublime  events  of  his  world-wide  kingdom,  though  the  destiny 
of  archangels  be  at  his  disposal,  and  though  the  reins  of  the 
universe  be  in  his  hands,  yet  does  he  notice  the  thoughts  and 
words  of  the  most  humble  of  his  followers.  The  steadfast  love  of 
those  persecuted  believers  of  Thyatira  is  written  in  the  book  of 
life,  and  its  precious  story  is  ordered  to  be  rehearsed  in  every 
generation  of  the  Church  of  earth,  and  will  be  one  of  the  blessed 
themes  in  the  regions  of  glory.  Not  a  tear  was  shed  by  them  in 
the  trials  they  suffered  in  God's  service,  not  a  loyal  word  they 
ever  spoke  for  him,  not  a  cup  of  water  they  gave  to  the  weary 
sufferers  in  his  cause,  not  a  purpose  they  formed  for  honoring 
him  before  men,  but  he  carefully  noted,  and  laid  up  in  everlast- 
ing remembrance. 

6.  CEXTEAL  POINT. 

It  was  a  devoted  church,  and  worthy  of  the  strong  commen- 
dation which  it  received  from  the  enthroned  King  in  such 
emphatic  words;  but  there  was  one  fatal  blemish.  Its  piety  was 
sincere,  its  good  works  above  doubt,  its  fidelity  worthy  of  the 
highest  praise;  but,  alas,  there  was  a  "notwithstanding"!  The 
blazing  eyes  of  Omniscence  saw  this  also,  as  well  as  that  devoted- 
ness  which  was  its  glory.  The  dreadful  handwriting  which  must 
for  ever  stand  against  it  was — "  Notwithstanding,  I  have  a  few 
things  against  thee,  because  thou  sufferest  that  woman  Jezebel, 
which  calleth  herself  a  prophetess,  to  teach  and  to  seduce  my 
servants  to  commit  fornication,  and  to  eat  things  sacrificed  to 
idols."  This  was  the  sad  central  point  of  the  message.  It  was 
the  one  tiling  against  that  otherwise  excellent  church.  Every- 
thing else  that  was  laid  to  its  charge  clusters  around  this.  It  was 
the  burden  and  source  of  all.  It  was  the  great  blemish  which 
called  forth  the  special  message  from  heaven  to  that  people 
among  whom  there  was  so  much  to  praise. 

But  what  precisely  was  the  sin  which  was  involved  in  it— 
"Thou    sufferest   that   woman   Jezebel,    which    calleth    herself    a 


THE  WHITE  CASTLE.  299 

prophetess,  to  teach  and  to  seduce  my  servants  to  commit  forni- 
cation, and  to  eat  things  sacrificed  to  idols."  Plainly  it  is  implied 
here  that  by  letting  this  temptress  alone,  they  were  virtually 
encouraging  her  in  her  detestable  course.  Tolerating,  or  coun- 
tenancing, the  evil  was  the  sin  which  was  so  grievous  in  the 
sight  of  the  heavenly  Lord.  It  was  not — mark  it  well !— that  the 
church,  as  such,  had  fallen  into  that  foul  system  of  evil ;  but  j 
that  she  harbored  and  tolerated,  and  so,  at  least  tacitly,  en- 
couraged it  in  her  midst.  By  so  doing,  that  people  was  aiding  a 
system  which  was  the  embodiment  of  a  great  evil,  and  which 
was  strong,  influential,  and  malign.  It  bore  the  name  of  .Jezebel, 
and  was  a  system  of  seducing  idolatry  which  was  tolerated, 
encouraged  and  g■ro^^•ing  in  Thyatira. 

The  defect  in  the  church  was  faithfully  told,  and  all  the 
resulting  evil  laid  to  its  charge.  In  a  very  important  aspect 
the  evil  in  it  was  worse  than  that  in  Pergamos :  for  there  it  was 
only  not  cast  out,  while  here  it  was  encouraged,  by  affiliation 
with  it.  The  evil  system  was  suffered  to  remain,  to  be  active, 
and  to  endanger  the  purity  and  life  of  the  whole  church. 

7.    JEZEBEL. 

The  section  upon  which  we  now  enter  is  an  important  and  a 
very  difficult  one,  inasmuch  as  it  involves  the  question,  as  to  who 
or  what  was  meant  by  the  expression,  "Jezebel."  There  are  three 
leading  answers  to  this  question,  each  of  which  is  founded  upon 
plausible  considerations  and  advocated  by  commentators  whose 
names  bear  much   weight. 

We  notice,  first,  the  theory  that  by  Jezebel  was  intended  a 
certain  woman  of  Thyatira  who  taught  heretical  doctrines,  in- 
dulged in  immoral  jjractices,  and  had  great  and  destructive  influ- 
ence. The  name  Jezebel  is  given  to  her  because  of  her  likeness 
to  that  infamous  woman  in  Jewish  history.  The  term  mw  t?)v 
yvvaiKa,  "thy  wife,"  not  "the  woman,"  (a  doubtful  reading  found 
in  two  MSS.)  is  used  to  fortify  this  opinion.  The  theory  is  that 
she  was  the  wife  of  the  bishop  of  Thyatira,  and  that  fact  made 
her  conduct  the  more  atrocious,  while  it  rendered  her  influence 
the  more  destructive.  Her  influence  over  her  husband,  and, 
through  him,  over  the  church,  was  most  malign,  and,  if  unre- 
strained, would  soon  blight  a  prospect  otherwise  so  encouraging. 

The  objections  to  this  theory  are,  first,  that  it  assumes  that  there 
was  a  diocesan  bishop  there,  of  which  there  is  no  evidence,  and 
which  we  believe  was  not  the  fact.    Second,  the  fact  of  a  special 


300       INAUGUEAL  OF  THE  ENTHKONED  KING. 

message  being  sent  down  from  heaven  to  that  church  was  too 
momentous  to  be  accounted  for  by  the  teaching  or  practice  of  a 
single  individual,  whoever  that  might  be.  There  must  have  been 
in  the  church  an  evil  more  grave  than  that,  to  have  called  down 
the  divine  Avarning  and  threatening  contained  in  the  message. 
And  again,  the  expre;?sion,  ryv  ywama,  wife,  bride,  has  a  fixed, 
technical  signification  in  the  Apocalypse  which  forbids  this  apjjli- 
cation  of  it.  It  is  in  other  places  used  to  designate  a  body  of 
people— the  Lamb's  wife — the  Church.  Like  the  word  "harlot," 
it  is  used  for  a  system  or  class  of  people,  but  not  for  an  individual. 
For  these  reasons,  we  cannot  accept  the  explanation  of  the  term 
Jezebel  as  an  individual,  the  wife  of  the  bishop  of  Thyatira,  or 
any  other  person  whatever. 

A  second  opinion  is  that  by  the  word  Jezebel  was  intended  a 
certain  popular  goddess,  a  sibyl,  called  Sambethe— a  temple  to 
whom  stood  outside  the  city  walls  in  an  enclosed  grove,  known 

as  "the  Court  of  the  Chaldeans."    She  was  sometimes  called  the  

Chaldean  sibyl,  sometimes  the  Persian  sibyl,  and  sometimes  the  '^ 
Jewish  sibyl.  The  supposition  is  that  her  worship  had  been  in- 
troduced by  the  Jews  of  the  Dispersion  from  their  banishment 
in  Chaldea,  and  that  her  popularity  arose  chiefly  from  her  being 
a  bond  or  symbol  of  the  amalgamation  of  the  many  races  and 
religions  which  were  known  to  exist  in  Thyatira. 

The  fact  of  the  existence  of  Sambethe,  her  temple  and  worship, 
and  her  great  influence,  was  very  curious,  and  this  explanation 
is  very  plausible.  But  it  does  not  come  up  into  full  accord  with 
the  magnitude  of  the  evils  that  were  censured  in  the  messages  to 
the  other  churches,  nor  to  the  graveness  of  the  condemnation  which 
is  expressed  here.  Something  worse  than  that  polluted  union  was 
evidently  intended. 

We  are  therefore  led  to  another,  and  what  we  believe  to  be  the 
true  explanation,  namely,  that  the  reference  is  to  the  real  Jezebel, 
whose  name  occupies  such  a  dark  page  on  the  Jewish  history.  We 
are  but  too  familiar  with  the  humiliating  story  of  that  wretched 
woman,  daughter  of  the  Sidonian  king  and  priest — sinfully  mar- 
ried by  the  weak  and  wicked  king  Ahab  of  Israel,  mother  of 
Jehoram,  king  in  .lezreel,  grandmother  of  Ahaziali,  king  of  Judah, 
herself  priestess  of  Baal,  murderess  of  Naboth  with  his  innocent  sons, 
persecutor  of  the  servants  of  the  true  God,  slaughterer  of  the  priests 
of  Jehovah,  and  bearer  of  a  name  of  horror  from  her  shocking 
death. 

She  was  the  wife  of  Ahab,  a  woman  of  vast  influence  over  her 


THE  WHITE  CASTLE.  301 

husband,  an  influence  which  was  uniformly  exerted  for  evil.  She 
was  a  daughter  of  Ethbaal,  king  of  Tyre  and  Sidon.  She  was 
an  idolater,  and  induced  her  w'eak  husband  not  only  to  connive 
at  her  introducing  the  worship  of  her  native  idols,  but  to  become 
an  idolater  himself,  and  to  use  all  the  means  in  his  power  to  estab- 
lish the  worship  of  idols  instead  of  the  worship  of  Jehovah.  She 
was  highly  gifted,  persuasive,  and  artful;  was  resolute  in  the  ac- 
complishment of  her  purposes,  ambitious  of  extending  and  per- 
petuating her  power,  and  unscrupulous  in  the  means  which  she 
used  to  execute  her  designs. 

Such  was  the  person  to  whom  there  is  reference  in  this 
message.  So  infamous  was  her  name,  so  evil  her  influence,  and 
so  shocking  her  end,  that  Jezebel  became  a  marked  object  in  the 
Jewish  history  and  she  was  held  up  as  a  type  of  seducers  to  all 
that  was  base  and  destructive.  She  was  the  symbol  of  seduction 
to  idolatry,  and  all  that  was  vile  and  cruel.  Until  her  time  the 
worship  of  calves  had  been  the  extent  of  the  departure  of  the 
ten  tribes  from  the  divinely-appointed  institutions.  The  true 
God  was  worshipped  still,  the  law  of  Moses  was  allowed  to  be 
kept,  however  there  might  be  a  certain  amount  of  sinful  will- 
worship  mingling  with  and  spoiling  it.  But  from  the  time  of 
Ahab's  marriage  to  the  daughter  of  Ethbaal  the  apostasy  of 
Israel  assumes  altogether  a  different  character.  The  guilt  of  it 
is  of  quite  another  and  deadlier  kind.  A  fanatical  promoter  of 
the  Baal-worship,  overbearing  with  her  stronger  will  the  weak 
will  of  her  husband,  animated  with  the  fiercest  hatred  against 
the  prophets  of  Jehovah,  the  last  witnesses  for  him  in  Israel 
now  that  the  Levitical  priesthood  had  been  abolished,  she  seeks 
utterly  to  exterminate  these.  She  was  probably  herself,  like  her 
moral  namesake  here,  a  false  prophetess— a  prieste-ss  of  that  foul 
enthusiasm. 

From  Jezebel  as  its  symbol,  there  seems  to  have  been  a  class 
of  persons  in  Thyatira  who  were  striving  to  corrupt  the  whole 
church.  As  the  devout  commentator.  Rev.  Thomas  Scott,  de- 
scribes them :  "  They  were  a  company  of  persons,  of  the  spirit 
and  character  of  Jezebel,  within  the  church,  under  one  principal 
deceiver,  as  the  Roman  Antichrist  is  represented  by  the  emblem 
of  an  abandoned  harlot.  Jezebel,  a  jealous  idolater,  being 
married  to  the  king  of  Israel,  contrary  to  the  divine  law,  used 
all  her  influence  to  seduce  the  Israelites  from  the  worship  of 
Jehovah  into  idolatry,  with  which  the  vilest  licentiousness  was 
connected;    and   this   served   to    increase   the   temptation.       The 


802  INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED   KING. 

character  and  evil  influence  of  Jezebel  made  her  name  a  fit 
symbol  of  what  they  were.  Those  bearing  the  name  were 
doubtless  the  heretical  party  which  had  crejit  into  the  church, 
similar  to  the  Nicolaitans  at  Pergamos  who  pleaded  for  occa- 
sional conformity  to  their  pagan  neighbors.  They  admired  archi- 
tecture and  statuary,  and  there  could  be  no  harm  in  seeing  an 
idol  temple.  They  loved  music,  and  where  could  they  hear  it 
in  such  i^erfection  as  there?  They  were  men  of  taste,  too,  and 
where  could  their  taste  be  so  highly  gratified  with  the  richest 
viands  and  the  choicest  wines?  Or,  they  wished  to  cultivate 
good  fellowship  with  their  neighbors,  and  to  oblige  their  kindred 
and  friends;  and  what  so  likely  to  do  this,  as  occasionally  asso- 
ciating with  them  in  their  devotions,  though  they  might  not 
worship  their  idols  in  their  hearts.  "And  besides" — might 
these  complaisant  Christians  say — "perhaps  they  may  be  in- 
duced to  attend  at  our  services  in  return,  and  who  knows  but 
they  may  be  converted?"  These  and  a  thousand  other  plausible 
excuses  might  be  made  by  these  Jezebel  professors,  to  cover  or 
to  palliate  their  sins. 

It  is  interesting  as  well  as  instructive  to  know  precisely  what 
these  followers  of  Jezebel  were,  what  they  professed,  and  what 
they  did.  Like  her  whose  name  they  bore,  and  who  claimed 
that  she  was  a  prophetess,  they  no  doubt  professed  to  have 
superior  knowledge — to  be  advanced  thinkers,  and  to  have  made 
higher  attainments  than  othei's  in  the  interpretation  of  the 
divine  Word.  As  did  all  those  early  apostates  from  the  simple 
faith,  they  claimed  that  the  eating  of  meat  which  had  been 
offered  to  idols,  and  the  commission  of  fornication,  were  matters 
of  utter  indifference.  In  this  way  they  soon  became  guilty  of 
both  spiritual  and  carnal  adultery,  and  sanctioned  their  guilt 
by  what  they  maintained  were  the  approvals  of  conscience — the 
constant  refuge  of  all  apostates,  in  both  old  and  modern  epochs 
of  Church  life. 

Lewdness,  in  its  various  forms  and  degrees,  seems  to  have 
been  the  first  and  greatest  departure  from  the  purity  of  the  faith 
in  all  the  early  churches.  Baalamites,  Nicolaitans,  and  fol- 
lowers of  Jezebel  were  all  one  in  this.  False  prophecy,  idolatry, 
and  fornication  are  the  first  corruptions  that  are  seen  as  the 
simplicity  and  purity  of  faith  departs.  This  is  a  sad  and  most 
significant  fact  in  the  Church's  earliest  days. 

As  has  been  said,  with  truth  no  doubt:  "The  individual 
traits  of  the  description  of  Jezebel  in  this  message  call  for  the 


THE  WHITE  CASTLE.  303 

conclusion  that  in  Thyatira  there  existed  a  scliool  of  antinomians 
which  was  so  atrocious  that  the  impure  intercourse  of  the  sexes 
was  reduced  to  a  religious  system  and  clothed  in  the  garb  of 
piety."  Its  name  was  symbolical,  teaching  that  what  the  cor- 
rupt Jezebel  was,  sucli  was  also  the  sect.  It  should  be  observed 
that  the  seduction  to  fornication  occujoies  the  foremost  place  in 
this  instance,  and  that  much  more  stress  is  laid  upon  it  than 
upon  the  eating  of  idolatrous  sacrifices.  It  has  the  first  place, 
but  it  is  intimately  connected  with  that  other  corrui^tion.  This 
conjunction,  together  with  the  distinct  reference  to  the  Old- 
Testament  Jezebel,  implies  that  tJie  fornication  itself  was  con- 
nected with  idolatry.  False  prophecy,  fornication,  and  idolatry 
were  all  sj'^mbolized  by  the  woman  Jezebel,  and  so,  as  a  type 
of  them  all,  she  is  spoken  of  as  a  seducing  sect  in  Thyatira. 

It  is  certainly  very  significant  tliat  in  these  messages  the  great 
corruptions  which  had  crept  into  the  churches  were  represented 
by  Nicolaitans,  Balaamites,  and  Jezebelites.  No  doubt  is  left  that 
Jezebelites,  Balaamites,  and  Nicolaitans  were  substantially  the  same 
— all  libertine  sects,  disclaiming  the  obligations  of  the  moral  law; 
all  starting  with  a  denial  that  Jesus  Christ  w^as  come  in  the  flesh, 
and  that  in  the  flesh  therefore  men  were  to  be  holy;  all  alike  false 
spiritualists,  whose  high-flying  pretensions  did  not  hinder  them 
from  ending  in  the  foulest  fleshly  sins — or  which  rather  were  them- 
selves the  means  of  entangling  them  therein.  Can  we  doubt,  from 
all  this,  that  as  Balaam  was  the  predecessor  of  the  False  Prophet, 
so  Jezebel  was  the  predecessor  of  the  Great  Harlot  who  occupies 
a  place  of  such  awful  prominence  in  the  prophetic  annals  of  the 
Apocalypse? 

8.   SPACE  FOE  EEPENTANCE. 

A  very  remarkable  item  is  here  introduced  into  the  message. 
The  words  in  which  it  is  conveyed  are:  "And  I  gave  her  space 
to  repent  of  her  fornication ;  and  she  re})ented  not."  Why  is  this 
local  incident  in  either  the  old  Jewish  Church,  or  in  that  of  Thya- 
tira, or  both,  introduced  here  amid  great  general  facts  and  doc- 
trines of  tlie  kingdom?  Was  it  not  that  that  peculiarly  aggra- 
vated and  dangerous  form  of  sin  might  be  held  up  to  special 
detestation,  and  so  made  a  conspicuous  element  in  the  Beacon 
that  was  for  ever  to  serve  as  warning  as  well  as  encouragement? 

Certain  it  is  that  it  came  in  naturally  because  of  a  similar  event 
in  the  wretched  career  of  the  Jezebel  of  old.  After  she  had  been 
guilty  of  the  atrocity  of  leading  her  husband  to  the  murder  of 


304       INAUGUKAL  OF  THE  ENTHKONED  KING. 

Naboth  and  his  unoffending  sons,  she  yet  was  granted  a  space 
for  repentance.  We  would  have  looked  for  the  wrath  of  Heaven 
to  come  down  upon  her  and  the  guilty  king  at  once;  but  instead 
of  that,  they  are  granted  time  for  repentance.  Fifteen  years  were 
allowed  the  guilty  monarch  and  his  infamous  queen  before  the 
sentence  was  executed.  Moreover,  in  a  most  impressive  way  were 
they  shown  that  God  was  willing  to  pardon.  At  first,  Ahab  gave 
some  tokens  of  an  active  conscience.  The  hopeful  symptom  re- 
corded of  him  was:  "And  it  came  to  i)ass,  when  Ahab  heard 
these  words,  that  he  rent  his  clothes,  and  put  sackcloth  upon 
his  flesh,  and  fasted,  and  lay  in  sackcloth,  and  went  softly." 
Jehovah  was  more  than  willing  to  meet  these  indications  of  true 
penitence.  His  divine  forbearance  was  shown  in  the  record: 
"Seest  thou  how  Ahab  humbleth  himself  before  me?  Because 
he  humbleth  himself  before  me,  I  will  not  bring  the  evil  in  his 
days ;  but  in  his  son's  days  will  I  bring  the  evil  upon  his  house." 
Such  was  the  instructive  event  in  the  old  national  history. 

It  is  more  than  probable  that  in  Thyatira  at  the  time  of  the 
message  there  was  some  similar  instance  of  the  divine  forbear- 
ance. We  infer  that  in  that  church  the  prevailing  evil  had  been 
of  long  standing;  that  God,  by  his  servants,  had  warned  the 
people  against  it,  and  that  he  had  given  them  time  for  repentance, 
but  they  had  sinned  on  until  they  could  be  borne  with  no  longer. 
The  church  did  not,  would  not,  repent.  It  repented  not,  and 
showed  no  disposition  to  abandon  its  sinful  course.  Now  all  plea 
of  having  no  time  to  repent  was  taken  away,  and  it  became  in- 
evitable that  the  divine  wrath  should  inflict  the  threatened  doom. 

The  danger  of  such  delay  of  repentance  was  thus  made  mani- 
fest for  the  warning  of  all  future  ages ;  but  so  also  were  disjilayed 
gloriously  the  wonders  of  divine  forbearance.  They  were  so  ex- 
hibited as  to  form  a  brilliant  element  of  the  Beacon  of  the  Ages. 
As  if  in  characters  of  heavenly  light,  they  displayed  how  great, 
how  immeasurable,  the  patience  of  God  toward  the  lowest,  the 
worst,  the  vilest  of  sinners.  They  have  space  given  for  repent- 
ance; they  have  urgent  appeals  to  turn  from  their  evil  courses; 
they  have  judgments  threatened  if  they  do  not  repent;  but  if, 
after  all,  they  prove  incorrigible  and  hopeless,  then  nothing  re- 
mains but  to  let  the  sword  fall. 

The  fact  is  that  the  space  given  for  repentance  is  misconstrued. 
"  Because  sentence  against  an  evil  work  is  not  executed  speedily, 
therefore  the  heart  of  the  sons  of  men  is  fully  set  in  them  to  do 
evil."      The   fact   that   punishment    does    not   at   once   overtake 


THE  WHITE  CASTLE.  305 

« 
sinners  is  constantly  misconstrued  by  them  as  an  evidence  that 
it  never  will  overtake  them,  and  that  God  does  not  see,  or, 
seeing,  does  not  care  to  avenge.  Christ  opens  out  here  anotlier 
aspect  under  which  this  delay  in  the  divine  visitations  may  be 
regarded.  The  very  time  during  which  ungodly  men  are  heap- 
ing up  for  themselves  wrath  against  the  day  of  wrath,  was  a 
time  sent  them  for  repentance.  The  divine  explanation  is; 
"The  Lord  is  not  slack  concerning  his  promise,  as  some  men 
count  slackness;  but  is  longsuffering  to  us-ward,  not  willing 
tliat  any  should  perish,  but  tliat  all  should  come  to  repentance." 
And  thus  his  remonstrance  with  them  is:  "  Despisest  thou  the 
riches  of  his  goodness  and  forbearance  and  longsuffering ;  not 
knowing  that  the  goodness  of  God  leadeth  thee  to  rei)entance? 
but  after  tliy  hardness  and  impenitent  heart  treasurest  up  unto 
thyself  wrath,  against  the  day  of  wrath  and  revelation  of  the 
righteous  judgment  of  God,  who  will  render  to  every  man  ac- 
cording to  his  deed." 

There  is  no  doubt  that  to  warn  of  this  great  danger  of  delay- 
ing repentance  is  the  leading  purpose  of  this  part  of  the  message. 
It  is  manifestly  a  sin — a  very  great  sin — to  put  off  the  time  of 
repentance,  when  God  gives  an  opportunity  for  it,  and  call  for 
its  improvement.  Is  it  not  trifling  with  God's  patience,  and 
contemning  his  goodness  which  he  is  marvelously  exercising, 
and  slighting  his  authority  which  should  be  our  supreme  law, 
and  presuming  upon  his  forbearance  as  if  it  were  our  right,  and 
defying  him  by  challenging  his  displeasure?  It  is  great  folly, 
as  well  as  a  great  sin ;  it  is  also  most  dangerous,  because  it  is 
running  a  fearful  risk  that  while  the  work  of  repentance  is 
delayed,  the  opportunity  for  it  may  be  cut  off  for  ever. 

9.  PUNISHMENT  THEEATENED. 
The  whole  story  is  repeated  in  these  solemn  words.  Time  for 
repentance  was  granted  to  this  erring  people;  it  was  not  im- 
proved ;  their  evil  courses  were  continued ;  forbearance  was  finally 
exhausted— and  then  there  remained  nothing  but  punishment 
threatened,  inevitable  and  fearful.  That  punishment  had  been 
held  back  as  long  as  it  was  possible;  and  now,  when  it  must 
come,  like  the  sin  indulged,  it  would  be  fearful.  The  whole 
history  is  so  well  depicted  by  Dr.  Adam  Clarke,  that  we  repeat 
his  appropriate  words:  '"Behold,.!  will  cast  her  into  a  bed,  and 
them  that  commit  adultery  with  her  into  great  tribulation.' 
This,  without  doubt,  alludes  to  the  history  of  Jezebel.     Ahaziah, 

20 


306       INAUGUKAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

» 
her  son,  through  his  mother's  evil  instruction  and  example,  fol- 
lowed her  ways.  God  punished  him  by  suffering  him  to  fall  down 
— as  is  supposed,  from  the  top  of  the  terrace  over  his  house— and 
so  to  be  bed-ridden  for  a  long  time  under  great  anguish,  design- 
ing thereby  to  give  him  time  to  repent ;  but  when,  instead  of 
that,  he  sent  to  consult  Baalzebub,  then  Elijah  was  sent  to  pro- 
nounce a  final  doom  against  his  impenitence.  Thus  the  son  of 
Jezebel,  who  had  committed  idolatry  by  her  advice,  was  long 
cast  into  a  bed  of  suffering,  and,  not  repenting,  died.  In  the 
same  manner  the  sacred  writer  threatens  the  Jezebel  of  Thya- 
tira,  to  make  that  wherein  she  delighteth,  as  adulteress  in  the 
bed  of  lust,  to  be  the  very  place,  occasion,  and  instrument  of  her 
greatest  torment.  So  the  bed  is  made  a  symbol  of  tribulation 
and  anguish  of  body  and  mind.  The  language  threatening 
her  impenitence  is  terrible.  The  punishment,  whose  preface 
'Behold'  indicates  its  severity  and  speediness,  is  in  its  experience 
conformable  to  the  sin,  just  as  the  cup  of  intoxication  is  poured 
out  for  the  intoxicated.  A  bed  of  torment  corresponds  with  the 
bed  of  fornication.  '  Behold,  I  will  cast  her  into  a  bed.'  Not 
into  a  bed  of  ease,  but  a  bed  of  pain.  There  is  evidently  a 
purpose  to  contrast  this  with  the  former  condition.  The  harlot's 
bed  and  a  sick-bed  are  thus  brought  together,  as  they  are  often 
in  fact  in  the  dispensations  of  Providence  and  the  righteous 
judgment  of  God.  One  cannot  be  indulged  without  leading, 
sooner  or  later,  to  the  horrid  sufferings  of  the  other— and  how 
soon,  no  one  knows.  'Into  great  tribulation.'  Great  suffering; 
disease  of  body  or  tortures  of  the  soul.  How  often,  how  almost 
uniformly,  is  this  the  case  with  those  who  thus  live.  Sooner 
or  later,  sorrow  always  comes  upon  the  licentious;  and  God  has 
evinced  by  some  of  his  most  severe  judgments,  in  forms  of 
frightful  disease,  his  displeasure  at  the  violation  of  the  law  of 
purity.  There  is  no  sin  that  produces  a  more  withering  and 
desolating  effect  upon  the  soul  than  that  which  is  here  referred 
to ;  none  which  is  more  certain  to  be  followed  by  sorrow  and 
suffering." 

There  seems  to  be  an  accumulation  of  terrors  in  the  punishment 
threatened  the  apostatizing  people.  It  was  first  casting  into  a  bed 
of  suffering.  It  was  then  "great  tribulation."  And  still  farther 
it  was,  "I  will  kill  her  children  with  death."  This  was  a  strange 
and  most  ominous  collection  of  woes.  We  cannot  understand  it 
without  going  back  in  thought  to  the  horrible  end  of  the  depraved 
Jezebel.     Behold  the  impetuous  ,Iehu  dashing  up  to  the  gate  of 


THE  WHITE  CASTLE.  307 

Jezreel,  and,  in  response  to  Jezebel's  brazen  challenge,  crying, 
"Throw  her  down!"  Without  a  thought  of  remorse,  she  is  flung 
from  the  battlements.  Her  blood  bespatters  doors  and  windows.  His 
horses'  hoofs  and  chariot-wheels  crush  her  mangled  body.  Flesh  and 
brains  and  blood  are  scattered  on  every  side.  Hungry  dogs  leave 
but  bare  skull  and  bones.  Such  is  the  unvarnished  story ;  and 
the  very  thought  of  it  is  calculated  to  fill  the  mind  with  horror. 

These  were  the  dreadful  scenes  connected  with  the  divine  judg- 
ments on  the  depraved  Jezebel  of  Jewish  history ;  and  this  whole 
inessage  leads  up  to  the  conviction  that  there  were  similar  horrors 
endured  by  the  wretched  people  of  Thyatira  of  which  she  was 
the  appropriate  type.  What  it  was  in  detail  we  are  not  informed ; 
but  the  unerring  word  of  prophecy  assures  us  that  it  must  have 
been  fearful.  A  single  intimation  expresses  its  terrors:  "I  will 
kill  her  children  with  death ;  and  all  the  churches  shall  know 
that  I  am  he  which  searcheth  the  reins  and  hearts."  What 
depths  of  horrors  are  here  implied!  "All  the  churches" — then 
and  there  existing,  and  all  the  world  over,  and  all  the  ages  through 
—"shall  know,"  shall  recognize  its  terrible  meaning — it  would  be 
so  public,  so  astounding,  so  awful. 

This  description  of  the  shocking  curse  upon  the  finally  unre- 
penting  is  most  significant.  An  eminent  dignitary  of  the  Church 
of  England  has  thus  described  it:  "Look  outward,  and  behold 
a  curse  in  the  creature,  vanity,  emptiness,  vexation,  disappoint- 
ments; every  creature  armed  with  a  sting,  to  revenge  its  Maker's 
quarrel.  Look  inward,  and  behold  a  curse  in  the  conscience,  accus- 
ing, witnessing,  condemning,  haling  to  the  tribunal  of  vengence; 
first  defiling  with  the  allowance,  and  after  terrifying  with  the 
remembrance  of  it.  Look  upward,  and  behold  a  curse  in  the 
heavens ;  the  wrath  of  God  revealed  from  thence  upon  all  un- 
righteousness. Look  downward,  and  behold  a  curse  in  the  earth ; 
death  ready  to  put  a  period  to  all  the  pleasures  of  sin,  and  like 
a  trap-door  to  let  down  into  hell,  where  nothing  of  sin  will  re- 
main but  the  worm  and  the  fire.  Look  into  the  Scriptures,  and 
see  the  curse  there  described— an  everlasting  banishment  from  the 
glory  of  God's  presence;  an  everlasting  punishment  by  the  glory 
of  his  power." 

This  threatened  punishment  of  the  guilt,  first  of  Jezebel,  and 
then  of  the  transgressors  in  Thyatira,  is  made  prominent  here 
that  it  might  serve  as  a  conspicuous  element  of  the  great  Beacon 
that  was  either  to  attract  or  warn  in  all  after-time.  Shocking 
as  it  is,  it  must  nevertheless  be  carefully  considered  by  every  one 


308      INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

who  would  be  faithful  to  his  God,  his  Church,  or  his  own  soul. 
The  fate  of  both  Jezebel  and  Thyatira  is  recorded  for  the  admoni- 
tion of  the  Church.  So  most  certainly  will  it  be  with  all  the  per- 
sisting and  finally  unrepenting— their  punishment  will  be  thus  cer- 
tain, thus  public,  and  thus  awful  in  its  character. 

10.   SEDUCTIONS. 

The  seductive  influence  of  sin,  as  seen  first  in  the  wretched 
life  of  Jezebel,  and  then  in  the  apostates  of  this  church  of  Thya- 
tira, is  so  real  and  so  terrible  that  it  receives  special  consideration 
in  this  message  from  the  heavenly  throne.  Connected  with  it  is 
the  notice  of  the  contagious  effect  of  evil,  which  is  also  made 
consi^icuous  and  brought  out  with  alarming  vividness.  Sin  never 
terminates  in  itself,  but  has  a  propagating  power  which  makes 
it  much  to  be  dreaded  because  of  the  unknown  depths  of  evil  to 
which  it  may  lead. 

This  peculiarity  of  sin's  influence  is  so  deplorable  that  the 
enthroned  King  saw  fit  to  send  down  this  warning  against  it. 
The  contagious  nature  of  sin  is  one  of  the  things  which  makes 
it  the  most  to  be  dreaded.  Invariably  does  it  propagate  itself 
through  its  depraving  consequences.  Not  only  is  it  evil  in  itself, 
but  its  very  nature  is  to  extend  and  deprave  all  that  it  touches. 

Special  warning  against  this  danger  seems  to  have  been  in- 
tended in  connection  with  the  corruptions  in  the  church  of 
Thyatira.  The  enemies  of  the  truth  there  seem  to  have  lurked 
in  the  dark,  and  to  have  sown  the  seed  of  evil,  not  exciting  the 
fears  of  their  victims,  but  corrupting  their  understanding,  until, 
before  they  were  aware,  their  ruin  was  made  sure.  The  minds 
of  youth  and  others  were  poisoned  before  danger  was  appre- 
hended. So  it  was  then,  so  it  is  now,  and  so  it  is  everywhere — 
that  the  wicked  suffer  not  alone. 

So  was  it  in  the  days  of  Jezebel ;  her  depraving  influence  and 
that  of  her  minions,  the  priests  of  Baal,  had  corrupted  the  nation 
before  it  was  aware  of  its  fall.  She  had  made  promises  to  the 
people  through  the  ritual  of  the  heathen  Sidonians — most  terribly 
were  those  promises  fulfilled  when,  because  of  the  divine  judg- 
ments upon  their  wickedness,  the  authorities  of  Jezebel  "took 
the  king's  sons,  and  slew  seventy  persons,  and  put  their  heads  in 
baskets,  and  sent  them"  to  the  city;  and  when  tlie  impetuous 
Jehu  "  slew  all  that  remained  of  the  house  of  Ahab  in  Jezreel, 
and  all  his  great  men,  and  his  kinsfolks,  and  his  priests,  until 
he   left   him    none  remaining."      Here,  notwithstanding   the  de- 


THE  WHITE  CASTLE.  309 

lusive  promises  of  the  false  x>rophetess,  Jezebel,  every  line  of 
the  sad  history  of  seduction  aud  idolatry  was  as  if  written  in 
letters  of  blood. 

The  old  type  was  also  fulfilled  in  the  apostasy  and  ruin  in  the 
church  of  Thyatira.  Not  only  were  the  seducers  themselves, 
but  also  those  whom  they  had  treacherously  led  into  a  denial  of 
the  true  God — the  whole  apostate  brood,  the  whole  progeny  of 
seducers — swept  away  by  the  awful  visitations  from  heaven.  As 
the  divine  wrath  upon  Jezebel  first,  then  upon  those  of  whom 
she  was  the  type,  so  the  judgments  of  God  upon  the  kindred 
sins  of  lewdness  and  idolatry  are  threatened  in  language  wliich 
makes  them  a  standing  admonition  to  the  whole  world,  and  that 
of  every  age.  These  are  its  appalling  w'ords:  "They  shall  judge 
them  after  the  manner  of  adulteresses,  and  after  the  manner  of 
women  that  shed  blood ;  because  they  are  adulteresses,  and  blood 
is  in  their  hands.  For  thus  saith  the  Lord  God,  1  will  bring  up 
a  company  upon  them,  and  will  give  them  to  be  removed  and 
spoiled.  And  the  company  will  stone  them  with  stones,  and 
dispatch  them  with  their  swords;  and  they  shall  slay  their  sons 
and  daughters,  and  burn  up  their  houses  with  fire.  Thus  will  I 
cause  lewdness  to  cease  out  of  the  land,  that  all  women  may  be 
taught  not  to  do  after  your  lewdness.  And  they  shall  recom- 
pense your  lewdness  upon  you,  and  ye  shall  bear  the  sin  of  your 
idols;  and  ye  shall  know  that  I  am  the  Lord  God."  In  all  these 
words  is  seen  the  mind  of  the  Lord  of  infinite  purity  concerning 
whatever  is  unclean  and  idolatrous,  and  the  certain  and  fearful 
penalties  which  must  follow. 

11.   ALL   SECEETS   KNOWN   TO  GOD. 

It  is  not  without  deep  significance  that  the  Son  of  God  is 
here  represented  as  having  "  his  eyes  like  unto  a  flame  of  fire."  ; 
All  the  evil  depicted  in  this  church  is  associated  with  pretense, 
deception,  and  secret  arts.  "  Calleth  herself  a  prophetess,"  "teach- 
ing and  seducing  my  servants " — this  is  the  language  used  to 
describe  the  peculiar  temptations  to  which  this  people  were  sub- 
jected. False  teaching  was  the  deep,  deadly  method  ado])ted  to 
destroy  their  faith,  and  blast  all  that  was  good  in  their  piety  of 
which  God  approved.  That  piety  seems  to  have  been  so  decided 
that  no  open  attack  upon  it  was  attempted.  The  onset  must  be 
in  an  insidious  and  disguised  manner.  False  doctrines  must  be 
inculcated,  delusive  hopes  must  be  held  out,  lying  promises  must 
be  made.    A  self-conceited  air  was  assumed,  as  it  is  by  so  many 


310       INAUGUKAL  OF  THE  ENTHKONED  KING. 

egotistical  scientists  of  the  present  day,  as  if  the  deceivers  had 
a  profounder  knowledge  and  a  more  recondite  wisdom  than 
those  of  ordinary  men. 

Such  seems  to  have  been  the  course  of  the  pretentious  Jezebel- 
ites  of  Thyatira;  but  the  Son  of  God,  with  his  eyes  lilie  flaming 
fire,  was  not  to  be  deceived.  That  penetrating  eye  saw  all  tlieir 
fabrications.  They  tried  to  lurlv  about,  hiding  witli  their  ne- 
farious doctrines,  and  propagating,  their  destructive  principles ; 
but  He  saw  tliem,  and  discerned  their  wicked  designs.  Tliere 
was  no  escaping  from  his  scrutiny.  As  clearly  as  the  noonday 
sun  his  eye  penetrated  all  their  infamous  schemes.  No  vails  or 
screens  could  be  so  interposed  as  to  prevent  him  from  seeing 
down  into  their  reins  and  hearts,  into  their  impious  designs  and 
their  assumed  profundity  of  wisdom.  Most  clearly  could  he  dis- 
cern the  very  depths  of  their  j^assions  and  purposes — the  very 
depths  of  their  inmost  souls.  Very  plainly  did  he  discern  the 
evil  sources  from  which  their  doctrines  sprang,  and  the  destruc- 
tive results  to  which  they  tended. 

Most  significant  is  it  that  the  Lord  of  the  churches  is  described 
here  as  possessed  of  this  perfect  knowledge  of  all  they  do,  or  say, 
or  purpose.  It  is  a  solemn  warning,  not  only  to  these  false  teachers 
of  Thyatira,  but  also  to  every  church,  to  every  people,  to  every 
soul.  Not  only  is  the  outward  act,  but  also  the  secret  contrivance 
and  the  very  intentions  of  the  soul,  lying  plainly  before  him.  Is 
there  a  corrupt  desire,  an  unfriendly  feeling,  a  wish  that  would 
be  covered  up  from  the  world,  or  a  wicked  scheme  revolving  in 
the  heart  against  him,  or  his  people — he  knows  it,  carefully  ob- 
serves it,  and  has  his  own  plans,  infinitely  deeper,  and  absolutely 
perfect,  by  which  it  shall  be  counteracted.  His  knowledge  is  per- 
fect, and  his  purposes  infallible. 

12.   KEWAKD  ACCOEDING  TO  WOKK. 

By  his  all-seeing  eye,  God  penetrated  the  secret  of  their  works, 
and  purposes,  and  thoughts;  and  his  solemn  warning  to  the  church 
Avas  that  he  would  deal  with  them  according  to  what  they  actually 
were.  Instead  of  making  to  them  engagements  which  never  were 
intended  to  be  fulfilled,  he  would  inevitably  punish  the  evil  and 
reward  the  faithful.  His  promise  that  could  not  possibly  fail 
was :  "  I  will  give  unto  every  one  of  you  according  to  your 
works."  The  faithful,  the  loyal,  and  the  obedient,  he  would 
reward  in  spite  of  the  whole  Balaam,  Nicolaitan,  and  Jezebel 
crew — ^^and   that  just   in    proportion    as  they  proved    true  to    his 


THE  WHITE  CASTLE.  311 

righteous  cause.  In  contrast  with  tlie  delusive  engagements  of 
tlie  seductive  teachers,  lie  would  give  absolutely  just  and  riglit- 
eous  recompense.  With  all,  righteous  and  unrighteous,  he  would 
deal  precisely  according  to  their  works. 

This  gracious  engagement  of  our  heavenly  Master  with  his 
IViithful  servants  has  been  kept  too  nuich  in  the  background.  The 
fear  of  going  to  the  opposite  extreme— of  taking  to  ourselves  the 
merit  of  our  salvation,  or  of  regarding  it  as  a  reward  for  our 
fidelity,  has  kept  us  from  giving  that  prominent  place  which 
the  Scriptures  do  to  the  fact  that  God  himself  speaks  of  the  bless- 
ings he  gives  as  a  reivard.  The  words  of  Dr.  Craven  jjresent 
this  matter  in  its  proper  light:  "'According  to  your  works.' 
This  promise  or  threat" — for  it  is  both — "is  one  which  we  com- 
monly keep  at  this  time  too  much  in  the  background ;  but  it  is 
one  which  we  should  press  on  ourselves  and  others  with  the  same 
emphasis  wherewith  Christ  and  his  Word  press  it  upon  us  all. 
It  is,  indeed,  one  of  the  gravest  mischiefs  which  Rome  has  be- 
queathed to  us,  that  in  a  reaction  and  protest,  itself  absolutely 
necessary,  against  the  false  emphasis  which  she  puts  on  works, 
unduly  trusting  therein  to  share  with  Christ's  merits  in  our  justi- 
fication, we  often  fear  to  place  upon  them  the  true  stress;  being, 
as  they  are,  to  speak  with  St.  Bernard,  the  ^via  regia,''  however 
little  the  '•causa  regnandi;''  though  here,  too,  it  must  of  course 
never  be  forgotten  that  it  is  only  the  good  tree  which  brings 
forth  good  fruit,  and  that  no  tree  is  good  until  Christ  has  made 
it  so." 

In  Scripture  there  is  no  such  hesitancy  in  speaking  of  the  bless- 
ings which  God  bestows  upon  his  people  as  a  gracious  reward. 
Look  at  the  sublime  scenes  of  the  Judgment  as  they  are  depicted 
by  the  loving  lips  of  our  Lord  in  the  twenty-fifth  chapter  of  ]Mat- 
thevv.  There  the  whole  blessed  sentence  on  the  righteous  is  founded 
on  what  they  did ;  while  the  awful  doom  of  the  wicked  follows  the 
charge  of  what  they  did  not.  How  plainly  is  this  solemn  fact  as- 
serted in  Matthew:  "For  the  Son  of  man  shall  come  in  the  glory 
of  his  Father,  with  his  angels,  and  then  shall  he  reward  every 
man  according  to  his  works!"  How  emphatic  it  is  made  in 
Romans:  "Who  will  render  to  every  man  according  to  his 
works!"  How  plain  it  is  made  in  the  words  of  the  inspired 
Preacher:  "Doth  not  he  that  pondereth  the  heart  consider  it? 
and  he  that  keepeth  thy  soul,  doth  not  he  know  it?  and  shall 
not  he  render  to  every  man  according  to  his  work?"  As  a  truth 
clearly  revealed  it   is  spoken  of  by  the  sacred  psalmist:    "Also 


312       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

unto  thee,  O  Lord,  belongeth  mercy ;  for  thou  renderest  to  every 
man  according  to  his  work."  The  whole  wondrous  truth  is  that 
God,  out  of  liis  unbounded  goodness,  has  seen  fit,  for  the  sake 
of  what  Christ  lias  done,  to  grant  the  faithful  these  blessings  as 
a  reward. 

On  the  contrary,  the  wicked  also  shall  receive  the  recompense 
of  their  crimes  in  the  sight  of  God.  Thus,  in  all,  whether  in  pun- 
ishing the  guilty,  in  seeing  through  the  secret  machinations  of 
the  enemies,  or  in  rewarding  the  righteous,  the  divine  glory  shall 
be  made  conspicuous.  The  glory  of  his  goodness  will  be  seen 
in  rewarding  the  righteous;  and  the  glory  of  his  justice  in 
punishing  the  wicked.  And  this  he  would  make  manifest  in 
his  dealings  with  that  people.  So  it  was  divinely  intended,  and 
so  it  would  be  certainly  accomplished.  The  purpose  of  God  was 
clearly  expressed:  "All  the  churches  shall  know  that  I  am  he 
which  searcheth  the  reins  and  hearts."  All  the  seven  churches, 
all  the  churches  of  that  land,  all  the  churches  of  that  age,  and 
all  the  churches  of  every  age,  would  clearly  see  that,  no  matter 
what  the  contrivances  of  depraved  men,  even  they,  and  all  else, 
should  manifest  the  supreme  glory  of  the  everlasting  Jehovah. 

13.   PROMISE  TO  THAT  PARTICULAE   CHURCH. 

We  must  constantly  bear  in  mind  the  fact  that,  in  each  of  the 
messages  there  are  two  promises — one  to  that  particular  church, 
and  the  other  applicable  primarily  to  that  church,  but  also  to  all 
churches  and  to  all  individual  members.  We  find  this  peculiarity 
in  this  message  to  the  believers  of  Thyatira.  Its  special  form  is: 
"But  unto  you  I  say,  and  unto  the  rest  in  Thyatira,  as  many  as 
have  not  this  doctrine,  and  which  have  not  known  the  depths  of 
Satan,  as  they  speak:-  I  will  put  tipon  you  none  other  b^irden.'''' 

What,  in  scriptural  language,  is  meant  by  the  expression, 
burden?  This  is  not  very  difficult  to  answer,  as  its  ai^plication 
in  other  places  makes  it  abundantly  evident.  We  find  that  it 
has  two  significations,  and  which  one  of  the  two  is  to  be  adopted 
in  any  place  must  be  determined  by  the  connection.  One  of  its 
meanings  is  that  of  a  threatened  judgment  or  punishment.  This 
is  undoubtedly  what  is  signified  in  the  jmssage,  "  Remember 
how  that  when  I  and  thou  rode  togetlier  after  Ahab  his  father, 
the  Lord  laid  this  burden  upon  him,  '  Surely  I  have  seen  yester- 
day the  blood  of  Naboth,  and  the  blood  of  his  sons,  saith  the 
Lord ;  and  I  will  requite  thee  in  this  plat,  saith  the  Lord."  Its 
other  meaning  is  that   of  obligation,  or  law,  or  duty.     In  this 


THE  WHITE  CASTLE.  313 

sense  it  must  be  taken  in  tliat  most  blessed  promise  of  our  Lord: 
"Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I 
will  give  you  rest.  Take  my  yoke  uj^on  you,  and  learn  of  me; 
for  I  am  meek  and  lowly  in  heart:  and  ye  shall  find  rest  unto 
your  souls.  For  my  yoke  is  easy  and  my  burden  is  light." 
Yoke,  or  burden,  here,  denotes  the  sum  of  the  duties  which  we 
owe  to  our  heavenly  Lord.  The  same  was  evidently  its  import 
in  the  deliverance  of  the  Synod  of  Jerusalem :  "  It  seemed  good 
to  the  Holy  Ghost  and  to  us,  to  lay  upon  you  no  greater  burden 
than  these  necessary  things:  that  ye  abstain  from  meats  offered 
to  idols,  and  from  blood,  and  from  things  strangled,  and  from 
fornication."  Here  it  indicated  the  sum  of  the  obligations  laid 
upon  the  Church  by  that  inspired  body. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  such  is  its  signification  in  the 
passage  before  us.  When  our  Lord  declared  that  he  would  lay 
no  other  burden  upon  the  faithful  of  that  city,  his  meaning 
clearly  was  that  he  would  require  no  other  duties  or  sacrifices 
from  them  than  those  which  they  were  already  discharging. 
But  why  is  the  special  promise  to  that  j^articular  church  put  in 
this  form? 

Its  special  form  was  doubtless  determined  by  the  falsehoods 
and  errors  that  were  springing  up  in  the  church.  According  to 
the  lies  which  were  industriously  circulated,  the  teachings  of 
Paul,  and  those  who  were  like-minded  with  him,  were  that  the 
moral  law  was  utterly  abrogated,  and  had  no  reference  to  those 
who  were  the  true  followers  of  Jesus.  Believers  were  "  not 
under  the  law,  but  under  grace,"  and  hence  might  with  impu- 
nity disregard  all  moral  obligation.  This  antinomian  spirit  was 
the  bitter  root  whence  sprang  all  the  heresies  of  that  day.  This 
was  such  a  widespread  and  grave  corruption  that  it  demands 
special  consideration.  The  weighty  words  concerning  it  by  Dean 
Trench  are  worthy  of  very  careful  thought :  "  It  was  the  master- 
stroke of  the  antinomian  teachers  to  exaggerate,  to  distort,  to 
misapply  all  that  Paul  had  spoken  about  the  freedom  of  the 
Christian  man  from  the  law.  They  were  the  ultra-Paulines,  who 
caricatured  his  doctrine,  till  of  God's  truth  they  had  made  a 
devil's  lie.  Paul  had  said  of  the  law  that  it  was  not  (he  ground 
of  tlie  Christian  meal's  justification,  nor  yet  the  source  of  his  holi- 
ness;  they  made  him  to  say  that  it  icas  not  the  rule  of  his  life; 
as  though  he  had  rejected  it  altogether  as  a  burden  no  longer  to 
be  borne  by  the  redeemed.  The  Lord  takes  up  this  word  burden : 
"  I  do  lay  on  you  a  burden,  but  it  is  a  burden  which  it  is  your 


314       INAUGUEAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

blessedness  to  bear,  and  over  and  above  which  I  will  impose  no 
other." 

How  is  this  ruinous  error  of  the  antinoniians  met  in  the 
message  from  the  throne  of  God?  Not  by  disclaiming  any  moral 
obligation— as  if  that  were  one  of  the  blood-bought  privileges  of 
the  true  children  of  God;  but  by  assuming  such  moral  obliga- 
tion; and  then  defining  what  it  is.  "  I  tZo  lay  on  you,  who  are 
my  true  followers,  a  burden,  but  not  a  burden  that  it  is  irksome 
to  bear.  I  lay  on  you  no  other  or  heavier  burden  than  that 
which  you  are  already  bearing — namely,  that  ye  abstain  from 
fornication,  and  from  all  eating  of  meat  which  had  been  before 
offered  in  sacrifice  to  idols.  I  have  no  other  or  heavier  burden 
to  lay  on  you  than  this." 

By  giving  his  charge  to  that  people  in  this  siDCcial  form,  the 
consideration  and  goodness  of  the  great  Head  of  the  church  was 
clearly  manifested.  It  maintains  the  truth ;  overloads  believers 
with  no  onerous  burdens;  and  makes  a  real  and  precious  privi- 
lege of  what  had  otherwise  been  a  repulsive  duty.  It  requires 
no  pretense  at  sanctity,  wliile  it  abates  no  jnoral  obligation.  The 
consideration  of  our  gracious  Lord  is  seen  in  drawing  instead  of 
driving  his  faithful  followers.  We  cannot  but  recognize  in  it  the 
same  gracious  disposition  tliat  was  so  wonderfully  manifested  in 
that  blessed  invitation:  "Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that  labour  and 
are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest.  Take  my  yoke  upon 
you,  and  learn  of  me;  for  I  am  meek  and  lowly  in  heart:  and 
ye  shall  find  rest  unto  your  souls.  For  my  yoke  is  eai^y,  and  my 
burden  is  light.^'  It  is  truly  wonderful  how  our  loving  Lord  in 
this  way  strongly  enforced  a  moral  obligation,  and,  at  the  same 
time,  presented  it  as  one  of  the  most  attractive  promises ;  and 
thus  the  disposition  he  manifests  becomes  a  significant  principle 
of  the  Church  life  which  should  forever  afterward  prevail. 

14.   ADMONITION. 

The  Lord  of  the  churches  here  gives  to  this  people,  as  to  the 
other  churches,  that  advice  which  is  most  appropriate  for  them 
in  their  peculiar  difficulties  and  temptations.  The  whole  case 
lay  distinctly  before  him,  and,  out  of  his  infinite  wisdom,  he 
gives  the  counsel  which  is  the  wisest  and  best.  With  only  one 
thing  does  he  charge  them ;  but  that  one  embraces  a  principle, 
of  the  highest  moment,  that  never  changes.  It  was  the  same 
principle  which  was  announced  to  the  whole  Church  at  an  earlier 
day.    It  was  first  charged  home  ui)on  the  mother  church  at  Jeru- 


THE  WHITE  CxVSTLE.  315 

salem;  and  was  expressed  iu  these  words:  "It  seemed  good  to 
the  Holy  Ghost,  and  to  us,  to  lay  upon  you  no  greater  burden 
than  these  necessary  things:  that  ye  abstain  from  meats  offered 
to  idols,  and  from  blood,  and  from  fornication ;  from  which  if 
ye  keep  yourselves,  ye  shall  do  well."  In  the  passage  before 
us  its  exceedingly  simjjle  form  is:  "I  will  put  upon  you  none 
other  burden.  But  that  ivhich  ,ye  have  already^  hold  fast  till  I 
comey  No  new  obligation,  or  contrivances,  or  novelties,  or  un- 
tried projects,  would  he  ask,  but  faithful  adherence  to  the  doc- 
trines and  duties  with  which  they  were  already  familiar.  This 
was  all  that  was  required  of  them.  Not  novelties,  or  modern 
inventions,  did  he  demand ;  but  the  old  duties  issued  amid  the 
thunder  tones  of  Sinai,  or  sung  in  the  sweetest  strains  of  Zion's 
sacred  harp. 

The  gracious  counsel  given  them  was  that  they  should  not 
allow  themselves  to  be  robbed  of  the  precious  truths  which  they 
already  possessed  through  the  allurements  of  novelties  and  un- 
tried experiments.  Their  tender  and  considerate  Lord  would  lay 
on  them  no  other  burden  of  duties  or  doctrines;  but  simply  re- 
quire of  them  to  hold  on  firmly  to  what  was  already  familiar 
to  them.  The  fatherly  counsel  to  them  was :  Keep  steadfastly 
by  my  works  of  love  until  the  end ;  and  then  a  reward  most 
blessed  would  be  granted.  The  mandate,  divine,  tender,  and 
considerate,  was:  "That  which  ye  have  already,  hold  fast  till  }^«^ 
I  come  " — Hold  on  to  the  works  which  I  command,  and  to  the 
doctrines  which  I  have  imparted;  already  hast  thou  been  in- 
structed as  to  all  that  I  require.  To  this  the  message  from  the 
throne  charges  the  faithful  of  Thyatira  to  cling  with  the  utmost 
tenacity.  With  a  grasp  which  nothing  could  possibly  sever,  or 
even  relax,  were  they  ever  to  adhere.  The  works  required  are 
the  fruits  of  the  Spirit,  and,  from  their  very  nature,  they  must  be 
sweet,  and  holy,  and  safe.  The  mandate  from  Jehovah  is,  "Let 
no  delusive  promise  lead  you  astray."  Persevere  in  the  good  old 
way.    Hold  on  until  the  end. 

Our  attention  should  be  specially  awakened  to  this  point  be- 
case  of  the  prominent  place  which  is  given  it  in  this  message 
that  was  intended  for  all  the  churches.  The  Holy  Spirit  admon- 
ishes us  of  the  surpassing  importance  of  clinging  to  the  old,  the 
tried,  the  Heaven-ordained;  and  so,  of  the  tremendous  risk  of 
tampering  with  novelties,  and  risking  the  truth  and  our  souls 
with  it.  There  is  great  danger  here.  Seeking  after  improve- 
ments, while  we  have  God's  plain  and  sure  commands  is  hazard- 


316  INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

ing  all.  Many  a  time  has  the  Church  been  thereby  brought  to 
the  brink  .  of  ruin.  Many  a  destructive  enemy  has  in  this  way 
found  admittance  who  otherwise,  seen  in  his  monstrous  form, 
would  have   been  shunned  in   righteous   indignation. 

15.   DEPTHS  OF  SATAN. 

The  admonition  against  this  danger  of  being  carried  away  by 
novelties  is  put  in  a  very  peculiar  form.  "  But  unto  you  I  say, 
and  unto  the  rest  in  Thyatira,  as  many  as  have  not  this  doc- 
trine, and  which  have  not  known  the  depths  of  Satan,  as  they 
speaky  '■'■  The  depths  of  Satan P^  what  means  this?  what  peculiar 
aspect  of  the  temptation  does  it  present?  Why  are  such  words 
used?  what  special  impress  are  they  designed  to  make? 

It  should  be  noticed  that  the  influence  of  the  devil  upon  these 
first  representative  chuches  is  referred  to  in  three  of  them  success- 
ively, and  that  in  a  gradation  which  seems  to  be  more  and  more 
impressive.  In  Smyrna  the  reference  is  to  the  "synagogue  of 
Satan,"  in  Pergamos  to  the  "seat,"  or  throne,  "of  Satan,"  and 
here  it  is  to  "the  depths  of  Satan."  In  each  of  them  his  malign 
influence  was  felt;  but  in  each  of  them  in  a  different  degree.  The 
evil  influences  described  leave  scarce  a  doubt  that  a  climax  was 
designed,  as  well  as  what  that  climax  is.  In  commercial  Smyrna 
there  were  multitudes  of  Jews,  and  those  Jews  were  the  fierce 
opponents  of  tlie  gospel ;  hence,  as  the  synagogue  was  almost 
exclusively  Jewish,  it  was  then  "the  synagogue  of  Satan."  In 
Pergamos  the  opposition  was  bitter,  bloody,  and  conducted  by 
the  authorities  of  the  city ;  hence  it  was  termed  the  seat,  the 
throne,  the  very  metropolis  of  Satan.  Here  in  Thyatira  it  was 
still  worse— worst  of  all.  Here  the  seductive  influences  were 
most  dangerous.  Opposition  to  the  truth  was  gilded  over  by  all 
that  was  most  attractive,  it  bore  the  name  of  worship  and  was 
organized  into  a  system  of  religion,  and  was  therefore  termed 
"  the  depths  of  Satan  " — the  depths  of  his  cunning  and  deceit, 
and  malignant  persecutions. 

Assuming  this  as  the  purpose  of  this  peculiar  arrangement  of 
the  expressions,  the  remaining  question  concerns  the  meaning  of 
these  words  to  the  church  of  Thyatira.  "  Unto  you  I  say,  and 
unto  the  rest  in  Thyatira,  as  many  as  have  not  this  doctrine,  and 
which  have  not  known  the  depths  of  Satan,  as  they  speak." 
The  two  clauses,  "  as  many  as  have  not  this  doctrine,"  and 
"  which  liave  not  known  the  depths  of  Satan,  as  they  speak,"  do 
not  imply  two    classes,  but   the  amplification  of  the  description 


THE  WHITE  CASTLE.  317 

of  the  first  class.  "As  many  as  have  not  this  doctrine"— that  is, 
this  system  of  heresies.  This  is  the  first  descrii^tion,  tlieii  comes 
the  further  account  of  tlie  same  class:  "have  not  known  the 
depths  of  Satan,  as  they  speak." 

Now,  as  to  the  significance  of  the  expression,  "depths  of 
Satan,"  there  cannot  be  much  difiiculty;  clearly  it  imjilies  the 
depths  of  his  plots,  of  his  malignant  schemes  and  of  his  cunning 
contrivances  against  the  kingdom  of  Christ.  The  real  difiiculty, 
however,  pertains  to  the  meaning  of  the  words,  "as  they  speak." 
This  is  an  essential  and  manifestly  important  element  of  the  de- 
scription. That  description  is  not  simply  "the  depths  of  Satan," 
but  "the  depths  of  Satan  «s  they  speak.''''  What  peculiar  fact,  or 
thought,  or  custom  is  introduced  by  this? — for  clearly  there  is 
some  special  significance  in  the  language. 

It  might  refer  to  some  proverbial  saying  which  was  in  common 
use,  and  so  be  equivalent  to  our  ordinary  expression,  "as  they 
say."  That,  however,  would  scarce  come  up  to  the  gravity  of 
words  as  prompted  by  the  Holy  Ghost.  As  many  writers  ex- 
plain, it  might  intend  sarcasm  in  the  use  of  the  word  depths — 
these  heretics  claimed  that  they  were  skilled  in  the  depths  of 
things;  but  the  Spirit,  in  irony,  throws  in — depths  of  Satan. 
Again,  however,  irony  from  the  lips  of  our  Lord  grates  upon 
our  ears.  Besides,  "depths  of  Satan,  as  they  speak,"  is  all  one 
description  of  the  profession  which   was  made  by  themselves. 

Hence  we  are  thrown  upon  what  we  cannot  help  believing 
is  the  true  import  of  the  expression — namely,  that  this  corrupt 
body  of  heretics  was  so  puffed  up  by  self-conceit  that  they  claimed 
to  have  explored  the  very  depths  of  Satan's  schemes,  and  to  be 
so  familiar  with  them  that  they  were  able  to  outwit  even  the 
devil  himself.  They  professed  that  they  were  skilled  in  the  most 
cunning  arts  of  tlie  Wicked  One.  They  were  Avell  acquainted 
with  the  drift  of  his  darkest  contrivances,  and  were  therefore 
able  to  defeat  his  most  malignant  projects.  Their  loud-sounding 
pretensions  were  that  they  were  more  than  a  match  for  his  most 
artful  plots.  This  was  their  claim— the  claim  which  was  implied 
in  this  peculiar  expression,  "as  they  speak." 

The  sad  result  of  this  self-conceit  was  the  infamous  claim  which 
they  soon  came  to  make— that  they  had  attained  such  profound 
wisdom  that  they  could  indulge  all  the  lusts  of  the  flesh,  and  yet 
keep  the  soul  uncontaminated.  So  profound  were  they  that  they 
could  even  outwit  the  devil  by  yielding  to  his  temptations  to 
fleshly  indulgences,  and  so  letting  him  ai)pear  to  conquer,  while, 


318  INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

at  the  same  time,  they  preserved  their  hearts  pure,  and  above 
the  evil.  This  was  their  high-flying  pretension.  This  gave  great 
emphasis  to  tlie  seemingly  insignificant  expression,  "as  they 
speak."  On  this  account  they  came  to  arrogate  to  tliemselves 
the  high-sounding  title,  tlie   Gnostics — tlie  knowning  ones. 

In  the  sight  of  God,  however,  as  well  as  at  the  tribunal  of 
common  sense,  the  claim  was  as  absurd  as  it  was  abominable. 
Obviously,  it  took  away  all  the  restraints  of  conscience,  and 
opened  the  gate  to  the  free  indulgence  of  the  most  debasing 
lusts.  This  was  the  abomination  which  gave  the  church  of  Thya- 
tira  its  bad  pre-eminence  above  the  other  six. 

Such  was  the  deplorable  state  into  which  many  in  that  church, 
so  highly  favored  and  honored,  had  fallen.  Remember  that  these 
heretics,  with  all  their  infatuation  and  gross  deijravity,  were  pro- 
fessed Christians,  that  their  ears  had  listened  to  an  apostolic  man, 
that  they  were  associated  in  churcli  fellowship  with  faithful  men 
and  women  who  were  periling  their  lives  for  the  name  of  Jesus. 
Even  they  fell  so  low.  Most  significant  was  that  fall,  when  the 
elements  of  its  descent  are  considered.  The  dark  catalogue  con- 
tained pride,  self-conceit,  self-reliance,  perverting  the  truth,  tam- 
pering with  sin,  corruption,  debasing  lewdness.  'The  substance 
was  that  ever-appearing  antinomianism  whose  myriad  forms  mar 
the  brightest  pages  of  the  Church's  history.  Its  one  monstrous 
appearance  here  was  in  the  sanctimonious  pretense  of  seeking 
for  the  knowledge  of  the  mysteries  of  evil  by  personal  experiment 
and  observation.  It  was  the  fearfully  dangerous  oui'iosity  of 
Adam  when  he  would  try  for  himself  the  meaning  of  good 
and  evil,  and  of  the  prurient  hardihood  that  would  go  down 
into  the  den  of  infamy  to  discover  how  deep  and  dark  it  is. 

God  himself  has  stamped  its  brand  upon  this  transcendent 
folly  by  giving  it  such  a  conspicuous  place  in  this  Beacon  of 
the  Ages.  Words  of  warning  more  emphatic  and  solemn  could 
not  be  uttered  than  those  which  he  has  caused  to  be  sounded 
down  tlirough  the  centuries  of  time,  and  over  the  regions  of  man- 
kind. Its  signals  of  danger  are  never  to  be  withdrawn.  And  how 
much  they  are  needed  may  be  seen  even  at  the  present  time,  when 
instances  are  not  wanting  of  the  corruption  of  perverted  love  to 
God  leading  into  the  very  abominations  of  lust,  and  of  the  arro- 
gance of  assumed  superior  knowledge  leading  to  the  boasting  of 
a  wisdom  above  even  that  of  the  inspired  Word.  The  light  of 
that  warning  in  the  Beacon  tells  us  of  the  danger.  Who  of  us 
is  safe?      Wherever   there  is  a  self-righteousness  that  makes  its 


THE  WHITE  CASTLE.  319 

victim  boast  of  a  supposed  superiority  to  others— the  first  down- 
ward step  has  been  tal^en  towards  a  gulf  the  awful  abyss  of  which 
is  exposed  in  the  downfall  of  these  apostates  of  Thyatira. 

16.   THE   OVEKCOMING. 

As  in  all  the  other  messages  to  the  churches,  there  is  here,  in 
that  to  Thyatira,  an  "  overcometh "  on  which  an  important  part 
of  the  heavenly  communication  is  suspended.  What  that  over- 
coming imports  is  determined  by  the  peculiar  circumstances  aris- 
ing both  from  the  enemies  within  and  the  dangers  impending 
without.  The  contest  with  pagan  seductions  was  that  in  which 
they  were  summoned  to  engage,  and  in  which  they  might  have 
the  blessedness  of  proving  victorious.  In  this  contest  they  were 
tempted  to  join  in  the  revelry  of  pagan  feasts,  to  enjoy  the  at- 
tractions of  heathen  worship,  and  to  partake  with  friends  and 
neighbors  in  the  alluring  scenes  of  the  temples— above  all,  and 
pervading  all,  to  indulge  in  such  lewdness  as  cannot  be  even 
named. 

All  this  formed  a  conflict  for  their  professed  Christian  char- 
acter, to  overcome  in  which  required  a  degree  of  self-denial  that 
would  be  exceedingly  great,  but  the  promised  reward  of  which 
would  be  infinitely  greater.  Nor  was  the  conflict  with  their 
formidable  foes  to  last  for  an  hour,  or  a  day,  merely,  but  to  the 
very  end  of  life.  It  was  to  be  a  lifelong  struggle,  and  that  with 
all  their  strength  of  body,  mind,  and  soul.  It  was  to  be  a  con- 
flict that  would  end  only  with  their  earthly  existence,  so  that 
they  were  most  earnestly  called  upon  to  persevere — to  persevere 
to  the  end.  This  perseverance  was  made  most  emphatic.  "  There 
is  a  last  enemy  to  be  destroyed — death.  We  must  hold  out  to  the 
conquest  of  this  last  adversary,  which,  if  it  conquer  us  by  the  sting 
of  our  sin,  shall  send  us  to  the  doors  of  hell;  if  we  conquer  it  by 
our  faith,  it  shall  send  us  to  the  gates  of  the  blessed  city — heaven. 
All  the  voyage  through  the  perilous  sea  of  this  world  is  lost  if  we 
suffer  shipwreck  in  the  haven,  and  lose  our  reward  there  where 
we  should  have  received  it.  What  get  we,  if  we  keep  Satan  short 
of  ruling  us  with  his  force  many  hours,  when  at  our  last  hour  he 
shall  snatch  our  bliss  from  us?  The  runner  speeds  all  the  way; 
but  he  comes  at  the  race's  end  to  the  goal,  he  stretches  forth  his 
hand  to  catch  the  prize.  Be  sure  of  the  last  step,  to  put  forth  the 
hand  of  faith  then  most  strongly;  lest  the  reward  be  lost  which 
thou,  with  much  labor,  hast  aimed  at." 

The  Lord  of  the  church  promises  nothing  to  his  people  with- 


320       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

out,  at  the  same  time,  telling  them  frankly  the  trials  and  suffer- 
ings through  which  the  promises  must  be  reached.  He  warns 
them  that  great  dangers  are  to  be  encountered  in  all  their  path- 
way to  glory.  That  heaven,  with  all  its  unspeakable  bliss,  is  to 
be  arrived  at  only  through  gi-eat  tribulation,  was  a  solemn  trutli 
then,  as  it  is  now,  and  will  be  evermore.  The  same  diabolic  spirit 
that  had  introduced  the  heresies  which  were  prevailing  in  that 
church  would  still  exist,  and  point  deadly  shafts  at  the  faithful 
followers  of  Christ.  The  time  has  never  yet  come  when  the  true 
people  of  God  did  not  have  to  "wrestle,  not  against  flesh  and 
blood,  but  against  principalities  and  powers,  against  the  rulers 
of  the  darkness  of  this  world,  against  spiritual  wickedness  in 
high  places."  So  it  has  been  from  the  day  when  Abel  fell  be- 
neath the  murderous  hand  of  his  brother  until  this  day  when 
even  professed  science  is  perverted  into  the  most  violent  efforts 
to  uproot  all  the  foundations  of  our  faith.  From  the  very  nature 
of  the  case,  it  must  ever  require  an  intense  struggle  to  keep  the 
soul  alive  amid  this  region  of  spiritual  death— this  valley  of  dry 
bones.  It  cannot  be  expected  that  this  cold-hearted  world  will 
be  friendly  to  those  whose  life  is  a  constant  rebuke  to  its  depravity. 
Moreover,  from  what  we  know  of  the  nature  of  that  gracious  God 
with  whom  we  have  to  do,  we  are  assured  that  this  desperate 
opposition  to  his  people  and  cause  would  not  be  suffered,  did  he 
not  design  in  some  way  to  bring  great  blessings  out  of  it.  Even 
now  we  can  understand  how  the  faithful  in  Thyatira  would,  by 
it,  be  rendered  stronger,  purer,  better.  Then,  too,  we  can  easily 
see  how  it  would  furnish  an  occasion  wherein  God's  strength  and 
goodness  would  be  manifested,  and  by  which  believers  would  be 
disciplined  and  made  better,  and  by  which  the  bliss  of  the  future 
world  would  be  rendered  more  rapturous.  In  these  ways  and  in 
others  which  it  is  not  difficult  for  us  to  understand,  it  remains 
gloriously  true  that  God  ever  has,  and  ever  will,  make  "the 
wrath  of  man  to  praise  him." 

17.   rOWER   OVER  THE   NATIONS. 

AVe  are  next  to  consider  the  great  general  promises  which  are 
here  made  to  this  church,  and,  through  it,  to  all  other  cliurches 
and  to  all  other  believers  who  may  be  tried  in  a  similar  manner. 
The  gracious  Lord  of  the  kingdom  would  comfort  all  his  tried 
and  suffering  people  by  unveiling  to  them  the  triumphant  issue 
of  the  contest  tlirough  which  they  may  have  to  pass  for  his  sake. 
He  flashes  a  few   rays  of  divine  light  over  the  lowering  future, 


THE  WHITE  CASTLE.  321 

in  order  that  they  may  the  more  courageously  strive,  and  suffer, 
and  persevere.  He  lets  them  see  that,  though  they  may  have  to 
contend  against  mighty  foes  and  infernal  plots,  yet  they  will 
surely  conquer,  gloriously  conquer.  Though  they  may  now  have 
to  encounter  wicked  devices,  and  meet  disappointments,  and 
suffer  sorely,  yet  they  may  be  certain  that  before  them  and  their 
cause  there  lies  a  bright,  triumphant  future. 

So  would  it  be  in  that  eternal  future  to  which  both  friends 
and  enemies  were  hastening ;  but,  even  in  the  coming  ages  of 
time,  the  kingdom  and  people  of  God  would  obtain  the  mastery 
over  all  the  nations  that  might  oppose  them.  As  with  an  iron 
bar  smashing  a  frail  vessel  of  clay,  they  would  break  in  pieces 
all  the  powers  of  earth  that  might,  at  any  time,  be  arrayed 
against  them.  All  evil  combinations  that  might  be  contrived 
for  the  injury  of  the  cause  of  Christ  would  be  crushed  into 
shivers.  In  their  total  destruction  it  would  be  seen  how  con- 
temptible M'ere  all  plots  formed  against  the  Son  of  God. 

Moreover,  in  this  overthrow  of  all  the  evil  powers  of  earth, 
the  followers  of  Jesus  would  be  elevated  to  a  share  in  his  divine 
royalty.  They  would  be  associated  with  him  in  his  kingly 
power  over  the  conquered  nations.  The  contest  of  time  would 
end  by  their  being  permitted  to  share  the  throne  with  the  tri- 
umphant Prince  of  Peace.  In  that  final  victory,  all  uncertainty 
would  be  taken  away,  and  the  righteous  would  be  crowned  with 
absolute  dominion  over  all  the  realms  of  earth,  and  all  the 
thrones  of  mankind.  All  the  nations  would  lie  at  their  feet, 
compelled  to  bow  down  to  the  sceptre  of  Jesus.  His  royalty 
would  be  shared  by  all  those  faithful  saints  who  had  been,  with 
him,  tried  and  had  suffered  unto  death.  The  contest  might  be  a 
long  and  painful  one,  but  it  would  have  a  triumphant  end.  To 
Christ  and  his  people  had  been  pledged  the  dominion  over  the 
nations  of  earth,  and  that  kingly  glory  was  sure  to  come  after. 

18.   THE  MOENING  STAR. 

This  is  one  of  the  promises  of  the  messages  which  is  marvel- 
lously rich  and  comprehensive.  At  our  very  first  glance  we 
discern  in  it  a  heavenly  light  breaking  upon  a  long,  dark  night, 
and  the  beginning  of  a  bright  day  of  beautj^  and  gladness  com- 
ing after  ages  of  deformity  and  of  gloom — a  morning  to  the 
world  of  joy  and  gladness.  So  affluent  is  the  promise  in  the 
richest  significance  that  it  is  no  ^v'onder  many  different  interpre- 
tations as  to  its  meaning  have  been  attempted. 

21 


322       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

To  some  interpreters  the  promise  of  the  Morning  Star  is  a 
divine  engagement  that  a  clear  light  would  soon  appear  and 
scatter  the  darkness  and  the  doubt  and  the  gloom  which  lowered 
over  the  afflicted  church  of  Thyatira.  It  is  that ;  but  it  is  far  more. 
To  some  it  is  the  true  light  from  God,  for  which  generations  had 
been  praying  and  watching,  and  which  was  soon  to  beam  out 
over  the  whole  world  of  mankind.  It  is  that,  but  much  more. 
To  some  it  is  the  dawn  of  the  bright  gospel  day  which  the  whole 
volume  of  revelation  foretold  as  awaiting  the  Church  of  God, 
and  which  the  faithful  of  Thyatira  would  be  among  the  first  to 
behold.  It  is  that,  but  more.  To  some  it  is  a  bright  manifesta- 
tion from  heaven  which  would  be  safe  and  joyous  as  contrasted 
with  "  the  depths  of  Satan."  It  is  that,  but  it  is  also  far  more. 
To  some,  it  -is  the  light  and  glory  of  God  as  infinitely  surpassing 
the  brilliancy  which  pagan  superstition  pretended  to  be  the  glory 
of  their  sun-god,  Apollo.  It  is  that,  but  more.  To  some  it  is  a 
priceless  ornament,  adorned  with  brilliant  gems  which  no  human 
skill  can  surpass.  It  is  that,  even  a  star  in  the  diadem  of 
Immanuel,  but  far  more  also.  To  some  it  is  the  dawn  of  a 
blessed  morning  that  would  follow  the  long,  dark  night  of  sin 
and  woe  which  had  long  cursed  the  world.  It  is  that,  but  even 
more  still. 

It  was  all  these — it  was  a  clear  light  after  awful  darkness,  the 
true  light  from  God,  the  glorious  gospel  day,  the  knowledge  that 
could  expose  the  dei^ths  of  Satan,  the  brilliancy  beside  which  even 
the  pretended  beams  of  Apollo  would  be  darkness ;  the  truth,  the 
truth  of  God  shining  out  in  glory  after  the  long  ages  of  darkness 
and  despair.  It  would  be  a  star,  bright  and  new,  gleaming  out 
after  the  long,  long  night  of  earth's  woe;  a  star  that  would  not 
appear  as  a  mere  moment  of  heavenly  radiance,  but  would  be 
followed  by  an  enduring  brightness;  a  star,  joyous  and  happy, 
and  full  of  promise;  a  star  that  would  be  peerless  even  in  the 
glorious  heavenly  firmament ;  a  star  that,  having  been  long  looked 
for,  would  soon  apjoear  and  fill  with  ecstasy  the  hearts  of  all  the 
true  followers  of  Him  who  was  the  embodiment  of  truth  and 
righteousness. 

In  order  to  have  a  jiroper  concei:)tion  of  this  blessed  promise 
we  must  depict  to  ourselves  the  surrounding:s  of  the  believers  of 
Thyatira  to  whom  it  was  first  addressed.  Only  then  shall  we 
understand  its  peculiar  allusions  and  import.  The  church  of 
Thyatira  was  located  in  that  city  which  had  Apollo,  the  personi- 
fication of  the  sun,  as  its  tutelary  deity;  around  it  were  the  hereti- 


THE  WHITE  CASTLE.  323 

cal  sects  which  claimed  to  be  pre-eminently  wise,  the  knowing 
ones— the  gnostics — to  whom  the  profoundest  depths  of  wisdom 
lay  open,  and  who  were  themselves  so  learned  that  they  could 
outwit  even  Satan,  the  arch-deceiver.  Against  such  assump- 
tions as  these,  the  true  followers  of  Christ  in  that  city  had  to 
be  every  day  contending.  They  were  assailed  by  superstitions 
which  masked  the  boldest  pretensions— pretensions  all  having 
the  same  bias,  namely,  that  of  superior  knowledge.  They 
dwelt  among  those  who  were  opposed  to  God  and  truth.  In 
order  to  adhere  to  the  teachings  of  the  divine  Spirit  as  con- 
tained in  the  Scriptures,  they  had  to  encounter  persecution  in 
every  formidable  aspect.  To  persons  thus  surrounded,  what  could 
be  more  encouraging  than  this  assured  promise  of  the  Morning 
Star— light  in  darkness,  light  from  God  shining  in  the  heavenly 
horizon;  light  which,  though  but  dim  at  first,  would  become 
more  and  more  bright  until  it  would  be  absorbed  in  the  per- 
fect day — all  which  was  involved  in  this  most  appropriate  em- 
hlem—fhe  Horning  Star. 

With  this  understanding  of  the  difficulties  and  dangers  by  which 
the  Thyatira  believers  were  environed,  we  may  easily  see  the  appro- 
priateness and  the  cheer  in  this  promise  made  to  them  of  the  Morn- 
ing Star.  Looking  at  it  in  this  light,  when  we  attempt  to  analyze 
it  we  can  easily  comprehend  the  amazing  kindness  of  the  Lord 
of  the  church,  in  so  providing  for  the  strengthening  of  his  people. 
It  is  not  difticult  for  us  then  to  appreciate  the  various  elements  of 
hope  and  comfort  the  promise  contains. 

At  the  first  glance  it  may  be  seen  that,  in  the  promise  of  the 
Morning  Star  we  have  another  view  of  the  old  symbol  which  had 
cheered  the  fathers  on  the  border  of  the  promised  land:  "I  shall 
see  him,  but  not  now:  I  shall  behold  him,  but  not  nigh:  there 
shall  come  a  Star  out  of  Jacob,  and  a  sceptre  shall  rise  out  of 
Israel."  The  promise  tells  of  the  celestial  light  which  had  startled 
the  wise  men  of  the  East,  and  sent  them  on  their  journey  to  find 
the  Star  of  Bethlehem.  By  an  emblem  that  is  peculiarly  express- 
ive it  gives  assurance  that  the  church,  after  a  long,  dark,  and 
troubled  night,  will  behold  the  breaking  out  of  a  longed-for  light 
— light  in  the  midst  of  mystery,  and  superstition,  and  lies;  light 
that  will  infinitely  transcend  the  idolatrous  conception  of  the 
mythic  sun-god  whose  capital  was  that  same  Thyatira.  It  will 
be  the  Star  of  the  Morning,  a  brilliancy  not  seen  for  a  moment 
merely,  but  will  beam  out  brighter  and  brighter  until  merged 
in  the    perfect   day.      This  emblem    embodied    the    whole   spirit 


324      INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHEONED  KING. 

of  the  morning.  Living  in  tlie  very  atmosphere  of  the  pagan 
Apollo,  the  deity  of  light,  and  beside  whom  the  Son  of  God  is 
seen  as  having  eyes  like  unto  a  flame  of  fire,  and  with  feet  like 
fine  brass — to  such  a  people  how  significant  was  the  brightest 
orb  of  the  whole  starry  world!  What  could  be  more  expressive 
to  a  people  who  had  struggled  loyally  for  the  truth  through  a 
long,  suffering  night  than  the  prospect  of  the  first,  fresh,  bright, 
health-giving  dawn  of  the  morning! 

Every  view  we  take  of  the  emblem  makes  it  the  more  signif- 
icant. The  INIorning  St^r!  Does  not  its  jDre-eminence  among  the 
stars  tell  of  the  pre-eminence  of  the  church  in  glory?  Does  it 
not  tell  plainly  that  in  the  world  of  bliss  it  should  differ  from 
the  other  stars  in  glory?  Does  it  not  tell  of  an  eminent  place 
awaiting  it  in  the  heavenly  immortality?  It  gives  assurance 
"of  an  eminent  position  in  the  firmament  of  history,  in  the 
heaven  of  immortality,  united  to  a  glorious  appearance."  And 
in  view  of  it,  well  might  that  old  church  have  said:  "We  have 
also  a  more  sure  word  of  prophecy,  whereunto  ye  do  well  that 
ye  take  heed,  as  unto  a  light  that  shineth  in  a  dark  place,  until 
the  day  dawn,  and  the  day-star  arise  in  your  hearts."  To  them 
that  great  promise  was  the  dawn  of  a  new  time,  the  last  time 
until  the  coming  of  Christ,  the  morning  radiance  of  eternity. 
Well  could  they  look  forward  to  the  bursting  out  of  that  Star 
upon  their  transported  vision,  as  the  point  from  which  the  rule 
of  the  saints  would  commence.  Their  tempters  professed  that 
they  had  knowledge  of  the  depths  of  Satan ;  but  here  was  assur- 
ance of  the  knowledge  of  the  heights  of  glory.  All  these  ele- 
ments of  light,  truth,  and  comfort  were  comprehended  in  the 
one  i^romise  of  the  Morning  Star.  It  was  all  this;  hut  far  more 
also. 

AVe  emphasize  that  this  promise  must  be  studied  with  reference 
to  the  circumstances  of  the  church,  and  especially  with  reference 
to  tlie  false  teachers  in  Thyatira.  They  professed  tliat  they  were 
al)le  to  look  down  into  the  depths  of  the  plots  of  Satan ;  here 
is  tlie  divine  engagement  that  saints  would  behold  the  heights  of 
heavenly  glory.  Higher  still  does  the  promise  ascend.  Christ 
engages  to  give  himself  to  his  faithful  followers:  for  his  memor- 
able v/ords  were:  "I  Jesus  have  sent  mine  angel  to  testify  unto 
you  those  things  in  the  churches;  I  am  the  root  and  offspring 
of  David,  and  the  bright  and  morning  star."  Yea,  higher  still 
does  the  glory  rise;  for  he  engages  to  make  the  faithful  sharers 
in  his  morning  glory:    "The  righteous  shall  shine  forth  as  the 


THE  WHITE  CASTLE.  325 

sun  in  the  kingdom  of  their  Father;"  "They  that  be  wise  shall 
shine  as  the  brightness  of  the  firmament;  and  they  that  turn 
many  to  righteousness,  as  the  stars  for  ever  and  ever." 

It  would  seem  as  if  every  element  of  hope,  of  light,  and  of 
glory  were  embraced  in  this  wondrously  comprehensive  emblem. 
It  would  appear  as  if  it  contained  all  that  could  be  promised. 
Here  all  the  currents  of  prophecy  seem  united  in  one  great  stream 
of  glory.  It  is  as  if  all  the  predicted  comings  of  Christ  had  met 
in  this  one  bright  hope;  and  all  were  given  to  this  representative 
church  of  Thyatira,  as  peculiarly  hers,  in  recompense  for  her  faith- 
ful resistance  to  Jezebel's  seductions.  All  is  grandly  prophetic  of 
Christ's  coming  to  illumine  and  cheer  his  friends  as  well  as  judge 
his  enemies.  This  engagement  is  made  in  a  manner  that  is  peculiar, 
and  that  must  make  an  impress  deep  and  lasting.  It  is  made  under 
the  emblem  of  a  star— a  brilliant  star,  a  star  like  many  other  stars, 
but  brighter  than  the  rest;  a  star  clear  and  new,  coming  fresh  after 
a  dark  night;  a  star  that  would  not  be  a  mere  flash,  but  be  followed 
by  the  constantly-increasing  light  of  day ;  a  star  that  would  be  joy- 
ous and  full  of  promise ;  a  star  that  would  beam  in  the  heavenly 
firmament;  a  star  that  having  been  long  looked  for,  would  soon 
appear  and  mak^  glad  the  heart  of  every  beholder.  All  these 
were  doubtless  included  in  this  emblem  as  used  concerning  the 
church  of  Thyatira ;  but  an  application  still  more  grand  and  com- 
prehensive is  to  be  considered,  as  our  study  of  the  whole  subject 
shall  approach  its  close. 

Quite  impressive  is  the  title  Morning  Star  as  found  here  in  the 
message  to  the  church  of  Thyatira ;  but  very  much  more  so  as  it 
occurs  in  the  closing  chapter  of  the  Bible.  Not  only  is  it  in  that 
last  chapter,  but  it  is  virtually  at  the  end  of  the  Word  of  God. 
When  we  examine  the  last  words  we  find  that  the  IGth  verse  is 
substantially  the  close  of  the  Sacred  Book.  That  verse  ends :  I  am 
^^the  bright  and  morning  star'''' — after  that  only  the  conclusion. 

Is  not  that  fact  deeply  significant?  AVhat  is  the  meaning  of  it? 
Why  is  the  expression,  "  I  am  the  morning  star,"  the  last  heard  from 
Jesus,  as  he  closes  the  Book  ?  Why  is  it  made  the  last  word  ?  If 
the  morning  star  be  the  symbol  of  what  is  fresh,  novel,  animated, 
promising,  is  not  this  closing  expression  the  final  pledge  of  our 
(^.ear  Lord  that  such  would  he  be  to  the  joy  of  the  people  of  God 
fur  ever  and  ever?  It  declares  that  to  the  saints  in  Christ  tiiere 
never  would  be  weariness,  satiety,  or  cloy  for  ever.  TJie  Bible 
would  be  always  fresh  and  new ;  there  would  ordinarily  be  novelty 
in  Christian  experience. 


326       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

We  cannot  help  looking  with  amazement  as  the  great  Book 
of  Time  is  closed  before  us  and  we  are  suffered  to  catch  one  rap- 
turous glance  on  the  pages  of  the  sublime  Book  of  Eternity.  Its 
description  stands  out  in  the  single  expression:  "I  am  the  bright 
and  morning  star."  That  is  all  there  is,  or  could  be,  revealed  to 
us  as  yet;  for,  "Eye  hath  not  seen,  nor  ear  heard,  neither  have 
entered  into  the  heart  of  man,  the  things  which  God  hath  pre- 
pared for  them  that  love  him."  "Oh,  for  more!"  we  cry.  But 
even  this  hints  of  the  infinite  depths  which  w'e  may  explore  to 
all  eternity.  One  glimpse  of  the  glory  to  be  revealed  entrances 
the  soul ;  but  will  not  the  saint  become  satiated  by  the  per- 
petual fruition  of  the  same  rapture?  Will  not  the  indescribable 
bliss  at  length  lose  its  zest?  Will  not  the  ecstatic  rapture  wear 
into  satiety,  as  the  endless  ages  pass  on?  Oh,  no! — the  one  mar- 
velous promise  from  the  lips  of  our  glorious  Lord,  as  he  went 
up  to  the  bosom  of  the  Father,  was:  "Jam  the  bright  and  tnorn- 
ing  star V  Not  I  ivill  be;  but  I  am  the  Morning  Star.  7  am, 
to  the  ransomed,  as  they  enter  upon  their  eternal  bliss;  lam,  as 
cycle  after  cycle  opens  up  before  them ;  I  am,  at  every  influx  of 
new  bliss;  I  am,  for  ever  and  ever — experience  always  fresh,  al- 
ways novel,  always  upward;  always  the  rapture  of  holy  curiosity; 
always  newness, — for  as  the  Son  of  God  I  am  always  with  them. 


SARDIS. 


THE  GOLDEN  SANDS. 


THE  MESSAGE. 

And  unto  the  angel  of  the  claurch  in  Sardis  write:  These  things  saith  he 
that  hath  the  seven  Spirits  of  God,  and  the  seven  stars ;  I  know  thy  works, 
that  thou  hast  a  name  that  thou  livest,  and  art  dead. 

Be  watcliful,  and  strengthen  the  things  which  remain,  that  are  ready  to  die : 
for  I  have  not  found  thy  works  perfect  before  God. 

Remember  therefore  how  thou  hast  received  and  heard,  and  hold  fast,  and 
repent.  If  therefore  thou  shalt  not  watch,  I  will  come  ou  thee  as  a  thief,  and 
thou  shalt  not  know  what  hour  I  will  come  upon  thee. 

Thou  hast  a  few  names  even  in  Sardis  which  have  not  defiled  their  garments; 
and  they  shall  walk  with  me  in  white :  for  they  are  worthy. 

He  that  overcometh,  the  same  shall  be  clothed  in  white  raiment;  and  I  will 
not  blot  out  his  name  out  of  the  book  of  life,  but  I  will  confess  his  name  before 
my  Father,  and  before  his  angels. 

He  that  hath  an  ear,  let  him  hear  what  the  Spirit  saith  unto  the  churches. 

328 


CHAPTER    XII. 

THE  GOLDEN  SANDS. 

1.    PECULIAEITIES  OF  CITY  AND  CHUECH. 

Although  it  is  undoubtedly  true  that  the  seven  messages  are 
all  constructed  on  the  same  plan,  yet  it  cannot  be  overlooked  that 
there  are,  in  each  of  them,  special  features,  arising-  from  the  pecu- 
liarities of  city  and  church,  which  give  it  a  character  of  its  own. 
Moreover,  there  are  in  the  messages  certain  things  which  are  com- 
mon to  them  all,  and  certain  others  which  are  peculiar  to  each. 

One  peculiarity  of  this  message,  distinguishing  it  from  all  the 
rest,  is  that  in  it  there  is  no  mention  made  of  opponents  to  the 
truth,  or  persecutors  of  the  faithful  followers  of  the  Lord.  There 
are  no  enemies  spoken  of  as  there  are,  with  so  much  emphasis, 
in  the  other  messages.  Sad  is  the  catalogue  of  the  persecutions 
through  which  the  others  were  called  to  pass,  but  in  the  comnui- 
nication  to  the  believers  of  Sardis  there  is  no  such  painful  allusion. 

Was  this  because  with  them  there  were  no  such  attacks  made 
upon  the  kingdom  of  darkness  as  to  call  forth  the  opposition  of 
the  enemy?  Easy,  affluent,  conformed  to  the  world,  there  was 
no  such  positive  effort  for  the  truth  in  Christ  Jesus  as  to  arouse 
the  hostility  of  the  powers  of  darkness.  On  the  other  hand,  can 
there  be  a  question  that  one  great  cause  of  the  indifference  in  the 
church  of  Sardis,  which  called  forth  the  charge  against  it,  "  Thou 
hast  a  name  that  those  livest  and  art  dead,"  was  that  their  Chris- 
tian fidelity  had  not  been  braced  up  by  the  endurance  of  persecu- 
tion? All  the  annals  of  persecution  go  to  confirm  the  truth  that 
the  most  deadly  rage  of  persecution  only  serves  to  render  the 
faithful  more  loyal,  courageous,  and  strong. 

Another  peculiarity  of  this  message  is  found  in  the  evidence 
which  it  furnishes  that  wealth  and  worldly  prosperity  are  not 
friendly  to  grace,  either  in  the  individual  soul  or  in  the  Church 
as  a  body.  It  is  a  fact  which  we  may  not  overlook  tliat  the 
wealthy  Sardis  and  the  elegant  Laodicea  were  the  two  churches 
which  had  sunken  into  the  lowest  spiritual  state ;  and  that  the 
humble  Philadelphia  and  Smyrna  were  the  two  which  were 
spoken  of  as  the  richest  towards  God.     It  is  also  a  most  ominous 

329 


330      INAUGUKAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

fact  that,  except  Ephesus,  for  which  there  was  a  local  physical 
cause,  the  spiritually  dead  and  wretched  Sardis  and  the  luke- 
warm Laodicea  are  the  only  cities  of  the  messages  which  are, 
at  this  day,  in  a  state  of  absolute  ruin  and  desolation. 

2.   LOCATION". 

What  Jerusalem  was  to  Judea,  what  Babylon  was  to  Chaldea, 
what  Bome  was  to  Italy,  what  Paris  is  to  France,  what  London 
is  to  England,  that  was  Sardis  to  the  kingdom  of  Lydia.  Its 
present  condition  can  give  but  very  little  intimation  of  what  it 
once  was,  or  why  it  should  have  been  so  great.  The  wilderness 
of  scattered  ruins  called  Sardo,  or  Sart,  on  the  plain  of  Natolia, 
will  be  interrogated  in  vain  as  to  its  old  influence  in  helping  for- 
ward the  currents  of  civilization.  The  place  is  wretched  now, 
and  yet  tliat  plain  is  one  of  imperishable  renown  in  the  world's 
history.  On  it  was  concentrated  the  wealth  of  Croesus.  It  wit- 
nessed the  marching  of  the  victorious  army  of  Alexander  the 
Great,  the  triumphs  of  Cyrus,  the  departure  of  the  "  Ten  Thou- 
sand," with  Xenophon  at  their  head,  and  the  mustering  of  the 
ill-fated  forces  of  Xerxes.  It  was  the  centre  of  the  civili- 
zation, culture,  wealth,  and  empire  of  the  age  of  its  greatest 
glory. 

It  was  situated  at  a  confluence  of  the  great  highways  which 
led  up  from  the  ^gean  coast  into  the  interior  highlands,  the 
valley  of  the  Euphrates,  and  the  regions  of  the  far  East.  From 
this  it  will  be  seen  how  important  as  a  commercial  point  it  must 
have  been,  since  over  those  great  roads  was  carried  the  merchan- 
dise of  the  seas,  and  in  return  was  transported  the  rich  produce 
of  the  mines,  forests,  fields,  and  valleys  of  the  interior.  The 
exact  place  the  city  occupied  may  be  understood  by  the  state- 
ments that  it  lay  three  days  east  from  Ephesus,  nearly  fifty  miles 
due  east  from  Smyrna,  thirty  miles  south  of  Thyatira,  and 
twenty-four  miles  nearly  due  west  of  Philadelphia. 

Its  situation  was  one  of  surpassing  beauty.  It  had  nearly 
every  natural  advantage.  It  was  on  the  left  bank,  and  about 
two  miles  from  the  river  Hermus,  a  stream  flowing  down  from 
the  mountain  region  of  the  interior  and  emptying  into  the  Gulf 
of  Smyrna  on  the  coast  of  the  ^gean.  An  exceedingly  beautiful 
plain  extended  from  the  left  bank,  or  south  side  of  the  river,  for 
the  two  miles  to  the  foot  of  the  Tmolus  mountain.  At  the  point 
where  it  meets  that  mountain,  and  where  a  steep  and  high  spur 
juts  out,  there  is  a  little   brook   called   the  Pactolus  that  pours 


THE  GOLDEN   SANDS.  331 

down  from  the  heights,  meanders  through  the  j)laiu,  and  enters 
the  river.  At  that  point  of  junction  of  mountain  and  plain,  and 
brooli  and  fields  connecting  mountain-foot  and  great  river,  was 
located  the  splendid  city.  Every  element  of  the  location  con- 
spired to  increase  the  beauty  and  convenience  of  the  situation 
for  a  great  and  prosperous  capital. 

Mountain  peak  towering  up  into  a  sublime  acropolis;  grand 
slope  from  the  southern  heights;  pure  rivulet  carrying  down 
its  golden  sands  and  gliding  through  the  agora;  beautiful  plain 
of  matchless  fertility  connecting  mountain  and  river;  splendid 
high-road  crossing  the  brook  on  a  magnificent  bridge  and  running 
east  and  west  until  lost  in  the  distance  in  both  directions, — all 
these  were  covered  by  the  city.  Sublime  nuist  have  been  its 
background  of  mountain,  with  its  snow-crested  top,  its  acropolis 
piercing  the  clouds,  and  its  magnificent  views  of  the  j)lain  sweep- 
ing afar,  both  east  and  west,  and  with  the  Hernnis  extending  so 
far  into  the  distance  as  to  become  like  a  mere  line  of  silver. 
This  whole  scene  was  described  as  one  of  incomparable  beauty 
and  fertility,  lying,  as  it  did,  at  the  confluence  of  the  Hermus  and 
the  Pactolus,  and  at  the  foot  of  Mount  Tmolus. 

Its  location  also  made  it  a  place  of  great  commercial  importance. 
It  lay  on  the  line  of  the  great  thoroughfares  connecting  the  coast 
with  the  whole  interior  and  with  the  far  East.  It  was  usually 
crowded  by  merchants  and  merchandise  entering  and  departing  in 
both  directions.  It  was  also  the  great  center  into  which  flowed  im- 
mense quantities  of  the  produce  of  one  of  the  most  fertile  regions 
of  Asia.  The  crops  which  were  yearly  gathered  from  the  Hermus 
valley  alone  must  have  given  rise  to  a  vast  market  of  them- 
selves. The  grain  from  the  rich  agricultural  plains,  the  wool 
from  the  mountain  slopes  and  vast  pasture  lands,  the  timber 
from  the  forests  of  immense  trees,  and  other  produce  of  the 
farms,  must  have  given  rise  to  great  mercantile  activity.  Espe- 
cially must  the  famous  golden  sands  of  the  brooks  from  the 
mountains  have  awakened  an  extraordinary  industry,  as  well  as 
furnished  the  means  for  sustaining  it.  All  these,  as  well  as  the 
sardonyx  gems  which  gave  to  the  place  its  name,  and  the  fra- 
grant woods  peculiar  to  the  region,  conspired  to  make  it  a  center 
of  much  wealth  and  mercantile  life. 

3.   THE  CITY  AS  IT  WAS. 

The  real  greatness  of  Sardis  had  long  since  passed  away  when 
this   message   was   addressed   to   the   people   of  God   who  dwelt 


332       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

therein.  Still,  it  is  more  than  a  matter  of  curiosity  with  us  to 
endeavor  to  know  all  we  can  of  it  in  its  brightest  and  best  days. 
The  full  understanding  of  the  people  to  whom  these  words  from 
heaven  were  addressed  requires  that  we  should  see  the  city  at 
the  zenith  of  its  greatness,  as  well  as  in  the  partial  decline  into 
which  it  had  fallen  when  it  first  heard  the  gospel  from  the  lips 
of  apostolic  men.  It  was  one  of  the  spots  of  earth  on  which 
humanity  worked  out  the  sublime  destiny  to  which  it  was  or- 
dained, and  we  need  to  study  the  various  stages  through  which 
it  advanced.  Of  its  very  earliest  days  we  know  but  little  with 
certainty.  Its  condition  during  those  remote  ages  was  connected 
with  old  tales  that  are  half  mythical  and  half  historical.  We 
know  enough,  however,  of  what  it  was  in  those  fabulous  times 
to  make  our  studies  of  them  both  satisfactory  and  profitable. 

It  was  undoubtedly  one  of  the  most  opulent  and  splendid  of 
the  cities  of  the  East.  The  proverbial  expression  then  generally 
applied  to  it  was :  "  Sardis,  the  beautiful  capital  of  Lydia." 
For  a  long  i:)eriod  it  was  the  residence  of  the  monarchs  of  that 
country,  and  continued  to  be  so  until  the  time  of  Croesus,  the 
greatest  and  last  of  its  kings.  So  great  was  this  city  that  history 
has  always  given  it  a  place  in  rank  with  the  capital  of  Egypt, 
with  Damascus,  with  Tyre,  and  with  Susa,  the  residence  of  the 
Persian  kings. 

There  was  nothing  for  which  Sardis  was  so  much  famed  in 
its  day  as  for  its  wealth.  Its  manufactures  and  commerce,  its 
agricultural  products  and  mines,  were  such  as  to  make  it  opulent 
and  great.  For  these,  and  for  its  luxury,  there  was  probably  no 
city  of  its  time  that  would  compare  with  it. 

Every  feature  of  the  site  which  it  occupied  was  such  as  to  give 
magnificence  to  the  city  on  whose  adornment  wealth  and  royalty 
put  forth  their  utmost  powers.  But  few  cities  of  either  ancient 
or  modern  times  had  such  a  view  to  present  as  that  which  lay 
before  the  eye  from  the  lofty  acropolis  that  towered  above  palaces 
and  temples,  markets  and  busy  life.  Higher  still  than  the  acro- 
polis, from  the  mountain  peak  behind  it  a  wider  view  could  be 
obtained  and  the  eye  sweep  beyond  the  river  to  the  far  north  or 
south,  and  revel  in  the  beauties  of  majestic  forests  and  the  gleam- 
ing water  of  a  lake,  and  glittering  palaces  and  smiling  fields  of 
richest  verdure.  On  a  closer  view  from  our  lofty  observatory 
we  behold,  on  either  side  of  us,  spread  over  the  mountain  slopes, 
the  elegant  residences  of  the  rich  and  the  great.  Yonder,  appa- 
rently at   our  feet,  on   the   south    of  the   plain,   is  the   splendid 


THE  GOLDEN  SANDS.  333 

white  marble  temple  of  Cybele,  with  its  perfect  pillars— two  of 
which  are  still  remaining.  Yonder,  washing  that  temple  wall, 
is  the  silvery  stream  of  the  Pactolus  foaming  over  the  rocks, 
down  from  the  mountains,  through  the  agora,  on  to  the  river, 
and  bearing  in  its  sands  the  wealth  that  shall  spread  over  many 
a  land.  Yonder  are  the  noble  bridges  here  and  tliere  crossing 
the  stream,  connecting  the  two  parts  of  the  city,  and  carrying 
over  them  the  great  roads  of  merchandise  and  pleasure.  Yonder 
are  the  nameless  edifices,  so  costly  and  beautiful  that  their  ruins 
have  outlived  the  decay  of  centuries,  and  still  fill  the  traveler 
with  amazement. 

Such  was  the  material  grandeur  of  the  place;  but  what  of  the 
people  who  then  inhabited  it?  It  is  gad  to  know  that  all  their 
wealth  and  luxury  but  served  to  make  them  the  more  voluptuous 
and  corrupt.  They  may  have  had  worldly  elegance  from  their 
great  affluence,  but  they  were  debased  in  their  lives.  They  were 
proverbially  corrupt,  even  in  that  age  of  general  corruption.  This 
is  shown  by  the  very  significant  expression  in  the  message:  '■'■even 
in  SarcUs.''^  "A  few  names  even  in  Sardis,"  intimates  that  the 
place  was  so  utterly  debased  that  this  was  scarcely  to  be  expected. 
That  there  were  even  a  few  unspotted  ones  there  was  to  be  the 
more  wondered  at,  since  all  around  was  so  deeply  degraded.  It 
could  hardly  have  been  otherwise  considering  the  tone  of  the  mes- 
sage. Their  dominant  worship  was  that  of  the  great  mother-god- 
dess, Cybele;  and  that  worship,  it  will  be  remembered,  with  its 
eunuch  priesthood  and  its  orgaistic  rites,  was  one  which  tended, 
as  much  almost  as  that  of  Dionysos  or  Aphrodite,  to  sins  of  a 
foul  and  nameless  impurity.  In  the  midst  of  such  a  population, 
rescued  from  such  a  cultus,  we  have  to  think  of  the  small  com- 
munity of  disciples  who  were  addressed,  through  their  angel,  as 
the  church  of  Sardis. 

At  the  time  of  the  messages,  Sardis  had  declined  much  from 
its  former  greatness  and  elegance,  but  it  was  still  a  place  of  great 
importance.  Seventy  years  before,  it  had  suffered  greatly  from 
an  earthquake,  the  dread  scourge  of  all  that  country.  After  that, 
as  is  often  the  case,  there  had  followed  a  dreadful  pestilence.  But 
time  passed — three-quarters  of  a  century  had  enabled  it  to  recover. 
It  had  risen  again  so  as,  above  many  other  cities,  to  have  the  honor 
of  erecting  a  splendid  temple  to  the  emperor  Tiberius,  who  had 
aided  its  people  in  the  season  of  their  calamities.  At  the  time 
when  the  heavenly  message  came,  it  was  again  a  fairly  flourish- 
ing community. 


334  INAUGUEAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

4.   ITS  HISTORY. 

So  influential  were  its  fortunes  considered  in  tlieir  day  that  it 
is  related  of  the  famous  Persian,  Xerxes,  that,  on  hearing  that  it 
had  been  seized  by  the  Greeks,  he  commanded  a  servant  to  cry 
aloud  every  day  when  he  was  at  dinner:  "The  Greeks  have 
taken  Sardis!"  From  its  convenient  place  in  the  country  and 
the  extreme  fertility  of  its  surrounding  soil,  it  was  a  mart  of  com- 
manding influence.  On  account  of  its  great  wealth  it  was  always 
an  object  of  much  cupidity  and  many  long  sieges.  Its  history  ex- 
tended through  the  period  running  from  b.  c.  716  to  A.  D.  1430,  tivo 
thousand  one  hundred  and  forty-six  years.  It  naturally  divides  itself 
into  seven  periods:  the  mythical  period,  to  b.  c.  716;  the  Lydian 
period,  to  B.C.  548;  the  Pergamese  period,  in  a  very  short  time 
merging  into  the  Persian  period,  and  the  Persian  period,  to  B.  c. 
214;  the  Grecian  period,  to  b.  c.  187;  the  Roman  period  to  about 
A.  D.  400,  and  the  period  of  Islam  and  the  Turks,  to  a.  d.  1430,  or 
the  present  time. 

As  to  the  first,  the  period  of  myths  and  fables,  we  are  not  able 
to  fix  upon  any  definite  time  of  its  commencement.  What  we 
know  certainly  is  that  toward  the  close  of  the  period  it  passes 
into  the  light  of  history,  and  we  may  establish  its  boundary  at 
about  B.  c.  716.  We  have  data  enough  to  make  it  certain  that 
it  was  a  royal  city,  the  seat  of  a  powerful  empire,  even  before 
the  founding  of  Rome.  It  was  a  place  of  renown  before  the 
purple  dye  was  used  in  Miletus,  or  civilization  was  acquainted 
with  "Corinthian  brass."  "Herodotus,  the  father  of  history,  gives 
us  the  early  story  of  Sardis,  which  is  interwoven  with  that  of  the 
old  dynasty  of  the  kings  of  Lydia.  At  first  only  a  collection  of 
wattled  huts,  it  increased  in  importance,  as  the  kingdom  of  which 
it  was  the  cradle  overspread  the  western  portion  of  Asia  Minor." 

At  the  time  when  it  first  emerged  into  the  light  of  well-authen- 
ticated history— that  is,  about  b.  c.  716— there  were  many  import- 
ant events  occurring  in  other  parts  of  the  world.  Romulus  had 
just  been  murdered  by  the  Roman  Senatus;  INIedia  became  a 
kingdom ;  Sennacherib  was  king  of  Nineveh ;  the  Babylonian 
captivity  of  Israel  was  occurring;  Hezekiah  was  king  of  Judah; 
the  awful  miracle  of  the  slaughter  of  18."'),0(>0  of  the  Assyrian  army 
by  the  angel  of  death  was  scattering  dismay  on  every  hand ;  the 
first  eclipse  of  the  moon  was  observed  by  the  Chaldean  sages,  and 
at  that  time  the  calendar  was  reformed  bj^  the  year  being  divided 
into  twelve  months  instead  of  ten,  as  it  had  been   before.    Amid 


THE  GOLDEN  SANDS.  335 

such  memorable  events  as  these,  Candaules,  the  first  historical 
king  of  Lydia,  appears,  and  from  that  date  forward  we  can  trace 
the  outlines  of  its  history  with  a  tolerable  degree  of  accuracy. 
We  trace  its  annals  down  for  162  years  until  the  time  of  Croesus, 
the  last  and  noblest  of  its  kings.  Under  him  Sardis  reached  the 
pinnacle  of  its  greatness ;  but  then  it  fell,  its  highest  glory  de- 
parted, and  from  that  time  forward  its  prosperity  declined  more 
and  more. 

The  crisis  in  which  the  dominion  of  the  Lydian  kings  came  to 
an  end  is  one  of  the  saddest  events  of  history.  We  may  not  pass 
it  over  without  special  notice.  In  the  year  b.  c.  548,  its  king, 
Croesus,  became  involved  in  war  with  the  neighboring  nation  of 
Persia  under  Cyrus.  The  Lydian  forces  were  defeated,  and  j^ur- 
sued  to  their  capital,  where  they  were  again  conquered.  Croesus 
retreated  to  his  last  stronghold  in  the  Acropolis  of  Sardis,  which 
was  supposed  to  be  impregnable.  But  his  confidence  was  ill- 
placed,  and  the  capture  of  that  hold  became  one  of  the  dreadful 
romances  of  history. 

The  sway  of  the  Lydians  came  to  an  end,  but  the  city  lived  on  ; 
•and  as,  before,  it  had  revived  after  its  destruction  by  earthquake 
and  pestilence,  so  it  arose  again  as  a  city,  though  not  as  a  govern- 
ment, after  the  fearful  overthrow  of  war.  The  city  flourished  again, 
so  that  it  existed  when  Alexander  the  Great  passed  through  it  on 
his  victorious  expedition.  It  surrendered  at  once,  after  the  battle 
of  Granicus,  and  his  army  encamped  by  the  Hermus  near  by. 
Having  ascended  the  citadel,  then  fortified  with  a  triple  wall,  he 
resolved  to  erect  in  it  a  temple  and  altar  to  Jui)iter  Olympus,  on 
the  site  of  the  royal  palace  of  the  Lydians.  Under  his  ausj^ices 
Sardis  again  became  a  magnificent  city,  but  it  never  attained  to 
its  former  glory.  From  that  time  forward  it  declined,  and,  though 
for  centuries  it  was  still  one  of  the  important  cities  of  Asia  Minor, 
it  was  never  more  the  Sardis  of  Croesus  or  of  the  Pergamese. 

Another  of  the  calamities  which  seem  to  have  attended  all  its 
history  was  in  the  year  b.  c.  214,  when  it  was  taken  and  sacked  by 
the  army  of  Antiochus  the  Great,  and  for  a  time  passed  under  the 
dominion  of  the  Macedonian  kings.  When  these  were  defeated 
by  the  Scipios  at  the  battle  of  Magnesia,  it  passed  into  the  hands 
of  the  Romans,  and  became  the  seat  of  the  prefect  of  their  province 
of  Asia. 

This  introduces  the  Roman  period,  of  almost  six  hundred  years — 
the  period  of  its  history  which  is  to  us  the  most  interesting,  because 
in  it  the  people  received  the  gospel,  its  church  was  founded,  and 


336       INAUGUKAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

this  message  was  sent  from  the  heavenly  throne.  During  this 
period  it  was  that  the  affairs  of  Clirist's  kingdom  began  visi-bly 
to  influence  the  movements  of  this  great  earthly  kingdom,  and  we 
search  in  the  q^inals  of  Sardis  for  the  progress  of  the  Church  of  God. 
We  may  not,  at  present,  enter  upon  the  subject  of  the  advent  of 
our  Lord,  with  its  immediately  subsequent  events,  and  merely 
name  one  or  two  of  the  more  prominent  features  of  the  Church's 
earliest  history  in  connection  with  Sardis.  One  of  these  is  the 
sad  record  of  the  sufferings  which  the  brave  followers  of  Christ 
endured  from  persecution  as  they  labored  to  establish  the  gospel 
in  its  first  ages.  No  pen  ever  has  described,  or  ever  can  fully 
describe,  their  multitude  and  their  cruelty. 

The  last  of  the  periods  under  which  the  history  of  this  city 
may  be  studied  commenced  a.  d.  400,  and  continued  for  over  six 
hundred  years.  At  that  time  it  was  attacked  and  ravaged,  amid 
wi  ,  scenes  of  bloodshed,  by  the  Goths,  who  plundered  it  without 
resw  hist  or  remorse.  Then  followed  years  of  disaster  until  it 
'•ackjaily  woi-e  away  into  the  confused  ruin  which  is  all  that  the 
traveler  now  beholds.  It  passed  through  many  strangely  sad 
changes,  among  which  it  may  be  specially  noted  that  the  tern-* 
pies  of  Sardis  were  restored  and  reopened,  and  its  churches  closed, 
by  Julian  the  Apostate,  in  his  vain  effort  to  resuscitate  a  defunct 
idolatry;  and  in  the  year  A.  D.  400,  during  the  first  invasion  of 
the  Goths,  Sardis  was  ravaged  and  plundered.  It  remained,  how- 
ever, a  wealthy  and  prosperous  city  for  six  hundred  years,  until 
its  final  capture  by  the  Turks  in  the  twelfth  century ;  but  for  many 
years  before  this  it  had  been  exposed  to  the  incessant  inroads  of 
the  hordes  of  Islam.  These  incursions,  in  which  all  the  male  pris- 
oners were  slaughtered  and  the  females  carried  off,  had  rapidly 
diminished  the  Christian  population ;  its  trade  was  gone,  and 
the  greater  part  of  the  surviving  inhabitants  preferred  a  more 
obscure  refuge  in  the  mountain  fastnesses  of  Tmolus,  until  Tamer- 
lane the  Tartar  carried  fire  and  sword  through  Asia  Minor,  in  the 
first  years  of  the  fifteen  century,  and  so  utterly  devastated  Sardis 
and  scattered  its  inhabitants  that  no  attempt  has  since  been  made 
to  plant  even  a  village  on  the  spot. 

Even  the  most  cursory  glance  over  the  city's  history  will  leave 
on  the  mind  a  deep  impression  of  the  instability  of  human  things. 
That  history  is  a  most  excellent  type  of  the  vicissitudes  of  nations : 
inventions,  glories,  shame,  great  men,  battles,  sieges,  follow  each 
other,  in  uncontrollable  succession,  until  all  arc  passed  away,  and 
nothing  remains  but  marble  fragments.    Nay,  much  does  remain 


THE  GOLDEN  SANDS.  337 

— not  in  material  monuments,  but  in  the  impression  that  each 
has  made  on  the  character  of  our  common  humanity.  Races 
passed  away  from  the  ken  of  history,  Lydians,  Pergamese,  Per- 
sians, Greeks,  Romans,  Goths,  Moliammedans  and  Turlvs — such  is 
the  wonderful  succession  in  the  inhabitants  of  this  old  city.  What 
must  be  the  picture  to  the  Eye  that  can  look  upon  all  cities,  and 
all  classes  of  men  who  have  dwelt  therein? 

5.   GOLDEN  SANDS. 

Among  the  many  remarkable  things  connected  with  this  city, 
one  was  the  name  of  "Golden  Sands"  with  which  it  was  always 
connected.  We  have  already  seen  that  back  of  the  city  there  lay 
against  the  horizon  a  great  mountain-range;  and  that,  from  those 
mountain  heights,  with  their  peaks  of  never-melting  snow,  there 
rushed  down  a  beautiful  brook  called  the  Pactolus.  In  the  foam- 
ing waters  of  this  stream  were  innumerable  particles  of  gold  w'/-  h 
it  had  washed  out  of  the  rocks  over  which  it  passed,  carrie  es  ,  er 
the  plain,  and  deposited  on  its  strand,  through  the  agora,  ^nce. 
along  its  course  to  the  great  river  into  which  it  emptied.  -This 
precious  deposit  never  ceased  to  be  made  as  the  brook  rushed  on, 
whether  by  the  swollen  winter  torrent  or  by  the  gleaning  expanse 
of  the  sleeping  summer's  flow.  This  was  the  source  of  much  of 
the  city's  wealth.  Like  many  other  gold-fields,  it  was  long  since 
exhausted.  By  the  time  of  Augustus  it  had  ceased  to  produce  the 
precious  metal. 

6.   CRCESUS, 

The  greatest  name  connected  with  the  history  of  Sardis  is  that 
of  Crcesus,  its  last,  most  honored,  and  most  unfortunate  king. 
Croesus  and  Sardis  are  two  names  which  history  has  made  in- 
separable. Sardis  cannot  be  thought  of  without  Crcesus.  He  was 
a  great  monarch ;  for  the  man  who  stood  at  the  head  of  such  a 
nation  as  Lydia,  with  such  a  capital  as  Sardis  and  holding  such 
an  eminent  position  among  the  nations  of  earth,  must  necessarily 
be  greatly  renowned  and  honored  among  his  fellow  men.  He  was 
great  because  of  these  and  other  things  for  which  he  was  famed 
throughout  antiquity;  but  greatest  of  all  because  of  his  wealth. 
"As  rich  as  Croesus"  is  a  proverbial  expression  known  to  every 
one.  Even  though  the  epoch  of  his  life  has  so  long  since  passed 
away,  we  can  gather  many  hints  and  allusions  which  make  it 
certain  that  his  treasures  must  have  been  immense.  No  one  who 
had  not  millions  at  his  command  could  have  erected  those  costly 
22 


338  IXAUGUPtAL  OF  THE   ENTHKONED   KING. 

temples,  magnificent  palaces  and  other  grand  structures  which 
bore  his  name.  The  treasures  which  he  sent  to  the  temple  of 
Delphi,  and  the  collections  of  gold  and  precious  stones,  of  paint- 
ings and  statues,  which  he  exhibited  to  the  philosopher,  Solon, 
revealed  the  countless  hoards  of  his  riches.  Perhaps,  however, 
the  most  significant  of  all  was  seen  in  the  enormous  amount  of 
ransom  he  was  able  at  once  to  pay  the  king  of  Persia,  into  whose 
hands  he  had  fallen  captive  in  the  battle  which  ended  at  once 
his  glory  and  his  reign.  That  ransom,  it  is  upon  record,  amounted 
to  the  immense  sum  of  $631,320,000,  the  largest  price  of  libertj'^  that 
was  ever  offered.  It  is  no  wonder  that  he  was  elated  by  the  pos- 
session of  such  countless  thousands  of  treasure,  that  it  should  even 
make  him  vain,  and  that  he  should  sometimes  show  that  vanity  be- 
fore the  obsequious  courtiers  over  whom  he  reigned  with  absolute 
dominion.  An  instance  is  on  record  in  his  interview  with  Solon, 
the ,  great  lawgiver  and  philosopher  of  Greece.  In  the  course 
of  lis!  travels,  the  Grecian  sage  was  visiting  the  Lydian  king. 
After  ostentatiously  displaying  to  Solon  his  splendors,  the  monu- 
ments of  his  great  victories,  and  esi^ecially  his  enormous  riches, 
the  king  asked  him  "  who  was  the  hajipiest  man  he  had  ever 
seen,"  not  doubting  but  that  compliment  would  be  paid  to  him- 
self. Solon,  however,  first  hesitating,  and  going  over  certain  other 
names,  finally  replied :  "  The  gods  are  jealous  of  human  prosperity, 
and  no  one  can  be  called  fully  happy  till  a  happy  death  has  closed 
a  happy  life." 

This  rej)ly  proved  ominous  for  the  Lydian  king,  who  became 
as  eminent  for  his  misfortunes  as  he  had  been  for  his  prosperity. 
In  an  evil  time  for  him,  he  became  involved  in  a  war  with  Cyrus, 
king  of  Persia.  Three  times  Over  was  he  defeated  in  a  most  dis- 
astrous manner— when  he  went  out  and  met  the  enemy  in  open 
field;  on  the  great  plains  before  his  own  city  gates;  and  at  the 
fancied  impregnable  fortress  of  his  citadel.  In  the  last  of  these 
he  was  captured  and  was  doomed  to  be  burnt  alive.  His  victori- 
ous enemy  remorselessly  gave  order  for  the  execution  of  the  sen- 
tence. Bound  in  chains  he  was  placed  on  the  fagots  wliich  were 
piled  up  for  the  flames.  Then  came  to  his  mind  the  warning  of 
the  fiirocian  sage,  and  in  the  depth  of  his  woe  he  cried  out,  "O 
Solon !  vSolon !"  The  strange  words  reached  the  ears  of  Cyrus, 
and  he  held  back  the  torch  for  a  moment  to  ask  their  meaning. 
The  victim  promptly  explained;  the  touching  incident  reached 
the  Persian's  heart ;  he  was  melted ;  caused  the  execution  to  be 
arrested ;    released  the   unhappy  man ;    subsequently  learned   the 


THE  GOLDEN   SANDS.  339 

excellency  of  his  character ;    and   ever  afterward  made  him    his 
most  trusted  and  valued  counsellor. 

The  real  greatness  of  Croesus  came  to  light  after  this  terrible 
lesson  of  adversity,  when  he  put  the  proper  estimate  upon 
worldly  prosperity,  cultivated  the  highest  art,  practiced  the 
noblest  virtue,  and  proved  the  wisest  and  best  of  friends. 

7.    OBJECTS  OF  PECULIAR  INTEREST. 

(1.)  The  Acropolis. — The  first  and  most  remarkable  of  these 
peculiar  objects  is  the  Acropolis.  It  was  situated  at  the  southern 
extremity  of  the  city,  at  the  point  where  the  structures  impinge 
upon  the  mountain  which  overtops  the  whole  scene.  It  was  in 
fact  a  peak  of  the  mountain  that  stood  out  in  the  plain  which 
the  buildings  covered.  The  material  of  which  it  is  composed  is 
not  a  cemented  concrete,  but  it  is  a  heap  of  rounded  pebbles 
mixed  with  sand.  In  consequence  of  this  peculiar  formation,  the 
washings  of  winter  torrents  have  torn  its  face  into  crevices  and 
gullies  which  give  it  a  peculiarly  jagged  and  wild  appearance. 
Earthquakes,  too,  have  gashed  it  into  cracks  which  are  of  fright- 
ful dimensions.  Its  magnitude  can  be  imagined  from  the  fact 
that,  on  the  north,  or  side  of  the  plain,  it  is  one  thousand  feet 
high,  and,  on  the  other,  or  mountain  side,  it  is  five  hundred  feet 
down  to  a  valley  which  separates  it  from  the  general  mountain 
mass.  So  steep  is  it  that,  excepting  by  a  single  path,  it  is  im- 
possible to  climb  up  its  ftice  from  the  city. 

The  view  from  the  heights  of  this  Acropolis  is  grand  and 
interesting.  All  around  it  was  stretched  the  great  plain  on  which 
the  city  and  its  suburbs  stood.  Even  now,  what  splendors  of 
nature!  what  memorials  of  a  mighty  past!  Look  in  any  direc- 
tion, and  what  do  we  see?  Yonder,  the  ever-flowing  Pactolus! 
Yonder  the  mysterious  Gerusia,  of  glorious  fame !  Yonder  the 
immense  mausoleum  of  the  kings  of  Lydia !  Y'onder  the  gleam- 
ing waters  of  the  Gygsean  Lake,  with  Diana's  temple  on  its 
bank!  Yonder  the  beautiful  "Valley  of  Sweets,"  and  yonder  the 
old,  far-famed  Hermus  flowing  on  to  mingle  with  the  waters  of 
the  ^gean !  Mr.  McGarvey,  a  modern  traveler,  gives  this  de- 
scription: "I  have  seen  nothing  in  my  travel  more  magnificent 
than  the  view  which  it"  (the  Acropolis)  "affords.  To  the  south, 
across  a  rough  intervening  valley,  rise  the  mountains  of  Tmolus, 
about  2000  feet  high,  and  here  thickly  wooded.  To  the  west, 
across  a  narrow  valley,  is  a  ridge  like  the  one  on  which  we 
stand,  jagged  and  peaked  in  the   wildest  manner.    The  ruins  of 


340  INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHEONED  KING, 

the  temple  of  Cybele  are  in  this  valley — its  two  columns  that  are 
still  erect  standing  in  loneliness  amid  a  mass  of  marble  blocks 
lying  in  confusion  about  them.  To  the  north  the  eye  takes  in 
the  valley  of  the  Hermus,  Avhich  stretches  to  the  right  and  left 
until  it  is  lost  in  the  dim  distance,  and  it  traces  the  serpentine 
course  of  the  river  itself  for  many  miles  along  the  valley.  We 
see,  just  before  us  on  the  bank  of  this  stream,  the  place  where 
Alexander  the  Great  was  encamped  when  Sardis  opened  her 
gates  to  him  without  resistance,  and  we  gaze  on  the  same  land- 
scape which  he  beheld  when,  standing  on  this  very  Acropolis,  he 
resolved  to  build  a  temple  to  the  mother  of  .Jupiter.  Still  nearer, 
in  the  plain  is  the  battle-field  in  which  the  army  of  the  rich 
Croesus  was  defeated  by  Cyrus,  after  which  event  the  city  fell 
into  the  hands  of  this  Persian  conqueror." 

(2.)  Mouiifain  Back  of  the  Acropolis.  The  next  object  worthy 
of  special  description  is  Mount  Tmolus,  whicli  rises  up  back  of 
the  Acropolis,  and  ascends,  ridge  after  ridge,  above  the  clouds 
and  terminates  in  peaks  in  perpetual  snow.  This  was  an  object 
that  evermore  was  in  view  of  the  inhabitants  of  tlie  city.  It  was 
remarkable  for  its  color  as  well  as  for  its  height  and  strangely 
weird  shape.  This,  in  the  region  above  trees  and  all  other 
vegetation,  was  of  a  reddish  sandstone,  which,  in  contrast 
with  the  greenness  of  the  trees,  and  with  the  sun's  rising  and 
setting,  must  have  been  singularly  wild  and  varied.  But  we  can 
impart  the  best  impression  of  the  whole  scene  by  quoting  the 
description  by  Arundell,  whose  eyes  often  rested  upon  it : 

"The  appearance  of  the  hill  of  the  Acropolis  from  the  oppo- 
site bank  of  the  Hermus"  (five  miles  distant)  is  that  of  a  tri- 
angular insulated  hill,  close  at  the  back  of  which  rise  ridge  after 
ridge  of  mountains,  the  most  elevated  covered  with  snow.  On 
approaching  close  to  it,  the  hill,  as  well  as  most  of  the  mountains 
at  the  back,  are  i)erceived  to  be  of  a  reddish  sandstone,  and 
those  at  the  west  especially,  as  well  as  the  Acropolis  itself,  of  the 
most  extraordinary  and  fantastic  outline;  the  crumbling  nature 
of  the  sandstone  will  in  part  account  for  this;  but  a  more  satis- 
factory solution  will  be  found  in  the  terrible  earthquakes  which 
have  so  often  changed  the  face  of  Asia  Minor,  raising,  according 
to  Tacitus,  valleys  into  mountains,  and  depressing  mountains 
into  valleys.  Certainly  no  inferior  agency  can  account  for  the 
jagged  and  disturbed  forms  of  the  peaks  of  INtount  Tmolus  for  a 
considerable  distance  from  Sardis  towards  Smyrna." 

(8.)   Ruins   of   Cybele's    Temple. — Of    all    the   wonders,    in    and 


THE  GOLDEN  SANDS.  341 

around  Sardis,  the  mere  work  of  human  hands,  the  one  which 
attracts  the  most  notice  is  that  of  two  mysterious  columns,  VA'hich 
stand  erect  and  silent.  The  traveler  Hartley  thus  describes  the 
first  impression  tlie  sight  of  them  made  on  him :  "I  was  filled 
with  wonder  and  awe  at  beholding  the  two  stupendous  columns 
of  this  edifice  wliich  are  still  remaining:  they  are  silent  but  im- 
pressive witnesses  of  the  power  and  splendor  of  antiquity." 

They  stand  in  the  retired  valley  back  of  the  Acropolis,  and 
between  it  and  the  steep  mountain.  They  are  on  the  bank  of 
tlie  Pactolus,  whose  stream  must  have  washed  tlie  foundations  of 
the  structure  with  which  they  were  connected  in  the  days  of  its 
glory.  Towering  up  so  high,  so  disconnected  at  present  with 
other  edifice,  so  solitary,  so  beautiful,  and  yet  so  much  in  ruin, 
they  cannot  but  make  a  peculiar  impression. 

What  are  they?  When  were  they  raised?  Witli  wliat  mag- 
nificent structure  did  tliey  once  stand  connected?  These  are 
questions  which  rise  in  the  mind  of  every  one  who  contemplates 
them.  It  is  probable  that  of  Ionic  monuments  standing  in  such 
perfection,  these  are  the  oldest  in  the  world.  From  inscriptions 
which  have  been  found,  it  has  been  ascertained  that  they  were 
a  part  of  a  great  temple  of  the  goddess  Cybele,  who  was  the 
tutelary  deity  of  the  city.  There  were  formerly,  but  in  com- 
paratively recent  times,  six  of  them,  which  all  belonged  to  the 
same  structure  of  which  they  were  a  component  part.  The  other 
four  were  still  standing  at  the  close  of  the  last  century ;  but  the 
sacrilege  of  the  Turks  has  torn  them  down  to  use  their  marble 
for  lime,  or  to  cut  them  into  grave-stones. 

It  is  likely  that  this  temple  of  Cybele,  of  which  they  were 
the  great  ornament,  was  at  least  rebuilt  by  Alexander  the  Great, 
who,  it  is  recorded,  formed  the  purpose  of  erecting  it  while  stand- 
ing on  the  Acropolis  and  filled  with  admiration  of  the  splendid 
objects  which  lay  around  him.  Great  must  have  been  the  skill, 
and  vast  the  toil  that  erected  these  monuments ;  for  though  they 
have  stood  there  for  over  two  thousand  years,  no  chisels  could 
equal  their  workmanship  even  now  ;  and  the  marble  out  of  which 
they  were  wrought  must  have  been  brought  from  a  distance ;  for 
none  of  its  kind  is  found  in  the  neighborhood  of  Sardis.  Accord- 
ing to  actual  measurement,  they  stood  35  feet  above  the  surface 
of  the  ground,  and  careful  explorations  have  traced  them  20  feet 
beneath  it — so  that  their  whole  height  was  55  feet.  Then  a  line 
which  measured  the  circumference  of  each  of  them  was  twenty- 
one  feet  in  length,  making  their  diameter  seven  feet.    They  were 


342       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

splendidly  fluted,  and  their  capitals  were  carved  in  the  most 
exquisite  manner — said  to  be  the  most  perfect  specimen  of  the 
Ionic  order  that  has  ever  been  seen.  The  temple  of  which  they 
were  a  part,  it  is  averred  by  those  best  qualified  to  judge,  was 
second,  in  all  its  parts,  only  to  the  temple  of  Diana  of  Ephesus. 

(4.)  The  Gerusia.—To  the  lover  of  Christianity,  perhaps  the 
most  deei)ly  interesting  of  all  these  ruins  in  Sardis  is  that  which 
is  called  the  Gerusia,  or  house  of  Croesus.  Unlike  the  solitary 
pillars  of  the  temple  of  Cybele,  it  stands,  on  the  plain  west  of  the 
Acropolis,  not  alone,  but  in  a  mass  of  confused  ruins  of  walls, 
rooms,  and  ris^en  blocks  of  marble.  The  last  purpose  to  which 
it  is  known  to  have  been  devoted  was  that  of  an  asylum  for  poor 
old  men ;  and,  in  this,  it  differs  from  anything  else  that  has 
ever  been  found  amid  purely  pagan  archaeology.  I  cannot  recall 
an  instance  of  any  such  humane  institution  adorning  the  annals  of 
the  old  heathen  world.  No  hospital,  no  asylum,  no  home  for  the 
poor,  no  refuge  for  the  outcast  and  suffering,  has  history  preserved 
as  an  alleviation  to  the  dreary  centuries  that  were  without  the 
good  news  of  salvation  and  happiness.  This  cluster  of  ruins  west 
of  the  Acropolis  in  Sardis,  the  Gerusia,  is  the  only  even  apparent 
exception.  It  appears  to  have  been  a  cluster  of  buildings,  great 
rooms  and  halls  and  hidden  apartments,  which  seem  to  have 
been  erected  from  time  to  time  as  new  or  changed  uses  for 
them  required.  The  walls  were  built  entirely  of  fragments  that 
had  been  rifled  from  other  buildings  which  had  existed  pre- 
viously. Throughout  the  whole  mass  of  buildings  a  prevailing 
form  seems  to  have  been  that  of  the  brick  arch  resting  ui)on 
marble  piers.  The  character  of  the  building  when  it  stood  at  its 
prime  may  be  conceived  of  from  the  immense  size  of  its  ruined 
halls,  amongst  the  largest  ever  constructed,  and  with  its  walls 
ten  and  a  half  feet  in  thickness. 

The  fortunes  of  this  strange  building  are  as  interesting  as  are 
its  structure  and  the  peculiarities  of  its  ruins.  Originally  it  had 
been  a  temple  erected  for  the  services  of  some  one  of  the  pagan 
deities.  Afterward  it  became  the  residence  of  Croesus,  Avho  ex- 
pended immense  sums  in  making  it  one  of  the  most  splendid 
palaces  the  earth  has  ever  looked  upon.  At  a  later  period  it  was 
changed  into  an  asylum  for  old  men,  that  was  famous  in  that 
day.  This  it  was  which  rendered  it  deejjly  interesting  to  all 
lovers  of  the  gospel.  First  an  idol  temple,  then  the  most  splen- 
did of  palaces,  and  then  one  of  the  first  asylums  which  the 
humanizing  influences  of  the  gospel  prompted  believers  to  erect 


THE  GOLDEN  SANDS.  343 

into  a  home  and  source  of  blessings  for  the  atflieted.  Wliat  a  fit 
emblem  did  it  prove  of  the  humane  influence  of  Christianity, 
which  enters  a  nation,  dark  and  degraded  by  paganism,  and, 
spreads  among  its  people  not  only  the  hope  of  a  better  life  here- 
after, but  also  a  balm  for  present  ills  and  a  cure  for  present 
suffering ! 

8.   DEITY  OF  THE  CITY. 

Cybele,  the  mother  of  the  gods,  held  this  honored  place  in  the 
city  of  Sardis.  That  hers  was  the  dominant  form  of  worship, 
that  she  was  the  deity  chiefly  honored  there,  and  that  the  centre 
of  her  authority  was  in  that  city,  was  the  testimony  of  all  antiquity. 
All  the  monuments  and  all  the  tendencies  of  worship  there  make 
this  manifest. 

According  to  heathen  mythology,  Cybele  was  the  daughter  of 
Ccelus  and  Terra — heaven  and  earth — the  wife  of  Saturn,  and  the 
mother  of  Jupiter,  Neptune,  Pluto,  and  others  of  the  supreme 
deities.  The  simple  fact  that  she  was  the  mother  of  Jupiter, 
chief  of  all  the  pagan  gods,  clothed  her  with  the  highest  honor. 
Immediately  after  her  birth  she  was  left  to  perish  in  the  moun- 
tain forests,  but  was  nourished  by  the  wild  beasts,  and  received 
her  name  of  Cybele  from  the  mountain  on  which  her  life  was 
preserved.  Inasmuch  as  her  origin  was  so  near  to  the  very  foun- 
tain of  all  being — heaven  and  earth — most  appropriately  was  she 
esteemed  and  served  as  the  goddess  of  corn  and  harvests,  the 
prime  sustainers  of  life.  From  this  rural  dominion  it  came  to 
pass  that  she  was  associated  with  rustic  employments  and  sports, 
and,  among  other  things,  became  the  inventor,  of  the  cymbal,  an 
instrument  used  chiefly  in  such  amusements.  From  this,  too,  came 
the  name  of  the  "cymbals" — most  appropriately  telling  of  Cybele, 
its  inventor. 

Not  only  was  Cybele  the  special  deity  of  Sardis,  but  she  was 
also  held  in  the  highest  esteem  there,  even  in  comparison  with 
the  tutelary  deities  of  the  other  cities.  This  is  shown  by  the 
splendor  of  her  great  temple,  the  ruins  of  which  remain  even 
to  the  present  day.  Those  great,  beautiful  pillars  stand  on  Sardis' 
plain  as  a  monument  of  the  supreme  honor  in  which  she  was  held 
by  its  inhabitants. 

The  annual  celebration  of  her  great  festival,  beginning  on 
April  4th  and  continuing  for  six  days,  was  attended  with  the 
most  strange,  weird  revelry  of  ancient  heathenism.  At  its  un- 
earthly orgies,   her  eunuch  priests  imitated  the  conduct  of  mad- 


^ 


344  INAUGURAL  OF  TPIE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

men,  filling  the  air  with  dreadful  shrieks  and  howlings,  as  if  pos- 
sessed with  demons.  They  became  frantic  in  the  monstrous  dances 
of  the  Corybantes,  increasing  the  turmoil  by  drums  and  tabrets, 
bucklers  and  spears.  The  streets  were  filled  with  processions  and 
crowds  wild  as  maniacs.  Theatres  were  thronged  and  were  wild 
with  the  roar  of  noise  and  confusion.  The  most  devout  were 
those  who  were  most  like  madmen  in  fury  and  who  made  the 
most  hideous  noises — all  as  tokens  of  woe  in  sympathy  with 
Cybele  over  the  untimely  death  of  her  beloved  Atys. 

The  goddess  herself  was  usually  found  in  the  centre  of  these 
scenes  of  revelry  in  her  worship.  Surrounded  by  her  Corybantes, 
priests,  howling  and  shrieking  like  madmen,  and  cutting  their 
flesh  with  knives,  she  advanced  in  a  chariot  drawn  by  two  lions. 
In  her  hand  she  held  a  sceptre  and  on  her  head  was  the  turret — 
the  symbols  of  royalty.  These  barbarous  and  repulsive  rites  were 
essential  parts  of  her  worship,  which  no  doubt  were  often  witnessed 
in  Sardis. 

There  was  significance  in  the  fact  that  Cybele,  or  Ceres  as  other- 
wise named,  should  have  been  the  deity  of  Sardis.  As  goddess 
of  corn  and  harvests,  she  was  the  personification  of  the  produce 
of  the  earth.  She  was  the  embodiment  of  the  idea  of  agricul- 
ture, and,  as  such,  she  would  have  suited  no  other  city  so  well 
as  Sardis.  It  was  in  the  heart  of  that  land  of  husbandmen.  The 
rich  Hermus  valley  was  probably  the  finest  farming  region  -of 
Lydia,  or  of  all  Asia  Minor.  The  vast  harvests  of  wheat,  corn, 
wool,  hay,  and  fruits,  and  of  timber,  all  flowed  into  Sardis; 
hence  the  very  personification  of  its  life  and  wealth  would  natu- 
rally be  Cybele,  the  goddess  of  fields  and  fruits,  of  flocks  and 
forests. 

This  view  of  the  position  of  the  city  will  explain  the  character 
and  peculiarities  of  the  message.  Fro;ii  it  we  can  understand  why 
we  have  as  its  central  idea  the  condemnation,  "A  name  that  thou 
livest,  and  art  dead."  It  was  the  spiritual  condition  of  the  church. 
It  was  not  suffering  from  persecution  like  Smyrna  or  Pergamos,  nor 
tempted  to  error  like  Thyatira;  but  it  was  comfortable,  aflluent,  full, 
independent,  and  would  therefore  be  likely  to  sink  into  slothful 
indifference.  Like  the  farmer  of  our  Lord's  parable,  it  would 
naturally  fall  into  the  false  security — "Soul,  thou  hast  much  gfu  ds 
laid  up  for  many  years;  take  thine  ease,  eat,  drink,  and  be  merry!" 
and  to  lapse  into  the  dangerous  state  of — "a  name  that  thou  livest, 
and  art  dead."  It  was  precisely  the  state  we  might  have  expected 
of  a  lapsed  community  of  farmers  and  tradespeople. 


THE  GOLDEN  SANDS.  345 

9.   THE  CITY  AS  IT  IS. 

We  have  already  noticed  so  many  special  objects  and  events 
in  the  city,  and  it  is  so  nearly  all  one  scene  of  ruins,  that  but 
little  remains  for  a  detailed  account  of  its  present  state.  From 
one  spot  nearly  all  can  be  surveyed.  In  imagination  we  take 
our  stand  upon  its  Acropolis,  as  on  the  crown  of  the  city— a  huge 
craggy  rock,  with  fragments  of  wall  and  broken  columns  lying 
around  on  every  side,  in  fantastic  confusion.  From  this  observ- 
atory, as  from  no  other,  we  can  view  the  site,  of  incomparable 
beauty,  once  occupied  by  Sardis  at  the  point  where  converge  the 
mountain  Tmolus,  the  river  Hermus,  the  magnificent  plain,  and 
the  celebrated  brook  Pactolus  of  the  golden  sands.  The  point 
of  observation  is  itself  one  of  grandeur,  especially  as  seen  from 
the  other  side,  or  north  of  the  Hermus.  The  citadel,  rising  high 
up  in  the  air,  scarred  and  scraggy;  back  of  it  the  towering 
mountain,  ridge  upon  ridge,  until  the  highest  is  covered  with 
perpetual  snow;  the  beautiful  verdure  covering  the  faces  of  its 
many  slopes;  and  the  fantastic  shapes  of  crags  cast  up  by  a  hun- 
dred earthquakes, — all  conspire  to  form  a  scene  of  stupendous 
grandeur.  From  this  watch-tower,  the  whole  field  that  was 
covered  by  the  ancient  city  and  suburbs  lies  before  us.  Close  by 
the  Acropolis,  and  southward  towards  the  body  of  the  moun- 
tain, are  the  columns  of  the  great  temple  of  Cybele.  Next 
towards  the  east  are  the  ruins  of  the  theatre  and  the  race-course. 
After  these,  driven  by  the  stream  of  the  Pactolus,  as  it  issues  out 
into  the  plain,  is  the  mill — the  one  scene  of  activity  amid  the 
wilderness  of  ruins.  Behind  these,  again,  come  the  objects,  as 
Arundell  well  describes  them,  "  of  the  greatest  interest  to  the 
Christian  traveler— the  ruins  of  two  churches;  one  said  to  be  the 
church  of  the  Panagia,  and  another,  in  front  of  it,  the  church  of 
St.  John.  Of  the  former  there  are  considerable  remains,  and  it  is 
almost  wholly  constructed  of  magnificent  fragments  of  earlier 
edifices.  It  must  be  this  to  which  Colonel  Leake  alludes,  as  being 
perhaps  the  only  one  of  the  seven  churches  of  which  there  are 
any  distinguishable  remains;  but  there  are  also  some  remains  of 
the  church  of  Pergamos.  Of  the  church  of  St.  John  there  are 
several  stone  piers,  having  fragments  of  brick  arches  above  them, 
and  standing  east  and  west."  Most  deeply  sad  is  it  to  reflect 
that  of  these  churches,  to  which  no  doubt  the  message  from 
heaven  was  sent,  nothing  now  remains  but  fragments  of  the  i)iers 
from  which  their  arches   sprang.     Out  from  the  midst  of  these 


346       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

ruins  we  see  the  little  Pactolus,  winding  its  course  through  the 
heart  of  the  agora,  across  the  whole  width  of  the  plain,  and  on 
to  unite  with  the  great  river.  Eastward  still,  our  eyes  rest  upon 
what  was  once  the  "  Valley  of  Sweets,"  in  its  day  said  to  have 
been  the  most  lovely  vale  of  pleasure  in  Sardis— or  in  all  Asia 
Minor.  Gazing  on,  eastward  and  northward,  we  trace  the  Her- 
mus,  one  of  the  greatest  rivers  of  that  country.  Its  sources  are 
among  the  high  mountain  lands  of  the  interior ;  its  course  is 
througli  a  fertile  region  two  miles  north  of  Sardis,  and  onward 
until  it  empties  into  the  Gulf  of  Smyrna.  Now,  sweeping  over 
the  beautiful  stream,  as  it  emerges  from  the  haze  of  the  far  dis- 
tant east  and  winds  on  until  it  is  lost  in  the  obscurity  of  the 
remote  west,  our  eyes  rest  on  objects  of  the  north  which  are  con- 
nected with  sacred  memories  of  former  days.  First  and  grand- 
est of  these  is  the  Halyattes,  the  mausoleum  built  by  Croesus  to 
the  memory  of  his  father,  Halyattes,  who  preceded  him  as  king 
of  Lydia.  A  trustworthy  traveler  has  thus  described  it:  "The 
burying-place  of  the  ancient  kings  of  Lydia,  which  ranks  among 
the  wonders  of  the  ancient  world.  On  the  top  of  a  high  plateau, 
on  the  other  side  of  the  plain  of  the  Hermus,  about  six  miles 
north  of  Sardis,  is  a  vast  collection  of  gigantic  mounds,  known 
by  the  Turks  as  Bin-teppe  (the  Thousand  Mounds)  which  spread 
for  a  vast  distance  over  tlie  plain.  It  is  the  mausoleum  of  the 
dynasty  of  Croesus.  One  of  these,  which  towers  far  above  the 
others,  the  monument  of  Halyattes,  the  father  of  Croesus,  is 
accurately  described  by  Herodotus,  and  remains  undisturbed  by 
man  to  the  present  day.  It  is  three  thousand  eight  hundred  feet 
in  circumference,  and  one  thousand  three  hundred  feet  in  breadth. 
It  rises  at  an  angle  of  about  twenty-two  degrees,  and  is  a  con- 
spicuous object  an  all  sides.  Herodotus  tells  us  that  it  was  raised 
by  merchants,  artificers,  and  women,  and  that  there  were  mark- 
ing-stones to  show  how  much  of  the  work  each  had  done.  When 
measured,  the  work  of  the  women  proved  to  be  the  greatest.  Of 
these  boundary-stones,  one  of  a  conical  shape  still  remains  on  the 
summit  of  the  mound;  but  its  inscription,  if  there  ever  was  one, 
has  been  completely  obliterated  by  time.  These  amazing  earthen 
pyramids  have  hitherto  escaped  the  ravages  of  invaders,  nor  is 
there  any  trace  of  their  having  been  ever  violated  by  the  hand 
of  man." 

Still  farther  to  the  north,  about  five  miles  from  the  river,  lies 
the  Gygfean  Lake.  It  must  have  been  an  object  of  much  attrac- 
tion to  the  Sardians.    About  six   miles  from  their  city,  so  that 


THE  GOLDEN   SANDS.  347 

excursions  would  be  made  to  its  beautiful  shores;  surrounded  by 
one  of  the  most  charming  vales  that  can  be  imagined ;  swans  and 
other  water-fowl  skimming  over  its  surface;  fish  of  many  kinds 
sporting  in  its  ripples ;  the  story  of  the  dancing  budgets,  and  other 
legends,  lending  a  charm  to  every  spot  around  it;  historical  asso- 
ciations awakening  a  strong  curiosity ;  the  sacred  temple  of  Diana, 
called  Col?ene,  sending  out  its  priestesses,  as  nymphs,  along  its 
shores — from  all  these  we  can  easily  understand  how  the  pleasure- 
seekers  of  Sardis  would  cross  the  great  plain,  pass  over  the  river, 
stray  past  the  mysterious  Hyatethes,  and  spend  romantic  hours 
in  this  paradise  of  beauty. 

Passing  on  westward  and  southward,  the  eye  finally  rests,  in 
the  western  limits  of  the  city,  upon  the  Gerusia,  in  the  days  of 
its  glory  the  palace  of  Croesus,  the  temple  of  pagan  deities,  and 
the  home  for  old  men  in  poverty.  Coming  back  again  to  the 
base  of  the  Acropolis,  we  trace  the  course  of  the  stream  which 
of  all  objects  was  the  most  celebrated  in  the  city — Pactolus  of 
the  golden  sands.  We  see  it  leaping  down  from  crag  to  crag  of 
the  overhanging  mountain,  until,  no  more  than  a  silver  thread, 
it  flows  out  from  Tmolus  north-eastward  over  the  plain,  which 
it  breaks  up  into  a  cluster  of  converging  valleys.  This  was  the 
brook  whose  precious  sands  were  famed  in  song,  and  attracted 
adventurers  from  every  part  of  Greece;  but  it  is  now  little  more 
than  a  mere  swamp. 

From  our  lofty  watch-tower  we  can  follow  the  outline  of 
the  plain  on  which  chiefly  the  city  was  located,  on  which  so 
many  murderous  scenes  of  war  occurred,  and  which  was  once 
adorned  with  some  of  the  most  splendid  of  human  structures. 
How  great  the  change  which  has  come  over  it!  Extending,  in 
length,  from  the  distant  east  until  it  is  lost  in  the  west.  On  one  side 
it  is  bounded  by  the  Acropolis  and  mountain,  on  the  other  by 
the  river  valley.  In  every  direction  it  is  blooming  with  luxuri- 
ant thistles,  and  covered  with  stone  and  marble  fragments.  Here 
and  there  over  it  masses  of  brickwork,  crumbling  arches,  and 
broken  columns  tell  the  story  of  its  splendor  in  the  days  of  its 
greatness  and  power. 

One  of  the  most  significant  monuments  of  the  greatness  of 
the  old  city  and  country  is  the  evidence  which  the  plain  furn- 
ishes of  having  been  traversed  by  a  great  highway,  at  once  a 
military  road  and  caravan  route.  Over  that  highway,  in  thought, 
we  can  trace  the  marching  of  conquering  armies  and  trading  cara- 
vans, of  Persian  satraj^s  and  Roman  proconsuls,  and  trains  of  wor- 


348  INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHEONED   KING. 

shipers  from  distant  lands  on  their  way  to  the  shrines  of  Cybele 
of  Sardis  or  Diana  of  Ephesus. 

Notliing  is  more  characteristic  of  the  whole  extent  of  country 
which  the  city  once  covered  than  the  prevalence  of  ruins,  ruins, 
ruins!  Its  location  was  exceedingly  beautiful,  but  the  territory 
over  which  it  was  spread  is  now  almost  a  desert,  and  the  valley 
is  fiist  turning  into  a  morass.  All  that  one  now  finds  there  is 
the  shelter  of  mud  walls;  for  a  great  part  of  the  ground  once 
occupied  by  the  imi)erial  city  is  a  grass  plain  browsed  by  sheej), 
two  lonely  and  gigantic  pillars,  and  massive  fragments  strewn 
about.  The  traveler  Emerson  thus  describes  it:  "The  first  emo- 
tion on  viewing  these  miserable  relics  is  to  inquire,  '  Can  this 
be  Sardis?'  Occasionally  the  time-worn  capital  of  a  j^onderous 
column,  or  the  sculptured  surface  of  a  shattered  marble  block, 
appears  rising  above  the  weeds  that  overshadow  them ;  incon- 
gruous masses  of  overthrown  edifices  are  uncovered  by  the  plough, 
or  the  stone  inscription  of  some  hero's  tale  is  traced  upon  the  slab 
imbedded  in  the  mud  of  the  cottage  wall ;  but  Sardis  possesses  no 
remains  to  gladden  the  prying  eye  of  the  traveler,  and  no  com- 
forts to  repay  the  toilsome  wanderer  in  their  search.  The  walls 
of  its  fortress  that  bade  defiance  to  the  successive  armies  of  Cyrus, 
Alexander,  and  the  Goths  are  now  almost  level  with  the  surface 
of  the  cliffs  on  which  they  were  once  proudly  reared ;  the  vestiges 
of  the  palace  of  the  Lydian  kings  are  too  confused  to  suggest  the 
slightest  idea  of  its  form  or  extent;  and  the  area  of  the  amphi- 
theatre is  silent  as  the  voiceless  grave." 

The  most  magnificent  portion  of  the  old  city,  which  was  on  the 
brow  of  the  hill,  is  now  a  wilderness  of  mounds  covered  with 
grass.  Deeply  impressive  is  the  comparison  of  the  spiritual  state 
of  the  church  at  the  time  of  the  message,  with  the  present 
ruinous  condition  of  the  city.  "  I  know  thy  works,  that  thou 
hast  a  name  that  thou  livest,  and  art  dead."  As  was  thus  said  of 
the  degenerate  church  of  Sardis,  so  of  the  city  itself.  A  few 
miserable  huts  occupy  Its  place.  The  black  tents  of  the  wander- 
ing Turcomans  are  scattered  through  the  valley ;  the  whistle  of 
the  camel-driver  now  resounds  in  the  palace  of  Croesus,  and  the 
song  of  the  lonely  thrush  is  heard  from  the  walls  of  the  old 
Christian  church.  A  countless  number  of  sejaulchral  hillocks  be- 
yond the  Hermus,  where  sleep  the  dead  of  three  thousand  years, 
heighten  the  desolateness  of  the  spot  which  the  multitudes  lying 
there  once  made  busy  by  their  living  presence  and  pursuits. 
The  summit  of  the  Tmolus  is  bare,  rocky,  and  snow-clad ;  a  little 


THE  GOLDEN   SANDS.  349 

lower,  its  heights  are  covered  with  wood,  and  at  the  base  there 
are  high  ridges  of  earth,  and  rocks  with  deep  ravines.  On  one 
of  these  eminences,  the  sides  of  which  are  almost  i)erpendicular, 
stood  the  ancient  castle  of  the  governors  of  Lydia. 

Another  traveler,  standing  on  the  spot,  utters  these  impressive 
words :  "  I  can  readily  sympathize  with  the  feelings  of  him  who 
wept  at  the  base  of  the  Pyramids;  nor  were  my  own  less  power- 
ful on  that  night  when  I  sat  beneath  the  .sky  of  Asia  to  gaze 
upon  the  ruins  of  Sardis  from  the  banks  of  the  golden-sanded 
Pactolus.  Beside  me  were  the  cliffs  of  that  Acropolis  which, 
centuries  before,  the  hardy  Median  scaled  whilst  leading  on  the 
conquering  Persians,  whose  tents  had  covered  the  very  spot  on 
which  I  was  reclining.  Before  me  were  the  vestiges  of  what 
had  been  the  palace  of  Croesus,  Within  its  walls  were  once  con- 
gregated the  wisest  of  mankind — Thales,  Cleobulus,  and  Solon ; 
it  Avas  here  that  the  wretched  father  mourned  over  the  mangled 
corpse  of  his  beloved  Atys ;  and  it  was  here  that  the  same  hu- 
miliated monarch  wept  at  the  feet  of  the  Persian  who  wrung 
from  him  his  kingdom.  Far  in  the  distance  were  the  gigantic 
tumuli  of  the  Lydian  monarchs,  Candaules  and  Halyattes  and 
Gyges,  and  around  them  spread  those  very  plains  once  trodden 
by  the  countless  hosts  of  Persia." 

The  condition  and  residences  of  the  few  miserable  inhabitants 
of  the  place  are  as  forlorn  as  can  be  imagined.  Sardis,  now,  is 
simply  a  wretched  village  of  mud  huts  occupied  by  a  handful  of 
Turkish  herdsmen.  The  old  mill  on  the  Pactolus  is  owned  by  a 
Greek  Christian,  wlio,  with  his  two  servants,  is  the  only  Chris- 
tian to  be  found  in  the  place  where  once  flourished  the  church 
of  Sardis.  The  few  herdsmen,  the  miller  with  his  two  servants, 
and  a  number  of  Turks  tearing  down  columns  and  blowing 
them  into  fragments  for  lime  and  tombstones,  or  to  find  the 
treasure  they  were  supposed  to  enclose — a  vandalism  which  the 
civilized  world  should  arise  and  prohibit — these  are  the  only 
persons  who  are  found  in  any  employment  there.  So  little  Chris- 
tianity remains  in  that  old  home  of  one  of  the  seven  churches 
that  when  a  coi^y  of  the  New  Testament  was  offered  to  a  priest 
of  the  Greek  faith,  sojourning  there,  he  neither  knew  what  it 
was  nor  would  he  accept  the  invaluable  gift. 

All  travelers  agree  in  describing  the  place  as  a  scene  of  desola- 
tion and  solitude.  The  strong  language  of  one  is:  "Everything 
seems  as  if  God  had  cursed  the  place,  and  left  it  to  the  dominion 
of  Satan.    Lydians,  Persians,  Greeks,  Romans,  and    Goths  have 


350      INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

all  been  swept  away,  and  the  lines  of  the  Oriental  .poet  have 
been  realized:  'The  spider  hath  woven  his  web  in  the  imperial 
palace,  and  the  owl  hath  sung  its  night  song  in  the  towers  of 
Afrasiab.' " 

Most  impressive  of  all  are  the  words  of  Arundell,  to  whom 
the  whole  ruin  was  perfectly  familiar:  "If  I  were  asked  what 
impresses  the  mind  most  strongly  in  beholding  Sardis,  I  would 
say,  its  indescribable  solitude.  Like  the  darkness  of  Egypt,  dark- 
ness that  could  be  felt,  so  the  deep  solitude  of  the  spot,  once 
the  lady  of  kingdoms,  produces  a  corresponding  feeling  of  deso- 
late abandonment  in  the  mind,  which  can  never  be  forgotten." 
Lodging  there  for  a  night,  Emerson  wrote:  "Every  object  was 
as  distinct  as  in  a  northern  twilight:  the  snowy  summit  of  the 
mountain,  the  long  sweep  of  the  valley,  and  the  flashing  current 
of  the  river.  There  were  more  varied  remembrances  associated 
with  the  sight  of  Sardis  than  could  possibly  be  attached  to  any 
other  spot  of  earth;  but  all  were  mingled  with  a  feeling  of  dis- 
gust at  the  littleness  of  human  glory ;  all — all  had  passed  away ! 
There  were  before  me  the  fanes  of  a  dead  religion,  the  tombs  of 
forgotten  monarchs,  and  the  palm-tree  that  waved  in  the  ban- 
quet-hall of  kings;  while  the  feeling  of  desolation  was  doubly 
heightened  by  the  calm  sweep  of  sky  above  me,  which,  in  its 
unfading  brightness,  shone  as  purely  now  as  when  it  beamed 
upon  the  golden  dreams  of  Croesus."  The  same  traveler  con- 
cludes: "Sardis,  the  capital  of  Lydia,  identitied  with  the  names 
of  Croesus  and  Cyrus  and  Alexander,  and  covering  the  plain  with 
her  thousands  of  inhabitants,  and  tens  of  thousands  of  men  of 
war — great  even  in  the  days  of  Augustus;  ruined  by  earthquakes, 
and  restored  to  its  importance  by  the  munificence  of  Tiberius; 
Christian  Sardis,  offering  her  hymns  of  thanksgiving  for  deliver- 
ance from  pagan  persecution,  in  the  magnificent  temples  of  the 
A^irgin  and  Apostle;  Sardis,  again  fallen  under  the  yoke  of  a 
false  religion,  but  still  retaining  her  numerous  population,  and 
powerful  defenses,  only  five  hundred  years  ago; — what  is  Sardis 
now!  Her  foundations  are  fallen;  her  walls  are  thrown  down. 
She  sits  silent  in  darkness,  and  is  no  longer  called  the  lady  of 
kingdoms.  How  doth  the  city  sit  solitary,  that  was  full  of 
people !" 

10.   PLANTING  AND   HISTORY   OF  THE  CHURCH. 

AVe  have  very  little  information  about  the  beginning  of  the 
work  of  the  kingdom  in  Sardis.     We  have  some  general  state- 


THE  GOLDEN   SANDS.  *  351 

ments  about  the  first  preaching  of  the  gospel  in  the  wliole  coun- 
try, but  we  are  not  told  much  concerning  this  city  in  particular. 
No  doubt  the  first  messengers  who  brought  the  tidings  of  Chris- 
tianity and  the  first  gospel  influences  would  follow  the  usual 
track  of  travel,  over  the  Gulf  of  Smyrna  and  up  the  Hermus 
river  until  they  reached  the  great  capital  of  Lydia.  We  may 
appropriately  conjecture,  also,  that  merchants  and  other  travelers 
up  the  great  thoroughfare  would  tell  the  news  of  the  strange 
religion  that  was  springing  up  in  every  quarter. 

There  was  evidently  something  peculiar  in  the  way  in  which 
the  gdspel  first  found  t^n  entrance  among  that  people.  This  we 
justly  infer  from  the  remarkable  words  which  are  found  in  the 
message :  "  Remember  therefore  how  thou  hast  received  and  heard;'''' 
also  anotlier  allusion  :  "Strengthen  the  things  which  remain.''^  These 
are  hints  of  something  that  is  not  given  in  full.  "  Remember  how 
thou  hast  received  and  heard!"  Does  not  this  intimate,  either 
that  they  had  been  favored  by  a  visit  from  some  apostle,  or  that 
some  remarkable  efflux  of  the  Holy  Ghost  had  been  vouchsafed 
them?  or  that  they  had  listened  to  the  gospel  tidings  with  pecu- 
liar avidity?  or  that  their  first  love  was  so  great  as  to  excite 
special  notice?  or  that  they  had  made  unusually  earnest  protesta- 
tions of  their  loyalty  to  Christ  their  King?  or  something ^else 
was  tliere  so  noticeable  in  those  first  days  of  their  experience  as 
to  make  their  present  lifelessness  the  more  painful  to  contemplate. 
Whatever  the  precise  reference  may  have  been,  it  is  certain  that 
there  was  something  because  of  which  He  reminds  that  church 
of  a  heartiness  with  which  it  received  tlie  truth  at  the  first.  Still 
other  allusions  prove  that  their  love  was  very  warm.  "A  few 
names,  even  in  Sardis,  which  have  not  defiled  their  garments." 
Does  not  this  take  us  back  to  the  earlier,  better  days  when  robes 
of  stainless  purity  were  tlie  prevailing  characteristic  of  its  devoted 
people?  What  blessed  days  in  its  past  history,  when,  in  humble 
cottage  and  lordly  hall,  the  conversation  of  glowing  hearts  would 
I  be  about  the  glories  of  the  Cross,  and  the  heavenly  kingdom,  and 
the  happy  prospects  which  were  opening  up  before  the  world! 
Great  must  have  been  the  joy  of  those  first  discoveries  of  the  gos- 
pel and  its  blessings.  Strong  must  liave  been  the  hold  which  it 
took  upon  the  hearts  of  the  people,  since  it  enabled  them  to  re- 
main steadfast  amid  the  seductions  of  that  elegant  capital. 

The  subsequent  movements  of  the  gospel  in  that  city  were  sad 
indeed.  At  the  beginning  it  was  received  with  great  joy  and  great 
power,  but,  unlike  the  church  at  Thyatira,  its  last  works,  in  the 


352     •  INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

days  of  the  Apostle  John,  were  worse  than  the  first;  the  gospel 
was  indeed  professed,  but  its  vital  influence  was  almost  extin- 
guished ;  and  the  majority  of  its  members  had  lapsed  into  a  state 
of  carnal  indifference  and  security.  The  people  are  described  by 
the  divine  Inspector  as  having  a  name  to  live,  but  as  actually 
dead ;  their  works  had  not  been  found  perfect  before  God ;  their 
love  had  cooled ;  their  faith  was  expiring,  and  the  anger  of  the 
Lord  had  been  justly  kindled  against  them.  Apostasy  from  the 
faith  brought  with  it  the  curse  of  God  and  the  oppression  of  man, 
and  the  seat  of  this  church  of  the  Apocalypse  may  now  be  said 
to  exist  no  more.  The  trutli,  however,  hsjd  taken  very  deep  root, 
so  that  it  lived  on,  with  some  power,  for  several  centuries. 

Melito.  The  only  bishop  of  Sardis  of  wiiom  there  is  any  men- 
tion during  the  first  three  centuries  of  the  Christian  era  is  Melito 
who  lived  during  the  last  half  of  the  second  century,  or  some 
sixty  or  seventy  years  after  the  date  of  these  messages.  He  was 
a  man  greatly  honored,  a  valiant  champion  for  the  truth,  of  wide- 
spread reputation  and  influence.  Of  his  numerous  works  enu- 
merated by  Eusebius,  only  a  few  fragments  have  come  down  to  us. 
Among  them  was  an  apology  for  Christianity  as  the  true  philoso- 
phy, dedicated  to  the  emperor  Marcus  Aurelius.  A  very  valu- 
able fragment  from  his  pen  has  been  preserved  containing  the 
first  Christian  list  of  the  books  of  the  Old  Testament,  which  co- 
incides with  our  received  list  except  that  it  does  not  contain 
either  Nehemiah  or  Esther,  both  of  which  it  is  probable  were 
included  in  the  book  of  Ezra.  Very  important  is  the  fact  that 
he  does  not  embrace  in  his  list  any  of  the  books  of  the  Apoc- 
rypha. What  he  wrote  on  this  subject  is  of  great  weight,  as  he 
had  given  careful  and  continued  study  to  it,  and  had  visited  Pales- 
tine and  Egypt  in  the  course  of  his  investigations.  It  appears 
also  from  hints  and  expressions  found  in  his  extant  works  that 
most,  if  not  all,  of  the  books  composing  the  New  Testament 
were  at  that  early  date  collected  into  one  body,  and  regarded 
as  of  canonical  authority.  Among  his  works  enumerated  by 
Eusebius,  is  De  Apocalypse  Joannls ;  the  very  fact  of  his  writ- 
ing such  a  treatise  showing  that  the  canonicity  of  that  book  was 
then  accepted. 

11.   NAME  OF  THE   SON  OF  GOD. 

To  such  a  peoi)le— fallen  into  spiritual  deadness  and  torpor,  the 
lamp  of  faith  waning  and  almost  extinguished  in  their  heart — 
the  Lord  presents  himself  as  one  having  the  fullness  of  all  spirit- 


THE  GOLDEN  SANDS.    "  353 

ual  gifts;  able  therefore  to  revive,  able  to  recover,  able  to  bring 
back  from  the  very  gates  of  spiritual  death,  those  who  would 
employ  the  little  last  remaining  strength  which  they  still  re- 
tained in  calling,  even  when  thus  in  extremis,  upon  him. 

Rich  beyond  description  is  this  title  in  its  applicability  to  the 
peculiar  condition  of  that  church,  and  at  that  particular  time. 
Every  expression,  every  word,  has  its  own  special  and  import- 
ant shade  of  meaning.  "He  that  hath  the  seven  Spirits  of  God, 
and  the  seven  stars."  Seven  is  in  Scripture  the  covenant  num- 
ber, the  number  is  symbolical  of  the  whole  of  Christ's  atoning 
work.  The  expression,  seven  Spirits,  therefore  indicates  the  whole 
agency  of  the  Holy  Ghost  in  applying  to  the  soul  the  purchased 
redemption  of  our  Lord.  It  is  the  totality  of  his  influence  in 
the  work  of  saving  men.  We  see  in  it  the  abundance  and  the 
suitableness  of  the  Holy  Spirit  for  meeting  every  want  of  the 
soul  of  lost  and  helpless  man.  The  Spirit  was  the  great  promise 
of  the  New  Testament.  He  was  the  reward  of  Christ's  redeem- 
ing work,  the  climax  of  the  gifts  sent  down  upon  men  from  our 
ascended  Lord.  The  Spirit  was  promised  then,  as  it  had  been 
promised  before,  and  still  is,  according  to  the  peculiar  wants  of 
the  Church  at  the  time.  As  used  here,  the  seven,  the  totality 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  denoted  the  sum  of  all  the  life  which  the 
Church  needed.  It  was  the  Spirit  of  life,  which  alone  could 
save  that  church  which,  without  it,  was  lapsing  into  spiritual 
death. 

Christ  is  here  described  as  having  the  seven  Spirits.  He  con- 
sequently knew  well,  what  was  the  value  of  life,  the  madness 
of  those  who  were  suffering  it  to  depart,  and  the  only  method 
by  which  it  could  be  revived.  "The  seven  Spirits  of  God" — the 
whole  power  of  spiritual  life  was  his;  that  life  he  gave  then, 
and  gives  still,  in  every  instance.  He  knows  every  danger  of 
the  soul  as  it  struggles  with  the  enemies  who  would  destroy  its 
spiritual  life  and  take  away  its  hopes.  He  knows  the  sufli'erings 
through  wliich  the  Spirit's  influences  were  secured  by  him ;  what 
radical  changes  the  Spirit  works  in  the  believer's  heart,  and  what 
watchfulness  is  needed  in  order  to  retain  its  saving  and  sanctify- 
ing power. 

Then,  if  the  Spirit's  influence  is  in  the  hand  of  Christ,  and  if 
he  bestows  it  freely  upon  his  people,  we  can  easily  see  what  insult 
to  him  it  was  when  they  esteemed  it  so  lightly  as  to  yield  to  the 
numbness  of  spiritual  death.  It  was  a  slight  to  his  grace.  It 
was  throwing  away  what  he  in  mercy  had  bestowed.    Great  was 

23 


354       INAUGUKAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

the  indignity  toward  him  in  failing  to  appreciate  that  which  he 
secured  by  sucli  terrible  sufferings,  and  which  was  of  such  price- 
less value. 

Still  another  momentous  truth  taught  by  his  bearing  this  title 
is  that  it  was  in  his  power  and  prerogative  to  restore  that  spirit- 
ual life  which  had  been  so  sinfuUj'^  cast  away.  The  very  fact 
that  the  fullness  of  the  Holy  Spirit's  influences  was  in  his  hands, 
contained  hope  for  the  church  that  otherwise  must  have  yielded 
to  despair.  Though  they  had  sinfully  forfeited  all  spiritual  life, 
yet  He  who  had  originally  given  it  could  now  restore  it  to  them. 
Every  day's  continuance  of  this  si)iritual  torpor  Avas  therefore 
to  them  a  day  of  sin.  The  Son  of  man  had  the  fullness  of  the 
Spirit,  and  he  yearned  to  bestow  it  upon  those  friends  beloved 
whom  he  had  already  received  into  the  warm  affection  of  his 
heart.  The  seven  Spirits — the  very  fullness  of  the  Spirit  was  his; 
and  therefore  it  was  in  his  power  to  grant  them  sincere  repent- 
ance for  having  grieved  away  that  blessed  Agent  on  whom  their 
all  depended ;  to  arouse  to  sensibility  and  life  where  now  there 
was  but  wretched  stupor;  to  warm  the  hearts  that  were  rapidly 
yielding  to  the  chill  of  sjiiritual  death ;  to  restore  exhilaration 
and  joy  where  had  gradually  crept  over  their  hearts  the  gloom  of 
despair;  to  send  blessed  life-currents  over  souls  that  had  yielded 
to  the  influences  of  death ;  to  vivify  hearts  and  homes  where 
spiritual  decay  was  spreading  its  melancholy  pall ;  to  restore 
beauty  and  grace  where  the  hideous  forms  of  dissolution  were 
creeping  on  ;  to  bring  back  the  soul  well-nigh  sunken  in  despair 
— in  a  word,  to  repair  all  the  wreck,  and  rpin,  and  waste  of  the 
soul  which  they  had  sinfully  produced,  as  if  they  were  bent  upon 
throwing  it  away,  with  all  its  sublime  powers  and  interests. 

12.  THE   CENTEAL  POINT. 

The  substance  of  the  message  to  this  church  was,  "Thou  hast 
a  name  that  thou  livest,  and  art  dead."  From  the  hint  that  is 
here  given,  as  well  as  from  other  corroborative  circumstances,  it 
appears  that  among  the  churches  of  that  day  Sardis  was  famed 
for  its  spiritual  vitality;  but,  at  the  same  time.  He  who  held  the 
seven  stars  in  his  right  hand  pronounces  them  to  be  spiritually 
dead.  This  is  the  central  point— the  burden — of  the  message, 
around  which  everything  else  is  clustered,  and  in  which  every- 
thing else  has  its  meaning. 

"  Hast  a  name  that  thou  livest,  and  art  dead  "  is  the  dread  sen- 
tence concerning  it,  pronounced   by  the  lips  of  infinite  wisdom 


THE  GOLDEN  SANDS.  355 

and  truth.  As  the  words  in  the  original  have  it,  it  was  not  ab- 
solutely dead,  as  if  nothing  of  life  were  left,  but  there  was  dead- 
ness— a  condition  whose  tendency  is  death.  The  fatal  brand 
is  death.  That  church  made  high  pretensions,  among  other 
churches  of  the  time,  of  great  life  and  spirituality;  but  He  who 
seeth  not  as  man  seeth  pronounces  a  different  sentence.  His 
doom  concerning  her  was — death.  In  his  sight,  from  which  noth- 
ing could  be  concealed,  her  state  is  described  in  one  word — death. 
He  saw,  as  man  could  not  see,  that  her  life  was  gone  hopelessly 
and  for  ever,  unless  a  remedy  efficacious  beyond  the  skill  of  man 
could  in  some  quarter  be  found.  Sardis  had  a  church,  but  its  life 
was  no  more,  and  never  would  be  again  without  divine  inter- 
vention. 

The  decision  concerning  it  was  peculiarly  emphatic— "a  name 
that  thou  livest,  and  art  dead."  The  other  churches  were  diseased 
and  festering  in  their  most  vital  character — but  here  all  was  be- 
numbed, diseased,  and  hopeless.  All  the  spiritual  life  which  its 
members  professed  was  counterfeited,  and  its  pretended  goodness 
gone.  So  thoroughly  extinct  was  its  life  that  the  mere  name  was 
but  hj'pocrisy.  In  fact,  the  one  word  containing  the  charge 
against  it  was  hypocrky.  Its  antitype  at  the  present  day  would 
be  a  hypocritical  church ;  and  to  meet  this,  in  any  age,  was  the 
great  object — the  warning  signal— of  this  message. 

Its  great  value  is  that  here  we  are  shown  what  God  thinks  of 
any  people  who  are  in  this  state  of  high  profession  of  life,  but  in 
reality  of  spiritual  death.  Terrible  is  the  condemnation  as  com- 
ing from  his  righteous  lips:  "Thou  hast  a  name  that  thou  livest, 
and  art  dead."  The  language  that  is  used  in  reprobation  of  their 
condition  is  not  too  strong.  He  heard  their  profession,  he  knew 
tlieir  heart;  and  the  sight  was  loathsome  to  him.  The  deception, 
tlie  meanness,  the  blasphemy,  all  lay  exposed  before  him,  and 
drew  forth  from  him  a  more  severe  rebuke  than  that  to  any 
otiier  of  the  churches.  He  knew  the  hearts  of  all  the  members 
in  the  seven  churches,  and,  in  liis  sight,  some  were  wholly  dead, 
some  were  almost  gone,  some  dead  in  sin,  some  torpid  ;  this  one 
was  in  a  fearful  state,  resembling  a  corpse,  or  statue,  rather  than 
a  congn^gation  of  living  members.  The  substance  of  the  message 
to  them  was:  I  have  all  conditions  in  my  sight,  and  though  ye 
make  a  fair  profession  before  men,  ye  are  without  life  and  beauty 
in  my  sight.  Ye  are  loud  in  your  i)rofession,  but  to  me  the  pro- 
(Vs>i()n  is  only  a  name.  This  was  a  very  lamentable  state,  for 
al'urwards    comes    the    exhortation,   "Strengthen  the    things  that 


356       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

remain,  that  are  ready  to  die" — implying  that  though  called  life, 
it  was  scarce  worthy  of  the  name. 

Sardis,  at  that  time,  seems  to  have  passed  for  an  orthodox,  blame- 
less, living  church ;  but  this  appearance  of  life,  according  to  the 
judgment  of  the  All-seeing,  only  concealed  the  reality  of  spiritual 
death.  How  significant  it  was  that  this  was  the  condition  of  the 
church  of  Sardis  above  all  others!  Can  it  be  that  of  all  the 
churches  of  the  seven,  or  of  the  world,  it  should  be  in  this 
deplorable  state?  Is  not  Sardis  famed  all  through  the  land  as 
the  most  orthodox,  intelligent,  and  consistent  of  all  the  churches? 
Did  not  Sardis,  when  the  gospel  was  first  preached  there,  receive 
it  with  the  greatest  ardor,  and  from  that  day  forward  stand  forth 
as  the  very  model  church  ?  Surely  Sardis,  the  royal  city,  the  home 
of  culture  and  truth  and  enterprise,  was  capable  of  exerting  the 
widest  influence,  and  of  doing  most  for  the  upbuilding  of  the 
kingdom  of  righteousness  and  salvation !  What  means  it,  there- 
fore—can it  possibly  be  that  the  brand  of  death  should  be  stamped 
upon  it  above  all  the  rest?     * 

It  is  terribly  ominous  that  we  should  hear  this  of  the  city  and 
church  from  which  so  much  might  reasonably  have  been  ex^iected ! 
It  was — it  must  have  been — a  startling  revelation  at  that  time; 
but  many  a  similar  instance  has  followed  it  in  after  ages!  This 
one  was  held  up  as  a  warning;  and  we  shall  not  receive  its  full 
benefits  unless  we  glance  at  some  of  those  which  are  now  so  like 
it.  We  need  not  name  them— they  are  to  familiar  to  us.  Look 
at  some  of  the  features  which  are  common  to  them  all.  Find 
such  churches,  or  such  individuals,  where  or  when  we  may,  they 
are  invariably  well  skilled  in  all  the  curious  and  perplexing  ques- 
tions in  the  Word  of  God ;  perfectly  orthodox  in  all  the  tradi- 
tional points  of  theology;  unflinching  in  the  externals  of  wor- 
ship ;  unsparing  in  their  condemnation  of  superstition  and  will- 
worship;  but,  at  the  same  time,  they  are  harsh,  cold-hearted, 
and  formal ;  hard  and  uncharitable  toward  all  others  of  weaker 
faith ;  censorious  of  all  those  who  do  not  see  precisely  as  they 
do— in  a  word,  they  are  dead  to  the  vital,  tender,  and  Christlike 
principles  of  real   piety. 

No  matter  what  men  may  say,  or  think,  here  is  our  Lord's 
finger  pointing  to  such  lifeless  churches  and  individuals.  They 
are  not  deceiving  him.  Man  looketh  on  the  outv/ard  appear- 
ance, but  He  looketh  on  the  heart.  He  knows  them  to  be  dead. 
In  his  name  and  by  his  authority  and  guidance  we  call  upon 
them  to  awake  and  see  what  and  where  they  are.     We  say  to 


THE  GOLDEN  SANDS.  357 

them,  Awake!   arise,  fear  aud  tremble,  ye  children  of  those  who 
received  such  soleimi  warning  from  the  heavenly  throne! 

13.   CENSURE. 

In  addition  to  the  leading  thought  of.  the  message,  which  is 
itself  a  terrible  censure,  there  were  in  this  message  several  allu- 
sions which  indicated  the  lifeless  state  of  that  church.  It  was 
in  a  radically  defective  condition,  as  indicated  by  the  charge 
against  it:  "I  have  not  found  thy  works  perfect  beibre  God." 
It  had  a  good  name  for  piety  before  the  world,  Ijut  God  saw  it 
through  and  througli,  and  knew  that  before  him  it  was  corrupt. 
Its  eminent  devotedness  was  but  a  name.  The  all-seeing  eye 
discerned  that  it  was  thoroughly  hypocritical.  So  radical  were 
its  defects  that  a  most  solemn  call  was  made  upon  it  to  repent. 

There  seems  to  have  been  in  it  an  armistice  with  the  surround- 
ing paganism,  as  if,  instead  of  battle,  there  was  a  friendly  feel- 
ing existing  between  them.  We  hear  from  them  no  horror  be- 
cause of  idolatry.  There  is  no  intimation  of  any  aggressive 
movement  upon  the  kingdom  of  darkness.  This  appears  chiefly 
in  that  there  is  no  allusion  to  any  hostility  from  their  heathen 
neighbors.  Very  impressive  is  the  fact  already  noticed,  that 
Sardis  and  Laodicea,  the  two  wealthy  and  luxurious  churches 
of  the  seven,  were  the  only  ones  which  were  not  persecuted. 
Quite  remarkable  is  this  about  Sardis — that  in  the  message  there 
is  no  allusion  to  any  enemy,  or  to  any  suffering,  as  there  is  in 
the  messages  to  all  the  other  churches,  save  Laodicea.  All  the 
others  are  addressed  as  being  tried,  tempted,  persecuted.  But 
there  seem  to  have  been  no  enemies  or  persecutors  for  Sardis. 
Probably  this  was  because  there  was  nothing  to  persecute.  Their 
religion  was  not  of  that  decided  character  that  excites  enemies. 
There  was  not  positive  piety  enough  to  awaken  opposition — 
scarcely  attention. 

It  would  seem  as  if  the  church  of  that  city  had  sunken  down 
into  sad  conformity  with  the  world  around  it.  This  inference 
arises  from  two  hints  found  in  its  message.  One  is  the  gracious 
consideration  found  in  the  praise  given  it,  that  they  had  a  few 
names  which  still  remained  faithful ;  the  other  was  that  these 
few  had  not  so  fallen  as  to  defile  their  raiment.  All  the  rest 
seem  to  have  sunken  into  that  loathsome  condition,  but  a  few 
— only  a  few — remained  upright  and  clean.  Analogy  teaches 
us  that  such  defilement  is  the  result  of  the  contamination  of 
the  world.    The  church,  as   such,   had  caught  the   corrupt  spirit 


358       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

• 

which  was  prevailing  on  every  hand.  Tliere  was  no  deptli  to 
their  piety,  no  earnestness  in  their  Christian  life.  There  seems 
to  have  been  in  this  church  a  sad  lack  of  devoted  personal  piety. 
The  language  addressed  to  them  implies  this:  "I  know  thy  works, 
that  thou  hast  a  name  that  thou  livest,  and  art  dead."  They 
seem  not  to  have  denied  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Christ  Jesus  by 
any  ivord  or  profession  of  apostasy;  but  they  did  deny  it  in  act; 
they  manifested  their  gross  spiritual  declension  mofe  forcibly 
than  words  could  have  done  it.  They  cared  not  for  purity  of 
life  and  holiness  of  heart.  Sardis  was  a  gay  and  luxurious  city, 
and  it  is  more  than  probable  that,  in  this  respect,  its  church 
became  conformed  to  it  in  character.  On  all  sides  they  were 
surrounded  by  the  abominations  of  their  pagan  neighbors,  and 
most  probably  they  joined  in  their  heathen  pastimes  and  fes- 
tivities. By  their  pretense  to  pre-eminent  piety  they  had  gotten 
for  themselves  a  name  for  religion,  but  God  saw  that  it  was  not 
a  name  that  came  from  the  influences  of  his  Spirit. 

Only  little  grace  was  to  be  found  in  that  church.  This  is  mani- 
fest from  the  charge  laid  upon  it:  "Strengthen  the  things  which 
remain."  As  if  there  was  a  little  piety  left — only  a  little— so 
little  that  unless  it  was  carefully  nurtured  it  would  soon  become 
utterly  extinct.  Only  a  little  spirituality,  only  a  few  names  re- 
maining; it  verily  appeared  as  if  the  church,  as  such,  was  ready 
to  die !  They  had  a  name  that  they  were  still  living,  but  very 
little  more. 

Severe,  therefore,  but  just,  was  the  censure,  that  with  a  great 
name  of  spiritual  life,  they  were  as  dead.  They  were  absolutely 
ready  to  die.  All  was  languishing,  and  on  the  borders  of  ex- 
tinction. 

14.   A   FEW  NAMES   EVEN   IN   SAEDIS. 

The  considerate  nature  of  the  Son  of  God,  of  whom  it  is  said, 
"  A  bruised  reed  shall  he  not  break,  and  the  smoking  flax  shall 
he  not  quench,"  is  seen  here,  in  that,  while  he  was  pronouncing 
a  sore  condemnation  of  this  church,  in  order  that  they  might  not 
be  utterly  crushed  he  adds:  "Thou  hast  a  few  names  even  in 
Sardis  which  have  not  defiled  their  garments."  His  gracious 
providence  so  ord(TS  that  at  no  time,  even  in  the  most  gloomy 
periods,  is  the  Church  without  some  sincere  witnesses  for  the 
truth.  There  are  always  a  few  faithful  names.  Glance  along 
the  whole  line  of  the  world's  history  and  see  how  emphatically 
true  this  is.    A  Seth,  an  Enoch,  a  Noah,  an  Abraham,  a   Lot, 


THE  GOLDEN   SANDS.  359 

an  Elijah,  an  Ezekiel,  an  Augustine,  a  Simeon,  a  Luther,  a 
Wesley,  are  at  once  thought  of  as  proofs  of  tliis  fact.  It  was 
so  in  Sardis,  and  is  specially  mentioned  for  the  comfort  of  the 
faithful  and  to  bear  witness  of  God's  never-failing  goodness. 

To  encourage  his  people,  he  assures  them  that,  even  in  that 
most  forlorn  condition  of  their  church,  he  had  a  few  faithful 
souls  there  who  had  kept  themselves  uncontaminated  by  the  gen- 
eral corruption.  There  were  a  few;  and  that  proved  that  true 
religion  could  live  on,  perhaps  unnoticed  by  the  world,  even 
when  the  general  mass  was  utterly  depraved.  It  gives  the  same 
comforting  assurance  still ;  for  while  we  see  even  a  very  few  loyal 
to  their  God,  and  to  the  truth,  we  need  not  be  cast  down,  although 
there  prevails  a  most  deplorable  and  widespread  degeneracy. 

Moreover,  this  allusion  to  the  few  faithful  ones  in  Sardis  reveals 
the  blessed  fact  that,  few  as  the  steadfast  ones  may  be,  they  are 
carefully  watched  over  by  the  gracious  eye  of  our  loving  Lord. 
Even  a  few  are  noticed;  God  takes  care  of  the  smallest  number 
who  are  true  to  him.  He  will  ever  be  true  to  those  who  are 
true  to  him.  His  unfailing  engagement  with  every  soul  is, 
"Draw  nigh  unto  God,  and  he  will  draw  nigh  to  you."  This 
old  promise  never,  never  fails. 

Not  only  does  he  notice  those  who  are  faithful  and  true  to 
him,  but  they  are  very  precious  in  his  sight.  It  would  almost 
seem  that  the  fewer  they  are,  the  more  carefully  are  they 
watched  over,  and  the  more  dear  are  they  to  him.  He  loves 
them  so  dearly  that  he  writes  their  names  in  his  book  of  life, 
calls  them  by  name,  and,  in  words  of  deep  affection,  says  of 
them :  "  My  sheep  hear  my  voice,  and  I  know  them,  and  they 
follow  me:  and  I  give  unto  them  eternal  life." 

Of  these  faithful  ones  in  the  church  of  Sardis,  the  various 
excellences  are  carefully  noted.  Of  the  mass  of  its  members  the 
record  is  that  they  had  a  name  to  live,  but  in  reality  were  in  a 
dying  condition;  the.se,  on  the  contrary,  had  not  only  the  reputa- 
tion, but  the  character  also  which  corresponded  therewith.  The 
great  excellency  of  these  faithful  few  in  the  sight  of  God  is  de- 
scribed by  a  very  significant  symbol:  "They  have  not  defiled 
their  garments."  All  others  had  defiled  theirs  by  coming  in 
unholy  contact  and  assimilating  with  their  sinful  neighbors.  This 
does  not  imply  that  the  few  were  wholly  uncontaminated ;  but 
that,  as  comi)ared  with  the  corrupted  professors,  tftey  were  pure. 
They  had  kept  themselves  unspotted  from  the  world ;  or,  if  they 
had  contracted  any  defilement,  they  had  at  once  washed  it  out  in 


360  INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED   KING. 

the   atoning    blood,  and   secured   pardon   through    our   Advocate 
with  the  Father. 

15.    APPEOBATION. 

Though  the  great  body  of  the  church  was  spiritually  dead,  yet 
there  were  exceptions ;  even  in  Sardis,  apparently  the  most  hope- 
less of  all,  there  were  a  few  persons  who  were  alive  still.  That 
faithful  few  were  carefully  noticed  by  the  gracious  Lord.  Though 
it  was  a  region  of  spiritual  death,  the  all-seeing  eye  was  fixed 
on  the  little  handful  that  had  not  succumbed  to  the  prevailing 
corruption.  There  was  a  general  contagion  of  death ;  still  were 
there  some  whom  it  had  not  reached.  Vital  godliness  was  un- 
popular and  despised,  but  there  were  brave  souls  that  faced  all. 
They  had  to  wage  a  constant  struggle  with  the  deadly  influences 
that  prevailed,  but  this  only  rendered  their  unyielding  fidelity 
the  more  pleasing  in  the  sight  of  Him  who  held  them  so  ten- 
derly in  his  hands. 

This  fidelity,  so  tried  and  brave,  is  placed  in  the  most  attrac- 
tive light:  "They  have  not  defiled  their  garments."  Pure, 
clean,  unspotted,  beautiful  was  their  appearance  in  the  sight  of 
God  and  in  the  sight  of  all  holy  creatures.  They  had  continued 
unspotted  amid  corruption  most  loathsome.  So  pleasing  was  this 
in  the  sight  of  the  Son  of  man  that  he  speaks  of  it  to  their 
special  honor.  Their  purity,  described  as  whiteness,  was  the 
more  lovely  as  contrasted  with  such  general  defilement. 

The  gracious  condescension  of  the  loving  Lord  goes  even  far- 
ther, and,  notwithstanding  all  the  imperfections  which  must  still 
have  clung  to  them,  he  declares  of  them:  "They  are  worthy." 
Worthy  of  the  divine  notice  and  honor — what  a  glorious  tribute! 
They  \\ere  worthy  of  approval,  while  all  the  rest  were  deserving 
only  of  condemnation.  For  the  sake  of  Christ  in  whom  they 
were  accepted,  and  as  a  recompense  to  him,  they  were  worthy 
of  reward,  and  would  be  rewarded  for  evermore.  They  were  of 
such  a  character  as  to  be  meet  for  admittance  to  the  ranks  of  the 
blessed.  "  They  were  meet  and  proper  persons  to  be  admitted 
to  that  glorious  and  happy  state,  having  approved  themselves 
to  be  faithful  servants  and  friends  whilst  they  lived  on  earth." 
They  were  worthy  of  lofty  seats  in  glory — worthy  of  all  this  for 
the  sake  of  Christ,  their  all-prevailing  IVIediator.  And  this  wor- 
thiness was  tlte  more  honorable  to  them  that  they  were  found  in 
the  utterly  corrupted  church  of  Sardis. 


THE  GOLDEN  SANDS.  361 

16.   COUNSELS. 

After  these  encouraging  words  come  tlie  affectionate  counsels 
of  their  tender  Saviour.  Every  word  of  those  counsels  was 
adapted  to  their  condition. 

He  first  call* upon  them  to  "repent."  It  was  of  the  first  im- 
portance that  they  should  realize  the  sad  state  into  whi(;h  they 
had  fallen;  what  they  had  lost;  how  grievously  they  had  sinned 
and  were  sinning  by  their  deadness ;  how  much  evil  they  had 
done,  and  the  deplorable  consequences  that  must  follow.  No 
impression  could  be  made  upon  them,  and  no  hope  was  there  for 
them,  unless  they  could  be  brought  to  reflect  upon  their  wretched 
condition.  They  must  humble  themselves  before  even  divine 
mercy  could  be  extended  to  them,  and  before  they  could  be 
awakened  to  other  efforts  which  should  be  made. 

Then  he  reminds  them  of  what  they  once  were:  "Kemember, 
therefore,  how  thou  hast  received  and  heard."  He  calls  upon 
them  to  think  of  the  time  when  with  eagerness  and  delight  they 
had  listened  to  the  gospel  as  it  was  first  preached  to  them,  with 
the  demonstration  of  the  Spirit ;  how  their  souls  had  been  stirred ; 
how  earnestly  they  had  sought,  jjrayed,  and  cast  themselves  upon 
the  truth ;  how  fully  they  had  believed ;  and  with  what  joy  they 
had  then  seen  the  Lord. 

Then  they  are  summoned  to  the  most  prompt  and  stirring 
watchfulness.  The  warning  to  them  from  the  throne  is,  "  Be 
watchful."  Be  watchful,  for  the  torpidity  of  death  is  creeping 
over  you;  be  watchful,  for  sooner  than  you  are  aware  it  will  be 
too  late;  be  watchful,  for  you  are  on  the  verge  of  death  eternal. 
It  is  as  if  the  alarm  were  sounded  down  to  them:  Awake! 
awake  and  watch !  the  numbness  of  death  eternal  is  coming  over 
you  ;  your  souls  are  becoming  paralyzed,  and  you  must  stir  your- 
selves at  once  or  you  are  lost!  Behold  how  weak  are  your  faith, 
and  hope,  and  love — they  are  almost  gone.  See  how  many  fatal 
influences  are  benumbing  you  already — your  spiritual  life  is  grow- 
ing more  and  more, feeble;  all  around  you  is  calculated  to 
deaden ;  the  accursed  spells  of  Satan  are  binding  you  fast.  It  was 
a  serious  matter  with  them.  There  must  be  no  more  trifling,  no 
more  delay,  no  more  sleeping.  To  them  it  was  a  matter  of 
eternal  life  or  eternal  death. 

17.   THE  THEEATENING. 
Having,    it   would    seem,    exhausted    every    kind    and    tender 
method  to  induce  them  to    break  away  froni  their  fatal  torpor, 


362       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

the  Spirit  then  warns  them  of  what  would  be  the  consequence  if 
they  would  not  heed  liini.  If  they  would  not  be  entreated  there 
was  nothing  for  them  but  to  face  the  divine  displeasure.  The 
judgments  of  God  would  come  upon  them  as  unexpectedly  as 
the  thief  in  the  night.  He  would  come  upon  them  in  terrible 
visitations — not  in  the  final  judgment,  here,  but  in  severe  chas- 
tisements that  would  be  a  type  and  foretaste  of  that  wrathful 
and  endless  doom.  They  would  be  inflictions  that  would  be  the 
direct  consequence  of  their  sinful  apathy — "  such  as  persecutions, 
distress,  the  open  shame  of  being  noted  as  a  dead  church,  exclu- 
sion from  fellowship  with  other  churches,  which  should  no  longer 
recognize  even  its  name  to  live — these  should  do  their  work, 
teaching  all  who  were  yet  capable  of  being  taught,  warning 
others  by  the  punishment  of  the  hardened  and  impenitent." 

And  these  judgments  would  be  sudden  and  unexpected.  "As 
a  thief  in  the  night"  is  the  feature  upon  which  the  greatest  stress 
is  laid.  This  was  peculiarly  significant  because  of  the  death-like 
torpor  that  had  come  over  them.  They  were  in  a  state  like 
death,  wherein  their  danger  could  not  be  perceived,  nor  the 
stealthy  approach  of  calamities  apprehended.  They  were  so 
benumbed  that  nothing  could  alarm  them  until  the  horrible 
moment  of  awaking.  One  moment  in  a  stupid,  death-like  sleep; 
the  next,  in  a  paroxj-sjn  of  terror  and  woe !  He  would  come 
upon  them  with  bewildering  alarm,  with  an  irresistible  power 
under  which  they  would  writhe  in  utter  helplessness,  with  a 
crushing  force  from  which  they  would  find  no  way  of  escape, 
and  in  such  a  inanner  that  they  would  be  in  agony  from  the 
discovery  that  all  imaginable  efforts  were  then  too  late.  Such 
horrible  awaking  would  surely  come  if  they  would  not  heed  all 
other  appeals  that  could  be  addressed  to  them. 

18.   OVERCOME  WHAT? 

The  verj'  ftict  that  these  dead  professors  of  Sardis  were  called 
upon  to  overcome  some  enemy  evinced  tl^at  there  was  still  some 
hoi)e  for  them.  Were  it  otherwise  they  would  have  been  left  in 
that  deadness  from  which  there  was  no  renewing.  But  there  lay 
before  them  a  struggle  that  was  formidable,  unavoidable,  and 
imminent.  They  must  strive  with  an  effort  most  intense,  to 
break  away  from  that  si)iritual  numbness  that  had  settled  down 
upon  their  souls.  Their  wills  had  become  enfeebled  through  the 
malign  influences  of  sin,  and  so  their  task  had  grown  to  be  far 
more  formidable.     They  must  contend  with  numbness,  with  an 


THE  GOLDEN  SANDS.  363 

enslaved  will,  and  with  a  i^rocrastinating  spirit  that  binds  faster 
and  faster  through  the  delusion  that  soothes  them  with  the  pur- 
pose of  awaking — but  not  just  now.  There  were  also  the  three 
formidable  assailants  with  which  they  must  wage  relentless  war 
— namely,  the  world,  the  flesh,  and  the  devil.  The  world  was 
then,  as  always,  dominated  by  the  "prince  of  the  power  of  the 
air,"  and  its  whole  atmosphere  was  detrimental  to  their  spiritual 
life.  The  flesh,  with  its  many  proclivities  to  evil,  delighting  in 
sinful  indulgences,  and  with  its  old  sedative,  "  A  little  more  sleep, 
a  little  more  slumber,"  was  an  unseen  but  most  dangerous  enemy. 
The  devil,  never  resting,  with  cruel  hate  and  infernal  power,  was 
a  terrible,  real,  and  mighty  foe.  The  widespread  tendency  to  de- 
ceive others,  and  themselves  too,  had  already  stamped  them  with 
the  character  of  hypocrisy.  The  danger  of  getting  nearer  and 
nearer  to  the  verge  of  ruin,  utter  and  eternal,  was  becoming  con- 
stantly more  imminent.  With  all  this  they  were  summoned  to 
contend,  and  the  conquest  over  these  dreadful  foes  was  that  to 
which  they  were  called  and  which  they  must  achieve. 

19.   THE   PROMISES. 

The  victory'  could  be  reached  only  through  a  violent  and  long- 
continued  struggle ;  but  the  rewards  held  out  to  the  victors  would 
be  more  than  a  recomiiense  for  all.  Through  mere  mortal  strength 
a  conquest  would  be  hopeless;  but  help  would  come  from  an  arm 
that  was  omnipotent.  The  Lord  of  the  kingdom  would  summon 
his  followers  to  no  undertaking  in  which  he  would  not  stand  by 
them.  He  would  not  only  afford  them  the  necessary  help,  but 
he  would  also  give  them  cheer  in  the  most  trjing  hours.  In 
this  message  the  promises  are  more  than  ordinarily  exhilarating. 
A  single  assurance  of  heavenly  reward,  coming  from  the  lii3s  of 
Him  who  is  the  God  of  inviolable  truth  might  well  suffice;  but 
here,  to  the  faithful  of  Sardis,  there  are  three  promises,  each  of 
them  more  and  more  animating,  and  all  of  them  perfectly  adapted 
to  the  peculiar  circumstances  of  that  people:  "I  will  not  blot  out 
his  name  out  of  the  book  of  life;"  "I  will  confess  his  name  be- 
fore my  Father,  and  before  his  angels;"  "The  same  shall  walk 
with  me  in  white."  If  the  languishing  Christians  of  Sardis  could 
have  appreciated  these  engagements,  what  a  new  impulse  they 
w^ould  have  given  them  in  the  hard  struggles  through  which 
they  were  called  to  pass !  If  regarded  as  they  should  have  been, 
there  would  have  been  no  despair  even  amid  such  general  spirit- 
ual death.    If  God  had  only  been  heard  and   trusted,  then  the 


364       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

conquest,  bard  as  it  was  to  reach,  had  ah*eady  been  gained.    Let 
us  look  upon  each  of  these  promises  separately. 

20.   "NOT  BLOT  OUT  HIS  NAME  OUT  OF  THE  BOOK  OF  LIFE." 

To  be  enrolled  citizens  of  Sardis,  in  those  days,  must  have  been 
one  of  the  greatest  honors.  To  have  the  name  expunged  from 
the  registers  of  the  city  nmst  have  been  one  of  the  most  dreaded 
calamities.  It  must  have  been  a  disgrace  and  a  loss  that  would 
involve  utter  ruin.  Corresponding  with  this  would  be  the  ir- 
reparable calamity  of  the  soul  whose  name  should  be  erased  from 
God's  book  of  eternal  remembrance.  It  would  be  to  seal  the 
doom  of  that  soul.  It  would  be  to  make  that  wretched  man  a 
hopeless  outcast,  to  shut  him  out  from  God's  regards,  and  to 
consign  him  to  the  blackness  of  despair. 

But  this  unspeakable  evil  would  never  be  permitted  to  come 
upon  the  conquerors.  Angels  would  carefully  guard  tlieir  names 
on  the  Images  of  the  book  of  life.  God  himself  would  keep  them 
engraven  there.  Never  would  they  be  effaced,  never  worn  out 
by  the  lapse  of  ages.  Their  citizenship,  with  all  its  rights  and 
honors,  could  never  be  taken  from  them.  Their  names  would 
be  mentioned  by  the  ransomed,  to  the  glory  of  Him  who  re- 
deemed them,  and  to  their  own  immortal  bliss. 

21.   "CONFESS  THEIR  NAMES." 

The  names  of  these  faithful  ones  of  Sardis  would  not  be  blotted 
out,  as  would  those  of  all  the  others  who  had  not  proved  true 
to  the  Lord  and  his  cause.  When  all  others  had  been  effaced, 
then  would  theirs  remain  most  honored  in  the  Lamb's  book  of 
life,  as  the  elect  and  redeemed  of  God.  Then,  too,  would  their 
pre-eminent  glory  be  made  known  before  the  world;  for  his  en- 
gagement concerning  each  one  of  these  loyal  servants  was:  "I 
will  confess  his  name  before  my  Father,  and  befoi-e  his  angels." 
This  would  be  in  fulfilment  of  his  old  promise  while  the  Son  of 
man  was  on  the  earth:  "Whosoever  shall  confess  me  before  men, 
him  shall  the  Son  of  man  also  confess  before  the  angels  of  God." 
That  would  be  setting  his  seal  in  heaven  to  tliat  for  which  he 
had   pledged  himself   on   earth. 

The  substance  of  the  engagement  which  he  makes  with  these 
devoted  followers  in  Sardis  was  that  he  would  honor  tliem  by 
a  special  recognition  before  all  the  inhabitants  of  heaven.  Be- 
fore the  Fatlier  the  recognition  would  be:  "These  are  they  whom 
thou  hast  given  me,  who  have  been  redeemed  by  my  blood,  and 


THE  GOLDEN  SANDS.  365 

who  have  followed  nie  through  good  report  and  through  evil  re- 
port." Before  the  angels  it  would  be:  "These  are  the  trophies 
of  my  victory,  who  have  fought  a  good  fight,  and  whom  I  have 
brought  up  to  this  scene  of  glory,  that  they  may  receive  their 
crowns."  Their  names  would  be  named,  and  their  victories  re- 
hearsed. Before  the  Father,  and  angels,  and  the  ransomed — in 
the  most  glorious  circle  of  life — will  they  then  be  openly  honored. 
What  especially  this  glorious  scene  in  heaven  is  to  be,  of  course, 
we  cannot  now  tell,  but  that  there  will  be  some  splendid  mani- 
festation of  such  eminently  faithful  sons  of  God  is  made  most 
certain.  Even  among  the  vast  multitude  of  the  ransoined,  such 
unflinching  heroes  as  these  of  Sardis  will  be  raised  to  places  of 
pre-eminent  glory.  Their  names  will  be  the  more  highly  ad- 
mired among  the  throngs  of  the  blessed,  in  that  they  came  up 
from  the  dead  Sardis,  as  amazing  trophies  from  that  region  of 
decay. 

22.    "THEY  SHALL  WALK  WITH   ME   IN  WHITE." 

The  glorified  Son  of  God  notices  the  few  faithful  ones  of  Sardis 
who  had  not  defiled  their  garments,  and  engages  to  them  that 
they  shall  loalk  with  him  in  white.  They  had  kept  their  garments 
unspotted  while  on  earth,  and  they  should  walk  with  him  in 
white  in  heaven.  "He  that  overcometh  shall  be  clothed  in  white 
raiment." 

It  is  worth  while  to  pause  here  for  a  moment  and  dwell  upon 
the  deep  significance  of  the  word  white,  as  it  is  frequently  used 
in  the  Apocalypse.  "  White  is  everywhere  the  color  and  livery 
of  heaven,  and  nowhere  with  as  great  an  emphasis  as  in  this 
portion  of  tlie  book."  Of  the  Son  of  God  we  are  told:  "His 
head  and  hairs  were  white  like  wool,  as  white  as  snow."  Then 
we  have  the  "white  stone,"  "white  raiment,"  "white  robes,"  a 
"white  cloud,"  "fine  linen,  clean  and  white,"  "wiiite  hor.ses," 
"a  great  white  throne.''^  The  fitness  of  white  to  serve  as  a  sym- 
bol of  absolute  purity  is  obvious.  Then,  this  white  as  the  color 
of  heaven  is  not  the  mere  absence  of  other  color.  It  is  not  the 
mere  dull  white ;  but,  as  we  learn  from  the  transfiguration  scene 
of  our  Lord,  it  is  the  brilliant,  glittering  white.  It  therefore  refers 
to  that  clothing  with  light  as  with  a  garment  that  shall  be  in  the 
heavenly  world.  The  glorified  body,  transfigured  into  the  likeness 
of  Christ's  glorified  body,  with  its  robe  and  atmosphere  of  light, 
will  no  doubt  be  that  white  raiment  which  Christ  here  promises 
to  his  redeemed. 


366       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

One  leading  peculiarity  of  this  promise  is  contained  in  the  ex- 
pression, "  They  shall  ivalk  with  me  in  white."  Here  are  many 
promises  in  one.  It  is  the  promise  of  life ;  for  only  the  living 
walk— the  dead  are  still.  It  is  the  promise  of  liberty ;  for  the 
free  walk,  and  not  the  fast  bound.  Much  more,  too,  may  we 
find  in  these  words,  "  They  shall  icalk  with  me  in  white,"  than 
if  it  had  been  merely  said,  "  They  shall  be  clothed  in  white." 
The  grace  and  dignity  of  long  garments  appear  only — at  least 
only  appear  to  the  full — when  the  person  wearing  them  is  in 
motion.  It  is  emphatic.  "  The  scribes  desire  to  walk  in  long 
robes."  All  this  has  its  corresponding  truth  in  the  kingdom  of 
heaven.  God's  saints  and  servants  here  in  this  world  of  grace, 
and  no  doubt  in  that  world  of  glory,  are  best  seen  and  most  to 
be  admired  when  they  are  engaged  in  active  services  of  love. 
And  such  services  they  shall  no  doubt  have.  "Thus  saith  the 
Lord  of  hosts.  If  thou  wilt  walk  in  my  ways,  and  if  thou  w'ilt 
keep  my  charge,  then  thou  shalt  also  judge  my  house,  and  shalt 
also  keep  my  courts,  and  I  will  give  thee  places  to  walk  amid 
those  that  stand  by."  The  redeemed  shall  walk  with  their  Lord, 
shall  be  actively  engaged  in  his  service,  and  shall  be  glorified 
together  with   him. 

They  shall  walk  in  white— adorned  with  both  imputed  and 
imparted  holiness — enjoying  holy  activity  and  communion,  and 
raised  to  the  highest  exaltation  and  glory.  With  what  delight 
must  this  message  have  filled  the  faithful  ones  of  8ardis!  We 
can  almost  imagine,  as  it  was  said  of  them,  "They  are  worthy," 
these  elect  and  precious  ones  would  sing  in  holy  rapture,  "Not 
unto  us,  but  unto  thy  name,  give  glory."  The  message  must 
have  filled  them  with  joy  unspeakable;  for  it  assured  them  that 
God  had  M-atched  their  doings,  had  approved  their  fidelity,  and 
heard  their  prayers. 

23.  FUNCTION   IN  THE   BEACON. 

The  essential  element  of  warning  to  the  churches  of  the  Morld 
whicli  formed  the  burden  of  this  message  was  that  all  Christian 
conmiunities  are  ever  in  danger  of  lapsing  into  a  state  of  spirit- 
ual decay  and  deadness.  This  deplorable  experience  results  from 
several  causes.  .Sometimes  it  springs  from  over-confidence  in  the 
soundness  of  their  faith.  Trusting  too  much  in  the  orthodoxy  of 
their  creed,  they  relax  their  guard  over  the  vigor  of  their  spirit- 
uality, suffer  it  to  evaporate  and  lapse  into  dead  orthodoxy. 
Very  lamentable  instances  of  this  are  to  be  found  in  the  histories 


THE  GOLDEN  SANDS.  367 

of  many  churches.  Sometimes  it  results  from  exhausted  enthu- 
siasm. Undue  excitement  in  either  an  individual  or  a  commu- 
nity is  very  often  followed  by  a  corresponding  reaction ;  and  that 
reaction  is  in  danger  of  going  on  with  accumulating  force  until 
souls  are  left  cold,  hard,  and  insensible.  Sometimes  the  spiritual 
deadness  comes  from  the  blighting  effects  of  prevailing  errors. 
Error  of  every  kind  and  degree  is  noxious,  and,  if  not  checked, 
ultimately  poisons  the  whole  soul,  and  by  its  contagion  spreads 
througliout  a  whole  community.  Sometimes  the  whole  spirit- 
uality of  a  church  is  smothered  by  the  incubus  of  worldliness. 
Such,  doubtless,  was  the  sad  history  of  this  church  of  Sardis,  as  it 
has  since  been  that  of  thousands  of  others.  Worldly  greatness, 
worldly  prosperity,  worldly  riches,  when  not  guarded,  are  blight- 
ing to  the  soul.  Not  that  in  themselves  they  are  necessarily  sin- 
ful in  the  sight  of  God,  but  that  evermore  is  it  the  fact  that  God 
and  Mammon  cannot  be  supreme  in  the  same  heart.  In  the  his- 
tories of  these  seven  churches  we  have  a  most  impressive  proof 
of  this.  It  is  not  to  be  mistaken  that  the  churches  of  the 
wealthy  Sardis  and  prosperous  Laodicea  were  the  most  degenerate 
of  them  all;  while  the  struggling  Smyrna  and  the  humble  Phila- 
delphia had  the  highest  place  in  God's  esteem.  In  these  epistles, 
not  so  asserted  in  words,  but  exhibited  in  unmistakable  facts,  it 
is  made  abundantly  manifest  that  worldly  prosperity  and  vigor- 
ous spirituality  do  not  ordinarily  go  together. 

But  it  is  also  made  evident  by  the  light  of  the  Beacon  that 
even  when  the  great  body  of  a  church  was  in  a  condition  of 
spiritual  deadness,  there  would  still  be  some  living  and  faithful 
ones  in  it.  The  true  life  which  originally  comes  from  the  Holy 
Spirit  would  be  indestructible.  There  might  prevail  an  atmos- 
phere most  deadly  in  its  effects;  but  there  would  be  some  brave 
souls  that  survive  even  it.  The  few  names  "even  in  Sardis" 
would  be  for  ever  an  encouraging  proof  that  an  individual  or  a 
church  need  not  despair  though  all  around  them  seemed  spirit- 
ually dead.  And  such  noble  few  would  evermore  be  a  church's 
great  blessing.  They  would  bear  the  burden  of  the  church's 
work,  they  would  maintain  the  church's  honor,  and  they  would 
bring  down  the  church's  blessings. 

The  great  duty  of  these  faitliful  few — their  noble  privilege — 
would  ever  be  to  fan  up  into  a  new  flame  the  feeble  life  that  still 
remained  in  the  bodj^  To  do  this  there  would  be  no  need  for 
new  methods,  or  for  the  contrivance  of  untried  projects.  Nothing 
would  b"*  required  but  the  faithful  use  of  the  old  means  of  grace 


368       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

which  God  has  ordained.  These,  however,  would  have  to  be 
plied  with  an  earnestness  which  would  amount  almost  to  des- 
peration because  of  the  deadly  atmosphere  by  which  they  would 
be  surrounded.  But  the  command — "Remember,"  "Hold  fast," 
"Repent" — implied  a  divine  pledge  that  such  faithfulness  in  the 
"few"  would  not  be  in  vain;  the  living  and  life-giving  Spirit 
would  help  with  effectual  succor.  This  pledge  of  God  stands 
good  for  ever.  As  it  was  given  to  the  dead  church  of  Sardis, 
so  is  it  given  to  the  dead  or  diseased  church  of  the  present 
day. 

Most  cheering  also  is  the  light  of  God  streaming  out  from  the 
Beacon,  that  the  reward  of  such  faithful  ones  would  be  all  the 
greater  because  of  their  continuing  firm  and  unharmed  in  the 
midst  of  so  much  that  was  calculated  to  destroy.  Their  fidelity 
would  thereby  be  made  to  shine  out  with  the  brighter  lustre. 
The  trial  of  their  patience  would  bring  out  their  graces,  burnish 
them,  and  render  them  the  more  attractive.  The  very  contest 
Avith  evil  men  and  corrupting  influences  would  make  the  more 
emphatic  the  voices  by  which  they  would  be  heralded  to  the 
triumphs  of  the  skies.  Justly  would  they,  amid  the  ranks  of 
the  blessed,  be  celebrated  as  those  who  had  come  up  out  of  great 
tribulation,  having  "  washed  their  robes,  and  made  them  white 
in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb."  Because  of  their  heroic  steadfast- 
ness to  God  and  duty  amid  so  much  that  was  hostile,  they  would, 
for  Christ's  sake,  receive  from  the  heavenly  King  a  special  recom- 
pense, and  be  permitted  to  walk  with  him  in  white.  Even  amid 
the  multitude  of  the  ransomed  they  would  be  admired  for  ever- 
more. In  their  struggles  to  live  and  triumph  in  the  region  where 
death  prevailed  they  were  planting  memories  which  God  would 
make  to  them  an  unending  source  of  joy. 


PHILADELPHIA. 


THE  CITY  OF  GOD. 


24 


THE  MESSAGE. 

Aud  to  the  angel  of  the  church  in  Philadelphia  write :  These  things  saith  he 
that  is  holy,  he  that  is  true,  he  that  hath  the  key  of  David,  he  that  opeueth,  aud 
no  man  shutteth  ;  and  shutteth,  and  no  man  openeth  ; 

I  know  thy  works :  hehold,  I  have  set  before  thee  an  open  door,  and  no  man 
can  shut  it :  for  thou  hast  a  little  strength,  and  hast  kept  my  word,  and  hast  not 
denied  my  name. 

Behold,  I  will  make  them  of  the  synagogue  of  Satan,  which  say  they  are 
Jews,  and  are  not,  but  do  lie ;  behold,  I  will  make  them  to  come  and  worship 
before  thy  feet,  and  to  know  that  I  have  loved  thee. 

Because  thou  hast  kept  the  word  of  my  patience,  I  also  will  keep  thee  from 
the  hour  of  temptation,  which  shall  come  upon  all  the  world,  to  try  them  that 
dwell  upon  the  earth. 

Behold,  I  come  quickly:  hold  that  fast  which  thou  hast,  that  no  man  take 
thy  crown. 

Him  that  overcometh  will  I  make  a  pillar  in  the  temple  of  my  God,  and  he 
shall  go  no  more  out ;  and  I  will  write  upon  him  the  name  of  my  God,  aud  the 
name  of  the  city  of  my  God,  which  is  new  Jerusalem,  which  cometh  down  out 
of  heaven  from  my  God ;   and  I  vill  write  upon  him  my  new  name. 

He  that  hath  an  ear,  let  him  hear  what  the  Spirit  saith  unto  the  churches. 

370 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

THE  CITY  OF  GOD. 

1.    CHARACTER  OF  THE  MESSAGE. 

"The  pearl  among  the  churches"  is  a  title  once  bestowed,  and 
not  unmeaningly,  upon  this  church  of  Philadelphia.  No  one  can 
carefully  study  the  message  which  was  sent  down  to  it  from  Him 
who  walketh  in  the  midst  of  the  golden  candlesticks  without  feel- 
ing that  this  church  was  peculiarly  dear  to  him.  The  tenderness 
of  his  addresses  to  it,  his  manifest  consideration  for  its  trials,  as 
well  as  the  number  and  nature  of  his  proaiises  to  it,  all  show  that 
of  a  truth  he  had  "graven  it  on  the  palms  of  his  hands." 

This  is  the  more  remarkable  in  that  it  was  but  a  small  church, 
and  located  in  a  comparatively  small  city.  It  had  not  associated 
with  it  the  renown  of  Sardis,  or  the  splendor  of  Ephesus,  or  the 
influence  of  Smyrna,  or  the  attractions  of  Pergamos.  It  was  but 
a  little  inland  city,  consisting  largely  of  farmers,  lying  far  up 
amongst  the  burnt  mountains,  and  of  comparatively  recent  origin. 
As  a  tender  parent  to  a  weakly  child,  God  speaks  to  it  as  having 
but  "a  little  strength."  The  church  was  in  fact  weak  in  numbers 
and  had  but  a  few  members  for  the  work  to  which  it  liad  been 
called,  and  its  graces  had  had  but  a  short  period  in  wiiich  to 
mature;  and  yet  to  no  other  church  does  he  speak  so  lovingly. 

Moreover,  it  was  the  only  one  of  the  seven  which  he  addresses 
witliout  using,  or  implying  some  words  of  censure.  In  this  it  is 
the  single  exception  to  the  rule.  The  synagogue  of  the  Jews  in 
the  city  is  sorely  rebuked,  but  the  faithful  Christians  who  had 
come  out  of  it  had  nothing  addressed  to  them  but  the  most 
cheering  consideration.  This  fact  is  significant,  standing  as  it 
does  in  the  midst  of  such  terrible  rebukes  to  the  other  six. 

There  is  something  deeply  significant  in  the  names  which, 
both  then  and  now,  were  given  to  this  church's  honor.  Was 
tliere  not  a  special  providence  in  it  that  the  city  of  this  church 
most  beloved  of  the  seven  should  have  received  from  its  founder 
the  name  of  Philadelphia,  the  abode  of  brotherly  love?  What 
was  there  in  it  which  led  even  its  Moslem  conquerors  to  bestow 

371 


372       INAUGUKAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

upon  it  the  appellation  of  The  Beautiful  City  f  It  may  have  been 
in  part  the  splendid  site  it  occupied,  loolcing  over  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  landscapes  in  the  world;  but  was  there  not  also  some- 
thing in  its  own  character  that  imprinted  on  it  that  honored 
stamp?  Then,  most  excellent  of  all  is  that  Turkish  name  it  still 
bears,  the  name  Alah-Shehr—'' The  City  of  God'' \  The  City  of 
God — whence  came  that  name  but  from  the  traditional  sacredness 
of  the  place  where  that  most  beloved  of  the  churches  was 
watched  over  by  her  Lord? — a  fame  which  the  wear  of  many 
centuries  has  not  effaced.  It  is  certainly  a  curious  illustration  of 
this  name  that  amid  the  ruins  of  the  ancient  city  rises  a  tall  soli- 
tary pillar;  and  in  like  manner  among  the  ruined  towns  of  Asia 
Minor  stands  Philadelphia — or,  as  it  is  now  called,  Ala/i-Shehr, 
"  the  City  of  God  " — erect  and  unshaken.  Still  further,  as  to  the 
original  name  of  this  city,  is  the  singularly  interesting  fact  that 
it  has  been  perpetuated  in  William  Penn's  city  of  Philadelphia. 
On  this  an  English  writer  has  said:  "Of  all  the  seven  its  name 
alone  appears  in  the  catalogue  of  modern  cities.  The  meaning 
of  the  word—'  brotherly  love,'  or,  '  love  of  the  brethren ' — perhaps 
also  the  special  character  of  the  promises  connected  with  it  in  the 
Apocalyptic  message,  commended  to  the  mind  of  William  Penn 
as  the  fittest  he  could  find  for  the  city  he  founded  on  the  banks 
of  the  Delaware;  and  so  it  has  won  for  the  name  of  the  old 
Asiatic  city  a  higher  niche  of  fame  than  it  would  have  filled  in 
the  world's  history." 

Another  noticeable  fact  concerning  the  city  of  this  church  is 
that  it  had  the  .longest  endurance  as  a  Christian  city  of  all  the 
seven.  It  stood  out  the  longest  of  all  against  the  murderous 
attacks  of  the  hordes  of  Islam,  still  resisting  and  maintaining  its 
independence  for  nearly  a  century  after  all  the  rest  had  fallen. 
And  not  only  for  this  patriotic  heroism  but  also  for  their  morality 
and  other  virtues,  were  the  people  of  Philadelphia  celebrated 
above  all  the  other  communities  of  Asia  Minor. 

2.   LOCATION  OF  THE  CITY. 

Excepting  in  very  rare  cases,  cities  have  never  been  founded 
arbitrarily,  but  some  special  causes  attracted  them  to  their  par- 
ticular localities.  Palmyra  was  built  in  an  oasis  of  the  desert  as 
a  central  station  between  Syria  and  the  nations  on  the  Euphrates; 
Alexandria  was  located  as  a  vast  metropolis  at  the  point  of  junc- 
tion of  Europe,  Asia,  and  Africa;  St.  Petersburg  was  founded 
to  be  the  one  great  seaport  opening  Russia  to  the  commerce  of 


THE  CITY  OF  GOD.  373 

the  world.  Sometimes  their  positions  are  selected  from  purposes 
of  trade ;  sometimes  they  are  chosen  as  great  centres  of  an  agri- 
cultural region ;  very  often  they  are  founded  with  reference  to 
their  importance  as  military  posts.  With  reference  to  this  city 
of  Philadelphia,  we  know  historically  why  its  site  was  chosen  ; 
and  we  can  easily  see  from  its  physical  peculiarities  that  its 
situation  was  wisely  selected. 

The  great  feature  of  the  physical  geography  of  this  portion  of 
Asia  ]Minor  is  the  running  westward  of  two  nearly  parallel  rivers 
from  the  highlands  of  the  interior  and  emptying  into  the  .Egean 
Sea.  These  two  parallel  streams  are  the  Hermus  and  tJie  Mean- 
der. Moreover,  the  space  of  territory  which  lies  between  them 
is  mainly  filled  up  by  two  similarly  trending  and  parallel  moun- 
tain ranges,  the  Tmolus  and  the  Messogis,  between  which  there 
lies  a  long  and  wide  valley,  traversed  by  a  smaller  stream  called 
the  Cayster.  The  Hermus  on  the  north  and  the  Cayster  on  the 
south  almost  encircle  Mount  Tmolus,  coming  very  near  to  eacli 
other  at  its  eastern  base.  The  point  on  the  east  where,  about 
seventy  miles  from  the  sea,  the  head-waters  of  the  Hermus  and 
those  of  the  Cayster  almost  touch  at  the  eastern  end  of  the  moun- 
tain, is  where  the  city  was  located.  It  therefore  stood  at  the 
edge  of  an  immense  valley  or  plain  that  lay  up  amid  the  head- 
waters and  mountain  spurs  of  the  interior,  some  seventy  or 
eighty  miles  from  the  coast. 

More  specifically  may  its  location  be  understood  by  our  saying 
that  it  lay  partly  on  the  spurs  of  the  eastern  point  of  Mount 
Tmolus  and  partly  on  the  level  ground  at  their  foot;  that  from 
it  there  swept  out  a  magnificent  plain  for  five  miles  to  the 
river  Hermus  which  there  bent  around  towards  the  south ;  that 
through  it  there  flowed  down  from  the  mountains  a  large  peren- 
nial brook  called  the  Cogamus;  that  behind  it  towered  up  the 
snow-capped  mountain  peaks;  and  that  before  it  lay  a  magnifi- 
cent vista  beyond  the  river,  and  stretching  far  up  towards  the 
eastern  highlands.  In  this  location  the  city  possessed  unsur- 
passed advantages.  Its  elevated  position  gave  it  a  healthful 
climate,  and  its  isolated  situation,  surrounded  by  mountains  and 
far  away  from  the  excitement  of  marching  armies,  saved  it  from 
many  of  the  horrors  of  war.  The  plain  or  valley  of  the  Hermus 
secured  for  it  all  the  wealth  that  could  flow  in  from  one  of  the 
finest  agricultural  regions  of  Western  Asia.  At  the  same  time 
the  two  river-valleys  of  the  Cayster  and  the  Hermus,  one  open- 
ing on  the  coast  at  Ephesus  and    the  other  at  Smyrna,  secured 


374      INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

it  the  influence   of  the  great   highways  of  commerce  extending 
from  the  ^Egean  islands  up  into  the  interior. 

Besides  tlie  alluvial  plain  extending  five  miles  to  the  river  and 
spreading  out  for  a  long  distance  both  up  and  down  its  banks, 
and  forming  the  finest  agricultural  region  in  the  country,  there 
was  also  the  river  Hermus.  This  was  the  great  artery  of  the 
land,  which  brought  down  from  the  elevated  interior  the  wash- 
ings of  many  thousands  of  acres,  and  imparted  abundant  fertility, 
as  well  as  awakened  life,  by  carrying  the  immense  commerce. 
Besides  this  there  was  also  the  little  stream  Cogamus,  which 
dashed  down  from  the  mountain,  flowed  through  the  city,  mean- 
dered over  the  plain,  and  emptied  into  the  river  not  far  above 
Sardis.  This  brook  was  then,  as  it  still  is,  one  of  the  city's  lead- 
ing sources  of  wealth,  owing  to  the  quality  of  its  water  for  pro- 
ducing the  richest  and  most  lasting  dye.  Many  other  brooks  and 
springs,  also  covering  the  land,  served  to  enrich  and  beautify  its 
acres.  Still  another  source  of  its  fertility  was  that  it  lay  on  the 
border  of  what  was  called  "  the  burnt  country  "—a  vast  space 
over  which  volcanoes  had  scattered  their  desolations.  But  these 
very  volcanoes,  showering  their  ashes  on  all  the  surrounding 
regions,  had  imparted  to  them  a  wealth  of  vegetation  to  be  found 
on  hardly  any  other  spot  of  earth.  As  in  the  region  of  Naples, 
because  of  its  proximity  to  Vesuvius,  so  about  Pliiladelphia:  the 
richness  of  its  ground  was  marvelous.  In  the  culture  of  the  vine 
it  is  excelled  neither  by  Naples,  nor  Burgundy,  nor  the  banks  of 
the  Rhine.  Add  to  all  this  that  the  region  was  sheltered  by  the 
surrounding  mountains,  and  that,  even  so  protected,  it  lay  'a 
thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  and  then  we  can  appre- 
ciate why  it  was  so  much  renowned  by  Homer  and  others  as 
one  of  the  most  delightful  spots  that  man  has  ever  inhabited. 

3.   A   LAND  OF  EARTHQUAKES. 

But  there  was  one  deplorable  drawback.  It  was  then,  as  it 
still  is,  afflicted  by  the  horrors  of  earthquakes— and  that  beyond 
almost  any  other  spot  in  the  world.  This  is  the  calamity  of  all 
Asia  Minor;  and  tliis  seems  to  have  been  the  very  centre  of  their 
devastations.  How  great  a  drawback  this  was  to  the  country 
may  be  seen  from  the  fact  that,  though  it  had  so  many  advan- 
tages as  a  residence  for  man,  it  never  was  fully  occupied  with 
inhabitants,  and  its  acres  never  were  thoroughly  cultivated.  Of 
this  fact  tiiere  is  evidence  but  too  positive  from  the  testimony  of 
ancient  authors,  as  well  as  from  the  traces  of  the  ruins  that  have 


THE  CITY  OF  GOD.  375 

been  left,  and  from  the  assurances  of  modern  travelers.  Such 
writers  as  Strabo  in  ancient  times  not  only  assert  the  fact  of  such 
visitations,  but  also  describe  their  desolating  effects.  Excepting 
in  Japan,  where  they  are  almost  of  monthly  occurrence,  it  is 
questionable  whether,  along  all  the  coasts  of  the  Pacific  and  Medi- 
terranean, which  are  the  homes  of  earthquakes,  they  have  ever 
done  such  destructive  work  as  in  this  fair  region  of  Philadelphia. 

Only  about  seventeen  years  before  these  messages  to  the  seven  r 
churches  one   of  these    visitations    had    almost   ruined    this  city,  i 
Tliousands    of    the    inhabitants    were    overwhelmed    in    its   first  ■ 
shocks;  thousands  of  others  fled  from  the  tottering  city  and  took 
refuge  in  the  country  around.     At  the  time  of  these  messages  the 
city  was   only  just   recovering   from  these  shocks,  and  was  still 
very  poor  from  the   expenses  needed  to  repair  the  ruins.      The 
condition  of  the  place  may  be  inferred  from  an  incidental  remark 
of  Strabo  that  the  walls  were  even  then  utterly  unsafe. 

In  after  ages  it  was  still  the  same;  for  in  almost  all  histori- 
cal references  to  the  city  of  Philadelphia  there  are  allusions,  in 
some  way,  to  the  earthquakes  by  which  it  was  so  frequently 
suffering.  A  reliable  author  states  that  "It  was  constructed  with 
little  solidity  in  its  edifices,  as  being  extremely  subject  to  earth- 
quakes. These  phenomena  were  most  dreadful  in  their  effects 
in  the  seventeenth  year  of  the  Christian  era,  for  then  twelve  of 
the  principal  cities  of  Asia,  particularly  this  and  Sardis,  were 
nearly  destroyed." 

The  reality  and  dreadful  character  of  these  calamities  upon 
Philadelphia  and  the  territory  in  which  it  is  situated  may  be 
imagined  from  the  fact  that  it  lies  on  the  border  of  what  was 
called  the  Katakekaumene,  or  flame-destroyed  region.  This  is  a 
large  tract  of  country,  sixty  miles  long  by  fifty  wide,  bordering 
on  the  Philadelphia  region  on  the  north-east,  all  of  which  has 
been  burnt  over  and  blasted  by  volcanic  fires.  It  looks  as  if  a 
wild  region  of  tortured  and  billowy  waters  had  been  instantly 
petrified  in  the  midst  of  their  rage,  and  then  swept  over  by 
flames.  Such  a  district  bordering  on  the  plains  of  Philadelphia, 
and  from  age  to  age  raining  down  upon  it  showers  of  volcanic 
ashes,  must  at  once  keep  the  plain  in  terror  and  give  it  the  rich- 
est soil,  like  that  around  Naples,  over  which  Vesuvius  so  often 
sends  its  lava-floods. 

We  have  dwelt  upon  this  peculiarity  of  Philadelphia  and  its 
neighborhood  because  the  message  to  this  church  evidently  re- 
ceived its  special  tone  and  character  therefrom.    All  the  messages 


376       INAUGUKAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

were  shaped  according  to  some  peculiarity  of  the  churches  and 
cities  to  which  they  were  addressed,  but  this  one  was  most  em- 
phatically so.  Not  only  in  its  general  tone  and  form,  but  also 
in  its  every  element,  it  is  plain  that  its  words  had  some  refer- 
ence to  the  earthquakes.  The  message  touches  that  calamity  of 
the  land  at  every  point.  It  is  woven  into  the  very  texture, 
warp  and  woof,  of  the  divine  comnmnication,  and  gives  its  im- 
press to  all. 

We  can  easily  see  the  great  influence  the  frequent  horrors  of 
earthquakes  must  have  had  upon  the  city.  In  no  other  way  can 
we  account  for  the  remarkable  fact  that,  notwithstanding  the 
combination  of  splendid  agricultural  stretch  of  land,  streams  and 
springs  of  water,  beautiful  scenery  of  mountain  and  valley,  loca- 
tion on  the  great  highway  of  commerce,  and  most  salubrious 
climate,  the  city  never  grew  to  any  surpassing  magnitude,  the 
country  was  but  sparsely  inhabited,  and  the  fields  were  but  poorly 
cultivated.  It  was  undoubtedly  because  the  dread  of  earthquakes 
prevented  people  from  settling  there.  In  fact,  as  was  signifi- 
cantly written  by  Strabo,  it  was  a  wonder  that  any  remained  in 
such  a  dangerous  locality.  It  is  more  than  probable  that  this 
dread  for  ever  hanging  over  the  city  was  what  kept  it  compara- 
tively small,  that  its  inhabitants  were  still  kept  poor  by  the 
necessity  of  constantly  repairing  the  ruins  caused  by  the  shocks, 
and  that  on  this  account  the  city  could  never  prosper  very 
greatly. 

The  influence  must  also  have  been  very  great  upon  the  charac- 
ter of  its  church.  Can  we  not  find  here  the  chief  causes  which 
kept  it  so  small  and  weak  as  it  manifestly  was?  The  congrega- 
tion would  most  likely  be  made  up  of  people  who  were  verj^ 
poor— so  poor  that  they  could  not  leave  the  city ;  for  who  else 
would  remain  in  a  place  over  which  such  terrible  danger  was 
ever  impending?  It  is  possible,  too,  that  this  same  thing  gave 
depth  to  their  piety  by  keeping  them  humble  through  the  feeling 
of  their  dependence  upon  God's  protection  every  moment,  and 
by  leading  them  to  live  in  a  state  of  readiness  for  eternity,  into 
which  they  might  be  launched  at  any  moment.  This  must  have 
helped  the  tone  of  their  spirituality.  The  very  imminence  of 
danger  was  no  doubt  one  of  the  leading  causes  for  the  earnest 
f'hristian  life  of  this  church — against  which,  as  we  have  said, 
there  is  not  one  word  of  complaint.  See,  then,  how  this  curse 
was  turned  into  a  blessing!  Was  it  not  a  marvelous  thing  that 
this  church,  most  of  all  the  seven  exposed  to  destruction  at  every 


THE  CITY   OF  GOD.  377 

instant,  should  have  long  outlived  all  the  others— should  have  at 
least  the  form  of  a  church  of  God  until  even  the  present  day? 

This  peculiarity  of  the  place  gave  character  and  force  to  all 
this  message.  There  is  scarcely  an  expression  or  an  allusion  in  it 
which  may  not  have  had,  and  which  did  not  probably  receive, 
its  peculiar  tone  or  color  from  the  condition  of  the  church  in  this 
respect.  The  firm  locking  and  opening  of  the  door  by  the  sole 
hand  of  Him  who  was  the  Truth  hinted  at  the  stability  or  the 
shaking  of  the  earth;  the  "open  door"  at  the  rushing  out  from 
the  crash  of  the  earthquake;  the  "going  no  more  out,"  at  the 
danger  from  the  destruction  of  the  earthquake;  the  "pillar  in  the 
temple,"  as  standing  firm,  while  all  else  was  falling  into  ruin 
from  the  earthquake;  and  the  "coming  quickly"  at  the  unex- 
pected alarm  of  the  earthquake.  Almost  every  point  of  the 
message  is  shaped  from  this;  the  name  of  the  Son  of  man,  "the 
holy  and  the  /r?<e;"  the  applause — hast  stood  firm  against  tempta- 
tions to  deny  his  name;  the  promises — kept  firm  and  safe  while 
all  else  is  tottering  to  ruin,  and  the  marking  with  the  everlast- 
ing name ;  the  charge  solemnly  given— Hold  fast  thy  crown ;  and 
the  central  point — "set  before  thee  an  open  door" — all  had  their 
peculiar  form  from  the  ever-impending  earthquake. 

4.   THE  CITY   THEN. 

Compared  with  the  other  six,  the  city  of  Philadelphia  was 
small  and  had  but  little  renown.  It  was  never  much  noted 
in  the  annals  of  history.  It  was  not  marked  as  the  site  of  any 
great  crisis  of  the  world.  We  read  of  no  splendid  buildings,  no 
celebrated  events,  no  very  eminent  men,  and  no  decisive  battles 
there.  In  all  these  it  was  insignificant  as  compared  with  Ephe- 
sus,  or  Sardis,  or  Pergamos.  Perhai)s  it  was  overlooked  through 
the  celebrity  of  Sardis,  which  lay  only  twenty-five  miles  below  it 
on  the  river.  Its  chief  eminence  in  history  was  that,  in  import- 
ance, it  was  the  second  city  of  Lydia;  that  by  the  bravery  of 
its  inhabitants  it  stood  out  against  the  invading  Turk  for  nearly 
a  century  after  all  the  other  cities  of  the  country  had  yielded ; 
and,  above  all,  that  it  had  the  honor  of  having  received  one  of 
these  communications  from  the  throne  of  God.  To  our  American 
Philadelphia  it  has  a  special  interest  as  having  favored  it  with 
its  significant  name. 

The  site  of  the  city  was  well  chosen :  on  the  extreme  eastern 
point  of  Tmolus — rising  on  the  coast  and  running  back  into  the 
country  about  seventy  miles — with  mountain  behind  it,  and  the 


378       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHKOKED  KING. 

largest,  most  fertile,  and  most  beautiful  level  farming  region  of 
all  western  Asia  sweeping  around  it  in  every  other  region.  It 
stood  at  the  foot  of  four  mountain  spurs,  partly  on  the  rising 
slopes  and  partly  on  the  plain.  It  was  located  twenty-five  miles 
higher  up  the  river  than  Sardis,  and  about  five  miles  back  from 
the  stream.  The  great  valley  highway  of  commerce  ran  up  from 
the  sea-coast  by  its  walls,  and  far  away  into  the  rich  lands  and 
cities  of  the  interior.  That  highway  was  one  of  the  wonderful 
Roman  roads,  then  even  more  important  than  are  our  trunk 
railroads  at  the  present  time.  Not  much  attention  was  ever 
given  to  the  city  as  a  military  post,  for  which  it  had  not  been 
intended  nor  was  it  adapted.  It  had  rather  been  designed  as  a 
centre  for  agriculture  and  as  a  station  on  the  stream  of  com- 
merce. It  was  therefore  secluded,  a  thousand  feet  above  the  level 
of  the  sea,  among  the  mountains  and  highlands.  With  its  splen- 
did farming  region  around,  its  adjoining  river  and  great  Roman 
road,  its  beauty  of  situation,  its  salubrious  climate,  and  its  own 
picturesque  situation,  partly  mountain  slopes  and  partly  interven- 
ing valleys,  it  had  a  site  that  for  its  special  design  was  abso- 
lutely peerless. 

It  was  environed  by  three  concentric  walls,  the  ruins  of  the 
inner  one  of  which  can  even  yet  be  traced.  Back  of  it,  rising  up 
very  abruptly,  were  mountain  peaks  so  high  that  they  were 
generally  covered  with  snow.  This  snow  by  its  meltings  fed  the 
Cogamus  and  other  brooks,  which  in  their  perennial  flow  cooled 
and  nourished  the  city,  and  enriched  the  surrounding  plain.  The 
city,  not  having  been  founded  for  military  purposes,  covered  a 
considerable  extent  of  ground,  and  was  composed  of  houses  low 
and  wide  apart  because  of  the  danger  from  earthquake-shocks. 

Notwithstanding  these  local  advantages,  however,  the  city  al- 
ways continued  a  comparatively  small  one.  Its  dangerous  loca- 
tion intimidated  from  it  those  who  were  not  forced  to  remain  by 
their  connection  with  trade  or  by  their  poverty. 

The  one  great  industry  which  made  Philadelphia  a  city  and 
continued  it  for  centuries  arose  from  its  agricultural  facilities.  It 
is  probable  that  nearly  all  its  inhabitants  were  connected  directly 
or  indirectly  with  farming.  Either  as  a  centre  into  which  the 
produce  of  the  fields  was  brought  and  gave  employment  to  the 
various  classes,  or  by  its  families  living  in  the  city  and  carrying 
on  the  cultivation  of  the  land  without,  or  living  and  laboring 
in  the  adjacent  country,  it  was  a  city  of  farmers  ■  and  all  its 
activities  were  connected  with  their  pursuits.      There  was  little 


THE  CITY  OF  GOD.  379 

else  to  keep  its  people  there,  where  impending  ruin  was  for 
ever  threatening  them. 

The  single  addition  to  the  cultivation  of  the  ground  of  which 
any  knowledge  has  come  down  to  us  was  the  industry  of  dyeing, 
which  resulted  from  the  quality  of  the  waters  of  the  Cogamus, 
so  remarkable  for  that  purpose.  They  still  retain  that  distin- 
guishing quality.  The  tints  of  the  cotton  dyed  in  Philadelphia 
are  esteemed  superior  to  those  of  any  other  quarter  of  the  Levant. 
For  this  reason  largely  it  still  remains  a  place  of  considerable  im- 
portance. The  production  of  sugar  was  also  a  valuable  industry 
as  we  learn  from  ancient  writers. 

But  the  cultivation  of  the  vine  and  the  manufacture  of  wine 
was  that  on  which  it  chiefly  relied.  It  was  pre-eminently  the 
wine  district  of  the  whole  country,  and  of  conmierce  with  other 
countries.  Everything  in  it  and  around  it  was  connected  with 
the  wine  trade.  Farmers  coming  in  from  a  thousand  rich  fields, 
over  the  plains,  from  the  banks  of  the  river  north  and  south,  and 
down  the  mountain  slopes,  with  their  grape-loaded  vehicles  were 
abundant  evidence  of  what  the  people  were  doing.  Inside  the 
city,  in  all  quarters,  structures  for  the  dye-tubs,  the  making  of 
sugar,  and  winepresses  at  every  corner,  with  the  residences  of 
the   wine-merchants,   were   its   peculiar  characteristics. 

The  inhabitants  of  the  place  were  celebrated  at  once  for  their 
courage  and  for  a  moral  tone  that  was  higher  than  that  of  ordi- 
nary pagan  cities.  It  is  probable  that  this  moral  character  was 
owing  in  part  to  their  simplicity  of  manners  as  an  agricultural 
community.  They  were  free  from  the  corrupting  influences  of 
a  luxurious  and  depraving  city.  Their  constant  exposure  to  the 
terrors  of  the  earthquake-shocks  may  also  have  had  a  restraining 
and  elevating  influence  upon  them.  Tliey  could  hardly  be  in- 
diflerent,  considering  that  a  clgud  was  hanging  over  them  that 
might  burst  at  any  instant  and  cut  them  off  for  ever.  As  to  their 
characteristic  bravery,  they  may  in  i^art  have  inherited  that  from 
their  Macedonian  ancestry.  They  were  the  descendants  of  those 
who  had  furnished  the  soldiers  of  Alexander  the  Great,  through 
whom  he  had  conquered  the  world.  Their  brave  endurance,  all 
their  days,  of  the  danger  which  evermore  hung  over  them  may 
also  have  developed  their  courage.  They  had  been  trained  to 
face  danger,  and  this  may  have  made  their  very  nature  daring. 
They  were  not  a  people  of  many  wars,  but  when  the  time  for 
the  boldest  contest  came  they  were  ready  for  the  most  courageous 
deeds. 


380  INAUGUEAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 


5.  THE  HTSTOEY. 

Compared  with  all  the  other  cities  of  the  messages  the  origin 
of  Philadelphia  was  of  recent  date.  It  M^as  founded  about  one 
hundred  and  forty  years  before  Christ,  while  the  annals  of  the 
other  cities  go  back  to  five  or  six  hundred  years.  Moreover  the 
city  did  not,  like  the  others,  rise  up  out  of  the  mists  of  a  romantic 
past.  Its  first  ages  were  not  shrouded  in  the  uncertain  haze  of 
mythology.  "  Unlike  its  sister  churches,  there  is  no  halo  of  mythic 
antiquity  about  its  origin ;  no  olden  stories  of  nymphs  or  heroes 
cradled  in  its  site  invested  it  with  sanctity,  or  wove  a  localized 
superstition  into  its  civic  celebrations ;  nor  could  it  vie  with  Sar- 
dis  or  Pergamos  in  the  boast  of  a  past  regal  or  imperial  splendor." 

Its  founder  was  Attains  Philadeli^hus,  king  of  Pergamos,  to 
which  Sardis  and  all  the  surrounding  lands  were  subject.  In  giv- 
ing to  it  a  name,  he  showed  himself  to  be  one  of  the  most  gen- 
erous and  affectionate  of  men.  He  had  come  to  the  throne  after 
the  death  of  his  brother  Eumenes  II.,  whom  he  had  dearly  loved. 
This  love  was  with  him  a  ruling  passion,  so  that  it  was  added  as 
his  special  title— Attains  PhUadelphus.  How  could  he  perpetuate 
its  memory  so  well — the  memory  of  that  brotherly  love — as  by 
making  it  the  name  of  the  new  city  he  was  building  on  the 
Hermus?  Thus  would  his  tender  aflection  for  his  brother  be 
embalmed  in  the  great  city,  and  have  its  remembrance  continued 
as  long  as  even  its  ruins  could  be  found.  No  city  of  earth  has 
ever  had  a  name  more  beautiful  in  its  origin  than  this. 

The  leading  events  of  the  city's  history  are  soon  told.  Its 
foundation  was  laid  b.  c.  140.  Eight  years  afterward,  or  b.  c.  132 
it,  with  all  the  other  cities,  passed  under  the  dominion  of  Rome, 
in  which  condition  it  continued  until  Rome  herself  fell  from  her 
world-wide  sway.  Under  the  rejgn  of  the  emperor  Tiberius  the 
city  came  sadly  into  prominence  through  the  ravages  of  an  earth- 
quake which  either  overwhelmed  the  greater  part  of  its  inhabitants 
or  caused  them  to  flee  into  the  surrounding  countrj\  Some  twenty 
years  later  its  church  received  this  message  from  the  Son  of  man 
in  heaven.  The  vicissitudes  of  thirteen  centuries  then  passed  over 
it,  when  its  history  burst  out  into  a  flame  of  matchless  heroism, 
in  connection  with  its  fall  as  a  Christian  city  and  its  being  com- 
pelled, after  a  noble  resistance,  to  come  under  the  dominion  of 
Islam. 

To  the  honor  of  Philadelphia,  that  struggle  must  never  be  for- 
gotten.   In  A.  D.  1312  all  the  other  cities  of  Asia  Minor  yielded 


THE  CITY   OF  GOD.  381 

to  the  ferocious  arms  of  the  Moslem  conquerors;  but  it  could  not  \ 
be  subdued.    Its  valiant  citizens  defended  their  religion  and  their  i 
freedom  for  fourscore  years  after  all  the  rest  had  submitted.    Their 
faith  and  their  courage  could  not  be  overcome  even  by  the  merci- 
less forces  of  the  Mohammedans.      For  those  eighty  years  they 
bravely  held  out,  even  though  they  had  to  suffer  and  fight  alone. 
It  was  not  until  A.  D.  1392,  that  forced  by  famine,  they  capitulated, 
on  honorable  terms,  to  Bajazet,  the  proudest  of  all  the  Ottomans. 
The  history  of  its  fall  forms  one  of  the  saddest  and  most  cruel 
pages  in  the  annals  of  time.     The  city  was  completely  isolated, 
and  its  distance  from  the  sea  forbade  all  hope  of  succor.     Still 
the   garrison    scorned  the   summons   to   surrender,  relying   on    a 
tradition    tliat    the  Christian    city  of  Philadelphia   should    never 
fall  into  the  hands  of  the  infidel.     At  first  Bajazet  forbade  his 
soldiers  to  plunder  the  district,  and  ordered  that  private  property 
should  be  respected;   but  finding  the  resistance  to  be  more  stub- 
born than  he  had  expected,  he  determined  to  drive  them  to  des- 
peration   by   utterly    ravaging    the    whole   surrounding    country. 
After  some  months  the  garrison  was  reduced  to  extremity,  and 
capitulated  on  terms  of  complete  submission,  saving   only  their 
lives  and  their  religion.    But  the  saddest  part  of  the  story  of  the    , 
last  extinction  of  Christian  independence  is  that,  to  the  eternal   J 
infamy  of  the  Greeks,  the  deposed  emperor,  John,  with  his  son  •' 
Manuel  (both  Christians),  in  resentment  against  the  emf)eror  An^  / 
clronicus,  led  his  troops  to  assist  in  the  siege,  and  that  Manuel 
and  his  soldiers  were  the  first  to  force  the  breach  which  compelled 
the  surrender  of  the  town.    It  fell,  but  in  its  fall  it  earned  the 
fame  of  having  been  the  last  Christian  city  taken  by  the  Turks. 

It  then  lost  the  name  of  a  Christian  city;  but  it  lived  on 
under  the  rule  of  the  Mohammedans,  and  has  so  continued  for 
six  hundred  years,  with  now  six  mosques  and  about  twenty-five 
Christian  churches,  five  of  them  of  some  importance,  but  the 
others  old  and  disused. 

6.   JEWISH  COLONY. 

Because  of  its  influence  upon  the  character  of  the  message  we 
must  here  describe  another  peculiarity  of  this  city.  There  w^as 
resident  in  it  a  large  Jewish  community  or  colony.  They  claimed 
to  be  a  synagogue— ^Ae  synagogue  of  the  true  Hebrews ;  but  the 
Son  of  man,  in  his  communication  to  its  church,  styles  them  the 
si/nagogue  of  Satan, 

The  pursuits  of  trade   had    led   many  Jews  to  settle  in  Asia 


382       INAUGUEAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

Minor.  When  the  Jews  were  banished  from  Rome  by  an  edict 
of  the  emperor  Claudius,  they  are  known  to  have  taken  refuge, 
in  large  companies,  in  such  distant  places  as  Philadelphia.  Prob- 
ably many  of  them  were  there  from  that  cause  at  the  time  of  the 
messages.  They  were  doubtless  Hellenistic  Jews,  and  had  very 
little  more  of  religion  than  the  name.  They  must  have  been 
numerous  in  proportion  to  the  whole  population  and  have  had  a 
marked  influence  upon  the  affairs  of  the  city,  to  awaken  so  much 
attention  as  they  here  received.  If,  as  it  is  believed,  the  wine 
and  dye  trades  were  mainly  in  their  hands,  we  can  easily  see 
how  the  patronage  they  would  wield  and  the  wealth  they  would 
possess  would  clothe  them  with  a  power  and  influence  even  out 
of  proportion  to  their  numerical  strength. 

Their  opposition  to  the  Christians  may  not  have  been  in  the 
form  of  positive  persecution.  It  is  more  likely  that  in  this  case 
they  would  attempt  to  accomplish  their  end  through  proselyting. 
As  an  association  these  Hellenistic  Jews  assumed  that  they  were 
the  true  people  and  the  true  church  of  God.  They  claimed  that 
they  were  the  real  Israel — the  real  synagogne  in  Philadeljihia. 
In  divine  irony,  the  Lord  granted  that  they  were  a  synagogue — 
but  a  synagogue  of  Satan.  They  asserted  that  they  were  the 
genuine  covenant  people,  and  as  such  they  reviled  those  who 
professed  the  name  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth.  This  we  infer  from  the 
words  of  the  message:  they  "shall  know  that  I  have  loved  thee^ 
They  had  looked  down  with  despite  upon  the  Christians,  as  we 
again  see  from  the  promise:  "I  will  make  them  to  come  and 
worship  before  thee." 

It  is  manifest  that  they  must  have  been  very  bitter  in  their 
hatred  and  malignant  in  their  opposition.  Their  attacks  more- 
over, were  in  the  form  of  seductions  of  the  Christians  from  their 
faith.  Without  a  doubt  the  trial  of  the  faith  of  the  church  of 
Philadelphia  was  chiefly  from  this  source.  In  this  lay  the  great 
contest  to  which  the  church  was  called.  To  overcome  this  bitter, 
persevering,  seducing  opposition  from  the  most  influential  in- 
habitants of  the  city  would  be  their  crowning  victory. 

7.   DEITY  OF  THE   CITY. 

In  order  to  understand  the  surroundings  of  the  people  of  this 
church,  the  influences  bearing  on  their  character,  and  especially 
the  struggles  which  their  religion  cost  them,  we  must  have  at 
least  some  knowledge  of  the  tutelary  deity  of  the  city,  and  of 
the  worship  with  which  they  were  coming  into  daily  contact.    In 


THE  CITY  OF  GOD.  383 

Philadelphia  there  was  a  small  Christian  church  and  a  large  and 
influential  Jewish  synagogue ;  but  the  great  mass  of  the  people 
were  pagans,  and  their  worship  was  pure  idolatry.  They  were 
all  idolaters,  and  consequently  ignorant  of  the  nature,  history, 
and  spirit  of  Christianity,  and  were  degraded  to  the  level  of  the 
false  deity  before  whom  they  bowed  in  adoration ;  and  we  can 
well  conceive  of  the  bitter  struggles  of  the  Christians  of  the  city, 
in  their  daily  life  having  communication   with  such  neighbors. 

Ephesus  had  its  Diana,  Smyrna  its  apotheosized  Homer,  Per- 
gamos  its  ^sculapius,  Thyatira  its  Apollo,  Sardis  its  Cybele,  Lao- 
dicea  its  Jupiter,  and  this  city  its  Bacchus — the  god  of  wine  and 
drinking.  His  current  descriptions  in  mythic  form  were  grotesque 
but  eminently  characteristic.  "As  he  was  the  god  of  the  vintage, 
of  wine,  and  of  drinkers,  he  is  generally  represented  crowned  with 
vine  and  ivy  leaves,  with  a  thyrsus  in  his  hand.  His  figure  is  that 
of  an  effeminate  young  man,  to  denote  the  joy  which  generally  pre- 
vails at  feasts;  and  sometimes  that  of  an  old  man,  to  teach  that 
wine  taken  immoderately  will  enervate  us,  and  consume  our 
health,  render  us  loquacious  and  childish  like  old  men,  and  un- 
able to  keep  secrets."  In  his  exploits  it  is  related  that  "He 
marched  at  the  head  of  an  army  composed  of  women  as  well 
as  men,  all  inspired  with  divine  fury,  and  armed  with  thyrsi, 
cymbals,  and  other  musical  instruments.  The  leader  was  drawn 
in  a  chariot  by  a  lion  and  a  tiger,  and  was  accompanied  by  Pan 
and  Silenus,  and  all  the  satyrs." 

That  Bacchus  was  the  special  deity  of  Philadelphia,  and  that 
the  city  was  the  centre  of  his  worship  for  the  whole  country,  was 
the  undoubted  fact.  So  declared  tradition,  so  recorded  history, 
and  so  sang  some  of  the  ancient  poets.  Virgil  tells  of  the  vine- 
clad  volcanic  hills  around  Philadelphia,  and  of  the  god  of  wine  \ 
who  had  the  seat  of  his  worship  there.  More  unmistakably  still  I 
is  this  indicated  by  the  fact  that  its  coins  are  stamped  with  the 
head  of  Bacchus  or  with  the  figure  of  a  female  bacchanal.  In 
this  general  tradition,  history,  poetry,  nature,  and  monuments  all 
agree.  The  city  was  identified  with  the  very  idea  of  wine  and 
festivity. 

There  was  an  obvious  fitness  in  this.     Philadelphia,   with  its 
volcanic  hills,  was  the  centre  of  the  vine  region  of  Asia;    where  ^ 
could  the  wine-god  be  so  fitly  enthroned  as  there?     It  was  the) 
wine-market   of    the   world;    where   so    appropriately    could    the 
crown  of  drinking  be  worn?    How  many  points  brought  out  in 
the  message   are  in  this    way  wrought   into  each   other!      Here 


384  INATJGUEAL  OF  THE  ENTHEONED  KING. 

were  the  volcanoes  that  prepared  the  very  soil  for  the  culture 
of  the  vine ;  here  were  the  trading  Jews  attracted  by  the  wine- 
market,  and  here  was  the  wine-god  of  heathen  mythology. 

We  must  glance  at  the  influence  of  this  Bacchus-worship  upon 
the  life  of  the  city,  and  the  obstacles  it  placed  in  the  way  of  the 
1  gospel.    We  must  remember  that  to  many  devoutly  inclined  not 
i  merely  was  Bacchus  the  jolly  god  of  the  vineyards,  but  also  the 
/  divine  arbiter  of  their  fate.    His  temple  would  therefore  be  the 
I  sacred  shrine  and  the  glory  of  their  city.    It  would  be  adorned 
with  the  masterpieces  of  art,  and  the  place  of  daily  resort  for  their 
devotions — an  important  element  of  the  city's  life,  giving  a  pecu- 
liar aspect  to  its  business  and  activities. 

Then,  how  corrupting  must  have  been  the  worship  of  the  drink- 
ing god !  Some  would  engage  in  it  with  feelings  not  of  devotion, 
but  of  superstition ;  some  from  the  demands  of  their  duties  in 
the  temple;  but  the  great  mass  out  of  pure  levity.  According 
to  the  testimony  of  ancient  writers,  there  were  generally  con- 
nected with  it  debauches  that  were  most  infamous.  Especially 
were  there,  at  the  great  annual  festivals,  such  revels  as  were  pecu- 
liarly odious. 

What  a  degrading  moral  influence  must  such  a  worship,  so 
called,  have  upon  the  people,  and  what  a  barrier  in  the  way  of 
the  gospel!  It  might  not  have  been  so  corrupting  as  the  inex- 
pressible lewdness,  or  the  satanic  debaucheries,  of  some  of  the 
other  cities,  still  it  must  have  had  its  own  peculiar  elements  of 
hostility  to  Christianity.  The  trials  of  the  Christians  arising 
from  it  must  have  been  very  severe.  The  bigotry  of  the  Jews, 
the  jealousy  of  the  priests  of  the  temple,  and  the  superstition 
of  the  mass  of  the  people  must  all  have  been  bad  enough;  but 
here  also  was  the  gilded  attraction  of  sense  in  the  wine-cup.  We 
can  well  conceive  of  the  dangerous  hostility  of  its  scenes  of  revelry 
to  the  best  interest  of  religion  in  the  soul  and  in  the  community. 
The  attractions  of  sense  will  d&stroy  souls  where  positive  perse- 
cution would  do  but  little  harm.  The  fascination  of  the  wine, 
and  the  hilarity  in  the  very  temple  of  their  god  must  have  been 
blasting  in  their  influence.  The  great  struggle  from  this  cause 
was  one  serious  ingredient  in  the  "overcometh"  of  this  message 
to  the  church  of  Philadelphia. 

8.   ORIGIN  AND  STATE  OP  THE  CHUECH. 

Of  definite  information  concerning  the  planting  and  first  move- 
ments of  the  Philadelphia  church  we  have  absolutely  none.      No 


THE  CITY  OF  GOD.  385 

doubt  it  sprang  up  with  the  general  propagation  of  the  gospel 
throughout  the  land.  But  naturally  we  desire  to  know  more 
concerning  the  early  days  and  the  tirst  impress  on  this  congrega- 
tion so  dearly  beloved  of  her  Lord.  In  the  absence  of  positive 
information  we  must  throw  ourselves  on  conjectures  and  probabil- 
ities. But  such  presumptions  may  very  propej'ly  be  indulged,  not 
only  without  rashness,  but  even  without  much  danger  of  mis- 
take. We  can  adopt  with  considerable  satisfaction  what  would 
naturally  be  the  results  of  facts  known  with  certainty. 

TJiere  are  at  least  four  sources  to  which,  with  very  consider- 
able certainty,  we  can  trace  the  beginnings  of  this  church:  the 
movements  that  were  awakened  on  the  day  of  Pentecost;  the 
missionary  labors  of  the  three  apostolic  evangelists,  Paul,  John  and 
Timothy;  the  impulses  given  by  travelers  up  the  Hermus  and 
over  the  great  high-road  into  the  interior;  and  the  work  of  con- 
verted Jewish  merchants  who  had  come  to  settle  in  that  city. 

That  the  very  first  impulses  had  their  origin  in  the  wonders 
of  the  day  of  Pentecost  there  can  scarcely  be  any  question.  The 
great  Pentecostal  revival  at  Jerusalem  occurred  sixty-three  years 
before  the  time  when  the  messages  to  the  churches  were  sent 
down  from  heaven.  Threescore  and  three  years  would  be  ample 
time  for  even  a  strong  church  to  grow  up.  In  the  account  given 
in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  of  that  first  great  outpouring  of  the 
Spirit,  of  the  fourteen  cities  from  which  witnesses  had  been  prov- 
identially sent  to  Jerusalem  to  behold  and  then  to  bear  testimony 
of  the  wonders  of  that  day,  no  less  than  five  were  in  Asia  Minor. 
Those  providentially  chosen  witnesses  were  devout  Jews  or  prose- 
lytes. Some  of  them  must  have  been  from  Philadelphia.  And 
some  of  those  devout  Philadelphians  must  have  been  among  the- 
three  thousand  converted  on  that  glorious  day  of  visitation. 
When  those  young  converts  returned  home  they  must  have  re- 
lated to  their  friends  and  neighbors  what  they  had  seen  and 
heard,  and  the  blessed  change  they  had  experienced.  They 
would  rehearse  this  with  all  the  ardor  of  first  love;  and  some 
hearers  would  heed,  believe,  and  be  converted.  A  nucleus  for  a 
cliurch  would  thus  be  prepared,  and  their  impelling  zeal  for  their j 
new-found  Saviour  would  inevitably  force  them  to  form  them-^ 
selves  into  a  branch  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ. 

The  church  thus  commenced  through  the  impulses  of  Pente- 
cost would  undoubtedly  be  afterwards  increased  and  strength- 
ened by  the  Spirit-guided  labors  of  apostles  who  were  led  of  God 
into  that  special  field.      Chief  of  these  undoubtedly  was  the  great 

25 


386       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

Apostle  of  the  Gentiles.  His  labors  are  spoken  of;  and  in  con- 
nection with  them  is  the  record:  "So  that  all  they  which  dwelt 
in  Asia  heard  the  word  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  both  Jews  and 
Greeks."  We  may  easily  picture  to  ourselves  one  of  his  mis- 
sionary trips  through  the  country,  such  as  they  must  all  have 
been.  From  the  stirring  scenes  of  Ephesus,  up  along  the  coast  of 
the  ^gean  he  goes  as  far  as  to  Smyrna;  then  on  along  the 
course  of  the  Hermus  to  the  old  inland  town  of  Menimen ;  still 
along  the  same  stream  until  he  reaches  Magnesia;  then  far  up- 
ward toward  the  north  he  bends  his  steps  to  Pergamos ;  eastward 
again  he  turns  and  soon  reaches  Thyatira ;  down  again  into  the 
valley  of  the  Hermus  he  pursues  his  course  until  the  gates  of 
Sardis  open  before  him ;  then  assuredly  he  would  not  pause  until, 
only  five-and-twenty  miles  farther  up  the  river,  he  had  visited 
Philadelphia.  It  is  nearly  certain  that  he  would  take  just  such 
a  course  as  this.  And  what  a  joy  his  coming  would  be!  AVhat  a 
new  impulse  it  would  give  to  the  little  band  of  the  faithful 
there!  How  deep  and  ardent  the  piety  he  would  be  the  instru- 
ment of  inspiring !  What  new  zeal  would  he  arouse  even  amid 
the  great  trials  and  discouragements  they  were  encountering! 

The  beloved  disciple,  John,  had  also  been  there.  The  last 
years  of  his  long  and  blessed  life,  we  know,  were  spent  in 
Ephesus,  which  was  only  about  seventy-five  miles  from  Phila- 
delphia. We  can  fancy  him  as,  weary  and  weakened  by  age,  he 
leaves,  for  a  period  of  refreshment,  the  heated  city  on  the  coast, 
and  finds  his  way  up  to  the  cooling  mountain  region  of  Phila- 
delphia. And  being  near  to  it,  he  would  not  fail  of  visiting  the 
city  of  the  brothers'  love.  Its  church  must  have  lain  very  near 
to  his  affectionate  heart.  He  certainly  would  not  be  idle  while 
there,  even  though  very  feeble.  He  would  not  lose  the  opportu- 
nity of  strengthening  that  people  by  telling  them  of  that  dear 
Lord  upon  whose  bosom  he  leaned  with  such  unearthly  ten- 
derness. 

There,  too,  undoubtedly  had  been  heard  the  earnest  voice  of 
the  youthful  evangelist  Timothy.  We  know  that  he  resided  at 
Ephesus  for  some  length  of  time;  and  that  Paul,  his  spiritual 
father,  had  delegated  him  to  take  the  oversight  of  the  infant 
churcli  while  he  himself  lay  a  prisoner  at  Rome,  and  felt  the 
oncoming. of  the  infirmities  of  age.  We  can  hardly  conceive  of 
his  being  so  long  in  the  region  of  this  church  of  Philadelphia,  so 
nmch  beloved,  without  occasionally  visiting  it  and  helping  to 
build  it  up  in  the  faith.    He  was  there  only  thirty  years  before 


THE  CITY  OF  GOD.  387 

this  charge  from  the  Son  of  man  in  heaven  came  down  to  it,  and 
his  ministry  must  have  helped  to  make  it  so  worthy  of  the 
divine  applause.  He  may  not  have  founded  the  church,  yet 
there  is  scarcely  a  question  but  that  he  helped  to  build  it  up. 

Another  agency  in  founding  it  is  evident.  As  in  nature  the 
birds  of  the  air  carry  the  seeds  of  trees  and  plants,  and  unwit- 
tingly deposit  them  in  new  soils  where  they  soon  germinate  and 
spring  up  into  beautiful  verdure,  so  would  the  boatmen  on  the 
Hermus  and  merchants  over  the  great  thoroughfare  up  into  the 
Olympic  range  of  mountains  carry  the  seeds  of  divine  truth  and 
plant  them  in  many  a  town  and  hamlet  through  the  country. 
Coming  up  from  Ephesus  and  Smyrna,  they  would  spread  the 
news  at  every  stage  of  their  journey.  On  the  decks  of  their 
vessels  at  the  twilight  hours,  and  in  the  roadside  stopping-places 
where  they  lodged  at  nights,  they  would  talk  of  the  wonders 
that  were  occurring  in  the  great  cities  from  which  they  had 
come.  Some  of  them,  with  joy  which  they  could  not.  conceal, 
would  describe  the  glorious  change  they  themselves  had  experi- 
enced. AVithout  a  doubt,  as  elsewhere,  these  tidings  would  be 
circulated  in  Philadelphia.  Thus  new  impulses  would  be  given, 
believers  would  be  strengthened  in  their  faith,  and  the  church 
would  be  enlightened,  enlarged  and  edified. 

The  church  must  also  have  received  consitlerable  strength  from 
the  Jewish  settlers  who  were  continually  arriving  to  take  up 
their  abode  in  this  great  city.  Some  of  them  would  be  attracted 
there  to  make  a  living  through  trade.  Some  would  be  true  con- 
verts found  among  the  fugitives  who  had  been  banished  from 
Rome  by  the  edict  of  the  emperor.  2^ot  all  the  Jews  of  the  citj' 
were  associated  with  the  synagogue  of  Satan.  Without  doubt 
many  of  those  dealers  in  wines,  dyes,  and  sugar  were  sincere  fol- 
lowers of  the  Lord  Jesus.  They  had  come  to  the  city  with  the 
treasures  of  earthly  merchandise,  but  they  also  bore  with  them 
the  pearl  of  great  price. 

From  all  these  causes  there  had  grown  up  in  Philadeli)hia  a 
church  of  great  importance.  It  was  not  a  large  church,  but  it 
was  loyal  to  its  Lord.  Evidently  it  had  a  history  and  a  standing 
that  were  looked  upon  with  special  regard.  It  had  not  been  con- 
taminated with  paganism  as  had  been  the  others  of  the  seven. 
The  struggles  through  which  it  had  to  pass  were  not  so  much 
from  heathen  persecutors  as  from  Jewish  seducers.  Most  likely 
the  tone  of  its  piety  had  been  greatly  improved  by  the  influence 
of  the  horrors  of  the  earthquakes  from  which  it  had  but  recently 


388  INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

suffered.  The  simple-hearted,  honest,  and  steadfast  spirit  of  its 
farming  population  had  stamped  upon  it  a  peculiarly  stable 
character. 

9.   NAME  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN. 

The  title  given  to  the  enthroned  Christ  in  this  message  is  very 
significant.  As  elsewhere,  the  name  here  is  indicative  of  his 
nature  and  functions  in  their  aspects  toward  this  church.  That 
nature  of  Christ  is  here  revealed  in  its  three  component  elements, 
so  far  as  the  peculiarities  of  the  church  required:  "He  tliat  is 
holy,  he  that  is  true;"  "He  that  hath  the  key  of  David;"  "He 
that  openeth  and  no  man  shutteth,  and  shutteth  and  no  man 
openeth."  They  must  be  understood  in  their  aspect  toward  God's 
people  in  Philadelphia.  They  must  be  studied  in  their  bearing 
upon  the  two  great  trials  of  that  church — namely,  its  temptations 
from  the  synagogue  of  the  Jews,  and  tlu-ough  its  perpetual  danger 
from  the  earthquakes.  First,  in  view  of  the  Jewish  ojiposition, 
he  was  the  real  Messiah  of  Israel ;  second,  in  reference  to  both 
their  trials,  he  had  the  keys,  the  authority  of  David ;  third,  as 
to  the  impending  dangers,  he  could  and  would  use  his  sovereign 
power  for  the  protection  and  deliverance  of  his  faithful  people. 
Drawn  out  into  fuller  analysis,  in  view  of  both  enemies  and 
dangers,  his  titles  engage  that — (1)  He  was  the  predicted  Messiah 
of  the  Scrijitures ;  (2)  He  was  the  holy,  the  consecrated  deliverer 
of  Israel ;  (3)  He  was  the  true  (real)  Jehovah  ;  (4)  He  was  clothed 
with  sovereign  authority  over  all,  denoted  by  having  the  keys; 
(5)  He  was  then  reigning  over  them,  on  David's  typical  throne; 
and  (G)  He  would  certainly  use  his  supreme  authority  for  the  pro- 
tection of  his  people  of  Philadelphia. 

To  understand  the  significance  of  these  titles  in  this  connection, 
we  must  glance  at  the  opposition  of  the  Jewisli  synagogue — for 
they  were  all  adapted  to  meet  that.  The  great  point  of  attack 
upon  the  Christians  undoubtedly  was  concerning  their  Messiah. 
That  blessed  Name  they  would  revile,  blaspheine,  and  misrepre- 
sent, in  order,  if  possible,  to  crush  the  churcli  of  his  followers. 
It  will  be  found,  upon  investigation,  that  tliis  mode  of  attack 
lies  at  the  root  of  all  the  errors  and  oppositions  that  ever  have 
sprung  up  against  the  cause  of  God.  The  aim  has  always  been 
to  take  the  crown  from  the  brow  of  Jesus.  These  eneniies  in  the 
synagogue  would  try  to  prove  that  he  was  not  the  Messiah  of 
prophecy,  had  no  claim  upon  the  keys  of  authority,  no  right  to 
their  allegiance,  no  power  over  them.    He  had  sprung  from   the 


THE  CITY  OF  GOD.  389 

disreputable  Nazareth,  was  a  mere  peasant,  had  been  condemned 
as  an  iiupostor  by  the  constituted  authorities  of  Jerusalem,  and  i 
had  been  ignominiously  crucified  as  a  felon.  These  Christians  i 
of  Philadelphia  were  fools  for  following  such  a  contemptible 
leader.  He  had  been  dead  for  half  a  century ;  what  madness 
to  claim  that  he  was  the  Messiah !  Messiah  was  yet  to  come, 
and  they  were  the  true  synagogue,  looking  and  praying  for  his 
appearance.  Such  sneers,  revilings,  and  curses  would  they  pour 
upon  the  humble  Christians  with  ceaseless  hatred. 

But  what  was  that  Messiah's  own  testimony  sent  down  from 
his  mediatorial  throne  to  those  faithful  ones  wiio  were  so  patiently 
enduring  all  for  his  name?  At  once  he  assumes  the  title  most  sub- 
lime of  all,  and  hallowed  through  centuries  on  the  pages  of  their 
Sacred  Book.  In  the  strains  of  the  royal  poet  it  was:  "Neither 
wilt  thou  suffer  thine  Holy  One  to  see  corruption."  In  tlie  sub- 
lime visions  of  the  priestly  prophet:  "And  the  heathen  shall 
know  that  I  am  the  Lord,  the  Holy  One  in  Israel."  In  the 
raptures  of  the  evangelical  Isaiah,  three  times  over  in  a  single 
chapter  is  the  sublime  title,  "the  Holy  One  of  Israel."  Such 
were  the  utterances  of  Scripture,  well  known  and  hallowed  in 
the  minds  of  all  devout  Israelites.  The  Holy  One  was  proclaimed 
and  magnified  on  all  the  sacred  pages.  He,  and  he  alone,  was 
the  hope  and  glory  of  the  nation. 

And  this  is  his  sublime  title  that  now  comes  down  from  the 
throne  to  the  humble  church  of  Philadelphia.  The  Jews  might 
sneer  at  it,  but  it  would  be  rapture  to  the  souls  of  the  faithful. 
The  Jesus  Christ  w-hom  they  adored  and  followed  might  be  blas- 
phemed and  rejected  by  the  synagogue  of  Satan,  but  neverthe- 
less, simply  and  plainly  he  was  the  Holy  One,  the  True  One,  and 
the  glorious  Messiah  of  the  Church,  The  Holy  One — consecrated, 
set  apart,  anointed  as  the  Saviour  of  the  true  Israel.  To  him 
they  were  looking;  he  was  their  Head,  and  him  did  they  follow 
in  spite  of  every  enemy. 

He  was  the  True,  not  only  the  truth  in  itself,  but  the  true,  the 
veritable  God  of  Israel.  In  spite  of  the  pretensions  and  misrepre- 
sentations of  the  synagogue,  he  was  the  real  and  the  very  God 
of  gods.  He  was,  notwithstanding  all  Jewish  glosses,  the  real 
Jehovah  portrayed  by  all  the  hallowed  types  of  Scripture.  He 
A\"as  the  only  true  God,  in  opposition  to  all  pagan  deities.  He 
was  the  realization  of  all  the  divine  names  in  Scripture — the 
Father,  the  Life,  the  Bread,  the  Everlasting,  the  Omnipotent,  the 
Supreme. 


390  INAUGUKAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

He,  Jesus,  the  object  of  the  worship  of  this  people,  was  the 
fulflHment  of  that  type  so  wondrously  sublime :  he  had  "  the 
key  of  David."  To  the  Jews  there  was  no  title  of  their  Messiah 
so  glorious  as  this.  "The  house  of  David"  was  the  consecrated 
expression  for  the  typical  kingdom  of  David,  the  kingdom  of 
Messiah,  the  established  type  of  the  Church  of  God.  David  was 
its  representative  king,  the  great  type  of  its  heavenly  Sovereign. 
Here  it  was  asserted  that  Jesus  Christ  of  the  Philadelphia  church 
was  his  true  successor,  his  real  antitype.  He  was  the  legitimate 
head  of  Zi(jn.  As,  therefore,  the  true  King  of  the  true  Israel,  he 
would  undertake  for,  maintain,  and  for  ever  defend  his  people 
against  every  foe. 

He  further  claims  that  the  kingly  authority  represented  by 
David  was  in  reality  his — he  had  "  the  key  of  David."  His  was 
that  absolute  sovereignty  of  which  on  a  memorable  occasion  lie 
declared,  "All  power  is  given  unto  me  in  heaven  and  in  earth." 
This  power  and  authority  were  in  the  hands  of  their  Jesus  as 
part  of  his  mediatorial  office ;  and  he  would  use  them  for  the  up- 
building, the  defense,  and  the  glory  of  his  clmrch — even  the 
church  of  Philadelphia.  In  all  that  he  would  do  there  would  be 
a  final  decision  from  which  there  would  be  no  appeal. 

The  keys  of  the  kingdom  so  put  into  his  hand,  he  would  use 
as  a  sovereign  ;  for  his  title  has  in  it  this  element :  "  He  that 
openeth  and  no  man  shutteth,  and  shutteth  and  no  man  open- 
eth."  He,  and  he  alone,  decides,  first  by  his  Word  and  Spirit  in 
the  Church,  and  then  by  his  authority  in  the  world,  the  question 
as  to  A^'ho  lielong  to  the  people  of  God.  In  the  words  of  the  old 
commentator,  Scott,  who  is  always  wise  and  devout:  "Being  the 
promised  Son  of  David  according  to  the  flesh,  and  the  King  of 
the  true  Israel  to  all  generations,  he  hath  the  absolute  i)ower  to 
open  the  gate  of  mercy  to  whom  he  pleaseth ;  to  open  the 
kingdom  of  heaven  to  the  souls  of  his  people,  when  removed 
by  death;  and  to  open  their  graves,  and  bring  forth  their  bodies 
glorious  and  immortal,  that  they  may  be  reunited  to  their  souls 
in  everlasting  felicity;  and,  on  the  other  hand,  to  shut  out  and 
exclude  from  mercy,  and  from  heaven,  whom  he  M'ill,  and  to 
shut  them  up  in  hell ;  nor  can  any  resistance  be  made  to  his 
l)Ower,  or  any  appeal  from  his  decision." 

10.   CENTRAL  POINT. 

"Behold,  I  have  set  before  thee  an  open  door,"  is  the  burden 
of  this  message,  and  the  centre  around  which  every  point  in  it 


THE  CITY  OF  GOD.  391 

may  be  arranged.  Concerning  its  special  significance  there  has 
been  diversity  of  views.  One  of  the  most  common  opinions  con- 
cerning it  is  that  tlie  Lord  liere  promised  tlie  faithful  church  of 
Philndp]pJTia^_an__ope"  <1""''  of  opportunity  for  helping  forward 
the  cause  of  Christ.  But  except  the  ordinary  use  of  that  phrase- 
ology, we  cannot  see  one  good  reason  for  the  adoption  of  such  a 
theory.  There  is  nothing  in  the  message  that  would  specially 
harmonize  with  such  a  view.  Take  it  all  as  one,  or  take  any 
particular  element  of  it,  there  is  nothing  of  special  significance  in 
that  a  door  of  opportunity  should  constitute  the  great  character- 
istic of  this  church. 

If  however,  on  the  contrary,  we  take  the  significance  to  be 
that  to  the  church  of  Philadeljjhia.  weak,  small,  helpless  and 
sorely  beset  with  trials,  but  yet  faithful  to  her  Lord,  there  is  here 
the  prnny^ft  nf  nn  nppn  ^]nQr  gf  p^papp  frnm  her  trials  and  dan- 
gers, then  all  becomes  natural  and  emblematic.  AVe  then  see 
how  this  becomes  consequentially  connected  with  the  foregoing 
title  of  the  Son  of  man—"  He  that  hath  the  key  of  David,  he 
that  openeth,  and  no  man  shutteth ;  and  shutteth,  and  no  man 
openeth."  Such  is  his  prerogative,  and  in  its  exercise  he  opens 
a  door  of  escape  from  all  her  enemies  to  the  churcli  of  Phila- 
delphia. The  leading  characteristic  of  the  condition  of  this 
church  was  her  exposedness  to  danger  from  two  causes,  one 
natural  and  one  moral — the  eartliquake  and  the  synagogue.  Of 
these  two  dangers,  the  one  was  a  type  of  the  other,  and  the  same 
language  is  used  in  reference  to  both.  To  deliver  tlie  people 
from  both  was  provision  made  by  him  who  had  the  keys  of 
David.  This  was  the  one  great  object,  the  central  point  of  the 
whole  message. 

He  set  before  the  people  of  this  church  an  open  door  of  escape 
from  the  terrors  of  the  earthquake.    This  we  consider  the  leading 
point   in    this   peculiar  promise.      It   was    made    in  view  of  the  , 
awful  calamity  that  was  evermore  hanging  over  the  place.    Even  i 
at  the  present  day,  houses    there   are  built  with  doors  that  can  ^ 
readily    be   thrown    open    for    escape    when    the   dreaded    shocks 
begin  to  give  the  alarm.    The  whole  aspect  of  the  message  would 
indicate  that   this    was    in  contemplation,  and   that   the   faithful 
would  have  some  special    way  of  escape  opened  to  them  while 
others  would   be  swallowed  up   in  the  ruins.    Providence  would 
present  some  plan  of  safety  for  them,  which  others  would  not  see, 
or,  seeing,  would  not  regard.    Would  it  be  tliat  on  tlie  very  first 
symptom  of  the  approaching  crash,  heeding  the  warning  words. 


392       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

"Behold,  I  come  quickly!"  the  Christians  would  flee  to  the  open 
country,  while  others,  mocking  their  credulity,  would  linger  and 
perish  ? 

Most  certainly  there  was  also  a  promise  of  a  way  of  escape 
from  the  other,  the  great  spiritual  danger  from  the  synagogue 
of  Satan.  The  persistency,  the  bitterness,  and  the  formidable 
strength  of  the  Jewish  opposition  would  make  the  danger  to 
their  souls  certainly  as  great  as  the  other  to  their  bodies.  Con- 
sidering the  possibility  of  their  being  over-persuaded ;  the  force 
of  the  example  and  the  influence  of  the  wealthy  Jewish  mer- 
chants, on  whom  some  of  them  may  have  been  dependent  for 
their  living;  the  liability  of  the  young  to  be  led  away;  and  the 
fi^ct  that  the  Christians  were  but  few  in  number  and  weak  in 
'  ftirituality,  they  would  not  be  able  to  stand  fast  without  aid  from 
i;^ove.  To  the  more  devout  and  considerate  of  the  faithful  there 
ii'^List  have  appeared  appalling  danger  tliat  the  very  life  of  the 
church  would  be  gradually  worn  out.  How  cheering,  then,  must 
have  been  the  engagement  of  their  Lord  that  some  way  of  escape, 
some  open  door  would  be  provided,  some  door  to  them  imagined 
and  to  be  taken  on  simple  faith,  and  to  us  explained  only  in  part 
through  the  conversion  of  their  enennes  according  to  promise! 

An  element  in  this  special  engagement  must  also  have  had 
reference  to  some  remarkable  preservation  of  that  church  from 
the  pagan  persecutions  of  that  day.  There  is  no  record  of  any 
such  persecution  as  having  afflicted  the  church  of  Philadelphia. 
And  yet  that  people  could  hardly  have  been  exempt  from  the 
atrocities  which  were  raging  all  around  them,  especially  as  the 
great  mass  of  the  population  of  the  city  were  heathens.  Was 
it  not  because  of  some  providentially  opened  door  of  escape  that 
we  hear  nothing  of  their  suffering  in  this  way?  Was  it  that  the 
church  was  so  small  and  insignificant  in  their  esteem  that  the 
remorseless  enemies  of  the  faith  were  providentially  led  to  over- 
look it?  Was  there  some  special  interposition  of  their  Lord  on 
its  behalf?  Did  God,  in  whose  hands  are  the  hearts  of  all  men, 
by  his  providence  send  them  some  kindly  disposed  Roman  gov- 
ernor who  interposed  for  their  safety?  We  can  only  conjecture; 
but,  from  the  promise  on  the  one  hand  and  the  ascertained  facts 
on  the  other,  we  cannot  be  fjir  wrong  in  our  conjectures. 

It  may  be  added  as  more  than  probable  that  this  promise  of  an 
open  door  had  also  reference  to  some  unrecorded  calamity  that  was 
soon  to  come  on  the  city  and  country.  This  we  infer  from  the 
allusion  to  some  dread  event:  "Behold,  I  come  quickly!"     Was 


THE  CITY  OF  GOD.  393 

it  assurance  granted  to  the  beloved  people  of  that  little  church 
that  He  who  had  the  keys  of  David  would  open  a  way  of  escape 
for  them  during  the  diabolic  persecution  under  the  emperor  Domi- 
tian?  That  persecution  was  raging  about  the  time  of  these  mes- 
sages; and  at  that  time  thousands  of  the  unoffending  followers 
of  Christ  all  over  the  empire  were  slaughtered  amid  relentless 
cruelties.  Did  God  here  promise  to  shield  his  own  people  of  Phil- 
adelphia from  the  deadly  tempest  that  was  sweei^ing  over  all  the 
rest  of  the  world?  This  special  protection  by  her  glorious  Lord 
was  probably  to  be  a  characteristic  of  that  church  throughout  all 
her  future  history.  There  was  certainly  a  striking  instance  of 
it,  centuries  afterward,  when,  as  Islam  was  throwing  a  pall  over 
mankind,  God  helped  this  city  to  stand  out  for  almost  a  centu'-" 
after  all  the  others  had  succumbed.  Is  it  not  probable,  moreo  . 
that  there  is  yet  some  remarkable  deliverance  in  store  for  ' 
people,  as  the  day  of  earth's  entire  redemption  draws  nigh? 

We  are  now  prepared  to  estimate  fully  how  each  separate  ele- 
ment of  the  message  rises,  directly  or  indirectly,  out  of  the  one 
central  point  which  was  the  burden,  the  core,  of  this  special  com- 
munication from  the  throne.  Each  one  of  them  is  in  some  way 
connected  with :  "  Behold,  I  have  set  before  thee  an  open  door." 
We  have  the  synagogue  of  Satan  as  that  from  which  the  open 
door  was  needed;  the  title,  "He  that  hath  the  key  of  David," 
as  that  by  which  the  door  was  opened ;  the  "  little  strength " 
as  that  to  which  the  deliverance  from  heaven  was  gl-anted ;  the 
humiliated  Jews  as  those  from  whom  the  faithful  would  be  aided 
in  escaping ;  the  "  pillar  in  the  temple,"  the  "  go  no  more  out ;" 
the  "new  name"  on  the  brow;  and  the  "crown" — all  engaged 
as  the  reward  to  all  those  who  would  be  graciously  delivered. 

It  must  not  be  overlooked  here  that  this  church  of  comparative 
weakness  and  helplessness  was  the  one  of  the  seven  to  which  such 
glorious  deliverance  was  promised.  It  was  the  church  of  but  little 
strength  which  would  escape  the  greatest  dangers.  Consciously 
weak  herself,  she  was  the  fittest  for  GocTspower  to  rest  on  her^  that 
Christ,  the  King,  miglit  have  all  the  glory.  It  was  a  sublime  illus- 
tration of  the  divine  principle  announced  through  the  apostle:  "  My 
strength  is  made  perfect  in  weakness." 

11.   APPROBATION. 

It  would  almost  seem  as  if  our  Lord's  heart  of  love  were  laid 
open  to  speak  all  the  words  that  were  possible  to  encourage  each 
of  the  seven  churches.    Before  rebuke,  or  promise,  or  counsel,  he 


394       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

would  cheer  tliem  by  expressing  approbation  of  whatever  good 
could  be  found  in  them.  Especially  was  it  so  with  this  church 
of  Philadelphia.  Three  times  over  does  the  Lord  of  the  church 
utter  his  approval:  "I  know  thy  works" — works  of  fidelity  and 
courage;  "Thou  hast  a  little  strength,  and  hast  kept  my  word, 
and  hast  not  denied  my  name;"  "Because  thou  hast  kept  the 
word  of  my  i^atience." 

"I  know  thy  works."  He  was  carefully  looking  down  from  the 
throne  upon  their  feeblest  efforts.  He  was  with  them  through 
all  they  did  or  suffered  in  his  cause.  All  the  good  they  did  was 
a  joy  to  him.  It  would  seem  that  as  a  tender  parent  over  a 
weakly  child,  so  did  he  yearn  over  them  with  peculiar  affection. 
In  number  and  in  means  of  usefulness  they  were  inferior  to  the 
other  churches,  but  they  were  under  his  peculiar  regard.  Not 
the  greatness  of  opportunity,  or  amount  of  results,  is  that  which 
God  regards,  but  the  faithful  effort.  A\'ondrously  encouraging 
was  this  to  that  church,  as  it  is  to  every  humble  follower  of 
Christ. 

How  comforting  to  them  must  have  been  the  commendation: 
"Thou  hast  a  little  strength!"  A  little  strength— how  character- 
istic of  this  particular  church,  in  the  midst  of  a  farming  com- 
munity, and  made  up  from  the  humbler  classes!  It  was  a 
church  which  doubtless  had  but  few  members,  and  was  greatly 
straitened  in  its  means  of  doing  good.  It  was  a  little  church  in 
the  eyes  of  men,  compared  with  the  large  communities  of  Ephesus 
or  the  wealthy  congregation  of  Laodicea.  The  people  were  poor 
and  without  influence  in  comjiarison  with  the  rich  merchants  of 
Smyrna,  or  the  multitudes  of  the  pagan  inhabitants  of  their  own 
city.  Yet,  poor  and  weak  and  few  as  they  were,  their  Lord 
praised  them  that  they  had  any  strength  whatever  remaining 
after  all  the  opposition  they  had  met  with  from  the  synagogue 
of  Satan.  They  had  but  little  strength,  and  yet  they  had  stood 
unshaken  amid  most  formidable  enemies.  That  little  strength 
of  theirs,  the  glorious  Master  would  make  effectual  to  the  sub- 
duing and  conversion  of  some  of  the  very  opponents  who  had 
so  bitterly  assailed  them.  How  appropriate,  how  comprehensive, 
how  comforting,  was  his  every  word  to  this  humble  people  who 
needed  his  help  so  much ! 

Descending  from  words  of  general  approbation  the  heavenly 
King  makes  special  mention  of  some  of  the  chief  elements  of 
their  fidelitj'.  Of  these,  the  first  is,  "Thou  hast  kept  the  word 
of  my  patience."      "  The  word  of  my  patience  "  is  an  expression 


THE  CITY  OF  GOD.  395 

somewhat  peculiar,  and  needs  to  be  distinctly  understood  in  order 
that  the  force  of  this  commendation  may  be  seen.  "My  pa- 
tience"— the  patience  which  I  impart,  my  peculiar  patience,  my 
patience  in  contradistinction  from  that  ordinarily  seen  in  the 
world,  the  special  patience  which  I  enjoin,  the  patience  which 
was  exemplified  in  me,  the  patience  which  is  characteristic  of 
my  cause,  the  patience  which  the  exigencies  of  that  cause  re- 
quire. That  was  the  special  thing  required  of  this  church,  and 
which  had  been  constituted  the  peculiar  test  of  its  fidelity.  In 
all  times  and  places  there  is  some  si^ecial  truth  which  is  the 
trying,  suffering  truth ;  and  this  was  theirs.  Their  great  commen- 
dation was  that  they  had  stood  that  test.  They  had  proved  faith- 
ful by  their  loyalty  to  the  word  of  their  Lord's  patience—"  kept 
the  word  of  his  patience."  They  had  kept  it  while  so  many 
others  had  proved  recreant ;  Avhile  so  much  had  been  done  to 
seduce  them  from  it;  while  it  brought  down  upon  them  the 
sorest  persecution,  and  while  his  own  blessed  example  had  been 
needed  to  outweigh  with  them  all  the  inducements  which  the 
world  could  bring.  They  kept  it  because  he  had  so  conmianded ; 
because  their  faith  in  him  assured  them  that  it  was  true;  and 
because  their  love  to  him  was  so  intense  and  enduring.  To  do 
so  must  have  put  their  patience  to  its  utmost  tension;  and  this 
was  so  pleasing  in  his  sight  that  he  puts  it  down  to  their  ever- 
lasting remembrance. 

The  final  commendation  of  this  church,  and  that  which  is  the 
climax  of  all  is  that  they  had  "  not  denied  his  name."  This 
may  have  been  on  some  special  occasion,  not  on  record,  when 
their  faith  and  fortitude  had  been  very  sorely  tried.  At  any 
rate,  they  had,  withoul;  a  doubt,  acknowledged  his  name  when 
that  name  was  held  in  contempt,  when  they  would  lose  all  by  it, 
and  when  apparently  there  would  be  no  recompense.  They  had 
made  that  name  their  boast,  their  rallying-point,  their  glory. 

The  Jews,  with  their  utmost  effort,  had  striven  to  convince 
them  that  Jesus  was  not  the  promised  Messiah ;  but  they  could 
not  be  persuaded  to  yield  to  that  seduction.  Others  had  done  so, 
but  they  would  not  deny  that  name  which  was  to  them  above 
all  other  names.  They  stood  loyal  even  when  every  tempest  of 
opposition  beat  hard  against  them.  To  that  name  which  they 
loved  so  dearly  they  would  not  be  recreant.  Ever  would  they 
witness  for  him,  even  if  the  sword  were  hanging  over  their  heads. 
For  that  name  they  had  endured  persecution,  as  they  were  still 
ready  to  do.      Their  loyalty  to   it  caused  them  to  be  ridiculed. 


396       INAUGUEAL  OF  THE  ENTHEONED  KING- 

defamed,  put  under  ban,  belied  and  hated;  still  would  they  not 
be  apostate  to  their  Lord. 

The  risen  Lord  beheld  all  this  from  his  throne,  and  his  heart 
went  out  towards  them.  He  saw,  and  he  never  would  forget  their 
steadfastness.  They  thought  they  were  alone ;  but  his  eye  was  bent 
lovingly  upon  them.  He  would  remember  it  to  their  credit  for 
evermore,  and  ten  thousand  benefits  would  come  down  upon  them 
from  his  hands. 

12.   PEOMISES  TO  THAT  CHUECH. 

In  most  impressive  consistency  with  the  character  of  this  church 
as  exj^osed  in  all  the  rest  of  the  message,  there  is  neither  rebuke 
nor  threat  to  be  found  against  it.  In  this  there  is  a  variation  from 
the  plan  of  all  the  other  messages.  All  is  commendation  and 
promise  to  this  humble,  trusting  people;  and,  in  conformity  with 
the  general  scheme  of  the  messages,  there  are  two  classes  of 
promises  here— one  local  to  this  special  people,  and  one  general 
to  the  wiiole  Church  of  God.  In  the  local  engagement  which 
is  made  to  this  church  sjriecifically  there  are  three  distinct  items: 
that  the  enemies  of  the  church  would  soon  be  brought  to  see 
and  acknowledge  that  the  Holy  and  the  True  One  was  verily 
with  his  people  there;  that  those  very  enemies  w^ould  be  so  per- 
fectly subdued  as  to  come  cringing  on  their  knees  before  the  faith- 
ful followers  of  Jesus;  and  that  the  true  Christians  there  would 
be  kept  safe  from  some  dreadful  calamities  that  would  soon  sweep 
over  the  world. 

As  to  the  first  of  these,  '■'■Behold  I  will  make  them  to  /mow  that 
I  have  loved  thee,^^  the  meaning  is  very  obvious.  The  small  but 
loyal  band  composing  this  church  had  been  reviled  and  ridiculed 
and  persecuted  for  their  faith  in  Jesus  as  the  Messiah,  but  they 
had  stood  firm.  The  time  was  now  at  hand  when  God  in  his 
wonder-working  providence  would  interpose  and  prove  to  that 
synagogue  of  8atan  that  these  were  his  own  true  people,  and 
that  they  were  right  in  tlieir  faith.  In  some  way  he  would  make 
the  truth  clear  to  all  men.  By  some  marvelous  deliverance  of  his 
people,  some  extraordinary  manifestation  of  his  favor,  he  would 
make  even  the  i)ersecutiug  world  to  see  that  his  omnipotence  was 
on  the  side  of  the  few  faithful  ones  of  this  church.  At  once  would 
he  overwhelm  the  enemies  of  the  Gross  in  consternation  while 
those  who  had  stood  firmly  for  him  and  his  cause  would  be  filled 
with  surprise  and  rapture. 

The  next  promise  to  the  little  but  loyal  church  is  more  won- 


THE  CITY  OF  GOD.  397 

derful  still:  '■^Behold,  I  will  made  them  to  come  and  ivorship  before 
t/ii/feet.''^  Evidently  there  is  reference  here  to  some  momentous 
events  in  their  near  history  from  that  time  which  are  not  re- 
corded. What  in  all  probability  were  they?  Did  they  refer  to 
some  great  religious  awakening  in  that  city  by  which  some  of 
the  worst  Jewish  enemies  would  be  brought  to  the  obedience 
of  faith?  Such  a  supposition  will  at  any  rate  explain  most  of 
the  language  that  is  used.  The  consistent  and  holy  lives  of  the 
Christians  must  have  made  an  impression  even  upon  their  worst 
enemies.  The  sight  of  their  patience  under  cruel  wrongs,  applied 
by  the  Holy  Ghost  and  rendered  more  effective  by  terrific  judg- 
ments, would  bring  even  some  of  the  synagogue  of  Satan,  who 
had  been  so  active  and  bitter  in  their  opposition,  to  a  saving 
knowledge  of  the  truth.  Many  would  be  terrified  and  con- 
vinced. Then  would  these  awakened  souls,  seeing  clearly  that 
the  divine  favor  was  with  the  Christians,  come  humbly  and  put 
themselves  under  their  wings  for  safety.  There  would  thus  be 
a  marvelous  fulfillment  of  the  prediction  in  Isaiah:  "And  kings 
shall  be  thy  nursing  fathers,  and  their  queens  thy  nursing  mothers  ; 
they  shall  bow  down  to  thee  with  their  faces  to  the  earth,  and  lick 
up  the  dust  of  thy  feet;  and  thou  shalt  know  that  I  am  the  Lord: 
for  they  shall  not  be  ashamed  that  wait  for  me."  Still  more  to  the 
exact  promise  of  the  text  is  the  assurance:  "  I  will  make  the  place 
of  thy  feet  glorious.  The  sons  also  of  them  that  afflicted  thee  shall 
come  bending  unto  thee ;  and  all  they  that  despised  thee  shall  bow 
themselves  down  at  the  soles  of  thy  feet ;  and  they  shall  call  thee 
the  city  of  the  Lord,  the  Zion  of  the  Holy  One  of  Israel."  This 
latter  prediction  was  singularly  fulfilled  in  this  message:  "The 
city  of  the  Lord"— called  even  to  this  day,  "  The  Cify  of  God;'''' 
"  the  Zion  of  the  Holy  One  of  Israel " — the  title  of  the  Son  of 
God  in  this  connection,  '■'■  He  that  is  Holy.'''' 

Appalling  events,  of  which  we  have  no  record,  would,  most 
likely,  awaken  such  terror  in  the  hostile  Jews  that  from  their 
bitter  enmity  they  would  be  turned  into  the  most  abject  sup- 
pliants. They  could  not  but  see  that  the  God  of  Israel  was  with 
the  Christians;  and  for  protection  thoy  would  fly  to  them  and 
even  fall  down  before  their  feet  and  worship  them.  Such  an 
astounding  change  would  be  wrought  that  these  supercilious  and 
bitter  persecutors  who  had  branded  the  followers  of  Christ  with 
every  opprobrious  epithet  would  hasten  to  take  the  very  lowest 
place  in  the  dust  at  their  feet.  Tliis  was  a  marvelous  alteration 
which  must  have  come  in  the  condition  of  the  church  of  Phila- 


V 


398       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

delphia;  but  it  is  only  a  specimen  of  what  prophecy  warrants 
us  in  expecting  will  be  witnessed  all  the  world  over. 

More  deeply  earnest  and  direct  still .  becomes  the  promise  to 
this  church:  '•'■Because  thou  hast  kept  the  icord  of  7ny  patience,  I 
also  will  keep  thee  from  the  hour  of  temptation,  xohich  shall  come 
upon  all  the  ivorld,  to  try  them  that  dwell  upon  the  earth. ''^  What 
was  this  hour  of  temptation,  or  trial,  to  be?  Was  it  to  be 
some  terrific  shock  of  the  earthquake  that  was  evermore  impend- 
ing in  those  lands?  Probably  this  was  at  least  one  of  its  fearful 
ingredients.  Indeed  it  is  more  than  probable  that,  soon  after  the 
time  of  this  message,  one  of  these  indescribable  horrors  did  befall 
that  region.  It  is  almost  certain  that  such  was  the  case,  for 
Tacitus,  who  lived  at  the  time,  describes  one  then,  asserting  that 
it  sank  twelve  cities  of  Asia  Minor  in  one  night,  and  that, 
among  the  rest,  Philadelphia  was  badly  shattered.  Eusebius  also, 
the  ecclesiastical  historian,  mentions  this  earthquake,  saying  that 
city  after  city  was  shattered  to  the  dust  by  it,  and  even  names 
Ephesus,  Magnesia,  Sardis,  Philadelphia,  Tmolus,  and  other 
places  as  being  the  chief  sufferers.  While  such  devastation  was 
wrought  in  their  own  city  and  elsewhere,  it  is  probable  that  the 
believers  of  Philadelphia  were  saved.  There  is  scarcely  a  doubt 
but  that  this  would  be  the  case  in  pursuance  of  the  special  privi- 
lege: "Behold,  I  have  set  before  thee  an  open  door!"  Were 
they  not  saved  because  they  relied  on  the  divine  warning,  and 
fled  out  into  the  open  country,  and  so  escaped  from  being 
crushed    by   the   crumbling   walls   as   others    were? 

Perhaps  another  ingredient  of  the  terrible  hour  of  visitation 
arose  from  the  furious  persecutions  which  raged  over  the  empire 
soon  after  these  warning  words  were  heard.  Certainly  two  out 
of  the  ten  general  persecutions  of  the  early  Christians  did  their 
bloody  work  then  or  soon  afterwards.  The  cruel  one  of  the 
emperor  Domitian  was  at  its  worst  a  few  months  afterwards,  and 
that  of  Trajan  in  a.  d.  106,  only  ten  years  later.  Jews  and  Chris- 
tians were  probably  alike  involved  in  these  nefarious  massacres; 
but  God  in  some  way  interposed  to  cover  the  heads  of  his  people 
in  Philadelphia.  Most  likely  some  humane  proconsul,  like  Pliny 
of  Bithynia,  im{)ressed  with  what  he  witnessed  of  the  innocency 
of  the  Christian's  lives,  may  have  sheltered  them  from  the  storm. 
Again  were  the  faithful  saved  while  multitudes  of  the  Jews  were 
no  doubt  slaughtered. 

The  sum  of  all  is  that  the  probable  explanation  of  the  warn- 
ing,  "the    hour   of  temptation,"  is    that   it   referred    not  to  the 


THE  CITY  OF  GOD.  399 

earthquake  alone,  nor  to  the  persecutions  alone,  but  to  both  these 
and  other  horrors  in  a  season  of  most  terrible  general  calamities 
which  soon  after  this  afflicted  the  whole  Roman  world.  That 
there  was  such  a  combination  of  general  woes  about  the  begin- 
ning of  the  second  century  Is  well  known  to  the  historian. 
Canon  Farrar,  who  devoted  twelve  years  to  the  study  of  the  his- 
tory of  those  days,  gives  a  not  exaggerated  picture  of  the  times, 
presenting  such  authorities  as  Tacitus,  Suetonius  and  Eusebius. 
This  testimony  is  well  worthy  of  being  carefully  studied  and 
remembered.  The  language  of  this  brilliant  writer  is:  "Horrible 
was  the  aspect  of  the  world  at  that  time  "  (soon  after  these  mes- 
sages were  sent);  "men  seemed  to  be  tormented  and  terrified 
with  catastrophies  and  portents.  '  Besides  the  manifold  changes 
and  chances  of  human  affairs,'  says  Tacitus,  'there  were  prodigies 
in  heaven  and  on  earth,  the  warrings  of  lightnings,  and  the  pre- 
sages of  the  future,  now  joyous,  now  gloomy;  now  obscure,  now 
unmistakable.  For  never  was  it  renderetl  certain  by  clearer  indica- 
tions, or  by  more  deadly  massacres  of  the  Roman  people,  that 
the  gods  care  nothing  for  our  happiness.'  In  Rome  a  pestilence 
had  carried  off  tens  of  thousands  of  the  citizens.  A  disastrous 
Inundation  of  the  Tiber  had  impeded  the  march  of  Otho's  troops 
and  encun)bered  the  roads  with  ruins.  In  Lydia  an  encroach- 
ment of  the  sea  had  wrought  fearful  havoc.  In  Asia,  city  after 
city  had  been  shattered  to  the  dust  by  earthquakes.  'The  world 
itself  is  being  shaken  to  pieces,'  says  Seneca,  '  and  there  is  uni- 
versal consternation.'  Comets,  eclipses,  meteors,  parhelions,  ter- 
rified the  ignorant,  and  were  themselves  the  pretexts  for  imperial 
cruelties.  Auroras  tinged  the  sky  with  blood.  Volcanoes  seemed, 
like  Vesuvius,  to  be  waking  to  new  fury. 

"Morally,  the  state  of  the  pagan  world  was  fearful.  It  was 
sunk  so  low  that,  in  the  opinion  of  the  pagan  moralists  of  the 
empire,  posterity  could  but  imitate  and  could  not  surpass  such  a 
virulence  of  degradation.  The  Romish  world  and  the  Jewish 
world  were  alike  rent  by  civil  war.  There  were  banquets  in  the 
reign  of  Nero  at  which  seven  emperors,  entirely  unrelated  to 
each  other,  might  have  met  under  the  same  roof;  and  six  of  these 
died  violent  deaths.  Every  general  of  the  smallest  eminence  Iw- 
came  ambitious  to  rise  to  the  emperor's  throne.  '  INIore  than  once 
the  soldiers  had  serious  thoughts  of  murdering  all  the  senators  in 
order  to  keep  the  whole  government  of  the  world  in  their  owy 
hands.'  In  some  of  the  civil  wars  it  is  related  that  the  'very 
roads  were  obstructed  with  the  mounds  of  the  dead.'    After  a  des- 


400       INAUGUEAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

perate  hand-to-hand  conflict  between  Romans  and  Romans  which 
heaped  the  fields  with  the  almost  incredible  number  of  the  slain, 
the  soldiers  fell  sobbing  into  one  anotlier's  arms,  at  tlie  wicked- 
ness of  civil  war.  Amid  portents  so  threatening  and  scenes  so 
terrible,  it  is  not  strange  that  the  hearts  of  men  should  be  failing 
them  from  fear.  There  had  been  for  many  years  an  all  but 
universal  impression  that  the  days  of  Rome  were  numbered." 

If  such  was  the  predicted  hour  of  temptation,  the  season  of 
overwhelming  calamities,  we  can  see  the  riches  of  God's  promise 
that  he  would  cover  liis  faithful  church  of  Philadelphia  from  them. 
Such  awful  events  would  fill  both  Jews  and  pagans  with  consterna- 
tion, would  humble  the  proud  opposers  of  the  omnipotent  Messiah, 
would  close  the  mouth  of  every  enemy  of  Christ  and  his  cause,  and 
would  produce  scenes  of  crouching,  groveling  fear  before  the  friends 
of  the  Almighty  Lord,  as  these  inspired  words  depict. 

And  the  time  of  trial  was  then  at  hand.  The  very  solemn  warn- 
ing is  added:  "Behold,  I  come  quickly!"  The  predicted  scenes 
of  horror  were  real,  they  were  urgent,  they  were  at  the  door.  The 
patien'ce  of  the  faithful  Christians  would  not  be  tried  much  longer; 
the  worst  fears  of  the  enemies  would  be  realized  before  they  were 
aware.  Before  the  warning  words  were  well  heard,  the  hour  of 
trial  would  be  upon  them.  "Behold,  I  come  quickly!" — this  is 
the  established  formula  for  the  surprisingness  of  God's  coming 
to  vindicate  his  cause.  The  words  depict  the  consternation  of 
his  coming— so  unexpected,  so  sudden,  so  terribly  early  and  so 
terribly  great. 

According  to  the  divine  engagement  with  this  church,  when 
this  time  of  dire  calamities  would  come,  pagans,  Jews,  Christians 
—the  whole  world  would  be  exposed.  But  when  the  crisis  was 
actually  upon  them  there  would  be  a  distinction — for  the  Chris- 
tians would  in  some  way  be  sheltered :  "  /  will  keep  thee  from  the 
hour  of  temptation,  ivhich  shall  come  iqjon  all  the  tcorhV  is  the 
promise  made  them.  Their  faith  and  patience  were  still  further 
tried,  in  that  the  manner  of  their  deliverance  is  not  foretold, 
though  the  fact  of  it  is  made  certain.  The  language  is  very 
positive:  "1  will  keep  thee" — and  that,  while  all  the  rest  would 
'  be  left  to  suffer.  As  to  them  the  doom  is  fearfully  comprehensive 
— "all  the  world,"  "them  that  dwell  upon  the  earth."  It  would 
be  a  visitation  upon  all  the  world  in  antithesis  to  believers.  All 
mankind  but  the  elect,  is  phraseology  of  our  Lord  himself.  At 
any  rate  the  humble  church  of  Philadelphia  would  in  some  way 
be  covered  from  the  storm.     In  some  marvelous   way  which  is 


THE  CITY  OF  GOD.  401 

not  recorded  they  would  be  kept  outside  of  the  terrible  calamities. 
They  would  be  so  perfectly  safe  as  not  to  be  even  in  the  vortex 
of  the  woes.  Quite  significant  is  the  language  of  the  promise: 
"I  will  keep  thee" — not  in,  but  '^ out  of  the  hour  of  temptation." 
Thus  would  it  come  to  pass  that  this  church  of  little  strength, 
but  of  much  patience,  would  see  the  wisdom  of  their  steadfast 
adherence  to  their  Messiah.  The  world  might  think  them  foolish 
for  risking  so  much  on  a  mere  promise.  Sometimes  they  may 
themselves  have  had  sad  misgivings  as  to  the  result.  They  had 
to  go  in  the  dark  so  far  as  human  calculations  were  con(;erned. 
They  could  do  nothing  but  lean  hard  on  the  promise,  and  obey. 
But  when  the  awful  hour  would  come,  and  they  would  behold 
so  many  crushed  amid  untold  woes,  and  themselves  unharmed, 
then  would  they  experience  the  very  rapture  of  the  divine  de- 
liverance. They  had  loved  and  trusted  in  the  dark :  what  would 
it  be  now,  when  all  was  light,  and  joy,  and  victory? 

13.  COUNSEL. 

It  is  very  remarkable  indeed  how  every  point  in  this  message 
ranges  itself  around  the  one  central  thought  or  manifest  divine 
purpose  for  which  it  was  sent.  The  leading  communication  to 
it  was  that,  inasmuch  as  the  church  had  patiently  resisted  all  the 
efforts  of  its  enemies  to  seduce  it  from  its  faith,  its  Lord  would 
very  soon  open  for  it  a  way  of  triumphant  escape  from  all  its 
dangers.  This  explains  why  all  the  advice  given  to  it  was  sim- 
ply that  it  should  continue  on  firmly  in  the  course  it  was  already 
pursuing.  There  was  not  a  word  of  reproach  against  it,  and  con- 
sequently there  was  no  advice  needed  but  that  it  should  still 
maintain  its  integrity.  The  words  of  counsel  and  comfort  ad- 
dressed to  it  were  few  and  plain:  "Behold,  I  come  quickly:  hold 
that  fast  which  thou  hast,  that  no  man  take  thy  crown."  These 
words  imply  that  that  church  had  already  a  crown  of  honor ;  that 
there  were  certain  bitter  enemies  striving  to  take  that  crown  from  / 
them ;  that  their  greatest  concern  must  be  to  avert  such  disaster 
by  most  strenuously  resisting;  and  that  their  great  encourage- 
ment was  that  their  Lord  would  very  soon  come  for  their  deliv- 
erance. 

By  comparing  the  crown  promised  to  the  church  of  Smyrna 
with  that  named  here,  it  will  be  perceived  that  this  is  not  a 
crown  first  to  be  received  in  heaven,  but  one  of  which  the  patient 
Philadelphia  believers  were  already  possessed.  There  it  is,  "  Be 
thou  faithful  unto  death,  and  I  will  give  thee  a  crown  of  life;" 

26 


402       INAUGUEAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

here  it  is,  "Hold  that  fast  which  thou  hast,  that  no  man  take  thy 
crown."  There  it  was  future;  hei-e  it  was  already  in  possession. 
These  humble  Christians  had  their  crown  even  then.  Their  stead- 
fastness to  Christ  and  his  cause  was  that  which  imparted  to  them 
beauty,  dignity,  and  finish^the  very  essence  of  crowning  glory. 
They  had  kept  the  word  of  their  Lord's  patience,  and  this  was 
their  crown.  Their  risen  Messiah  esteemed  their  fidelity  so  highly 
that  to  their  honor  he  gave  it  this  lofty  title.  It  was  their  crown 
in  his  eyes,  and  hence  it  was  such  in  reality.  This  was  the  glory 
of  the  Philadelphia  Christians  as  distinguished  from  that  of  all 
others.  The  patience  and  zeal,  the  truth  and  i)iety  which  they 
already  possessed  were  that  which  constituted  their  highest  honor. 
Moreover,  this  crown  of  honor  which  they  already  wore  would 
ultimately  in  eternity  pass  over  into  their  crown  of  glory  for 
evermore. 

But  there  were  certain  bitter  enemies  to  them  and  to  their  crown. 
The  language  of  the  message  intimates  this:  "Let  no  man  take 
thy  crown."  The  tenor  of  the  message  reveals  who  these  enemies 
were.  They  were  the  synagogue  of  Satan— Jewish  tempters  who 
would  deprive  them  of  that  which  was  their  truest  glory.  Not, 
of  course,  that  these  opposers  would  take  that  crown  to  put  it 
upon  their  own  heads.  Not  that,  but  that  they  would  lead  them 
on  to  an  apostasy  which  would  be  the  loss  of  their  crown.  These 
enemies  revealed  their  diabolic  aims  by  striving  to  conduct  the 
faithful  followers  of  the  Lord  down  to  perdition.  It  may  have 
been  sheer  envy  that  moved  them  to  carry  on  their  infamous 
work  which  would  have  resulted  in  the  eternal  shame  of  these 
humble  saints.  Their  aim  was  to  rob  that  godly  people  of  their 
highest  honor  and  their  eternal  glory. 

Appropriately  was  the  one  charge  from  heaven  to  this  humble 
church,  exposed  as  it  was  to  such  great  danger,  that  they  would 
not  allow  their  crown  to  be  taken  away  from  them.  The  earnest 
exhortation  was,  "Hold  that  fast  which  thou  hast  received." 
How  was  this  to  be  done?  How  were  they  to  keep  hold  of  their 
crown  so  that  it  should  not  be  taken  from  them?  Manifestly  by 
closely  watching  all  the  schemes  of  the  enemy,  as  well  as  the 
weaknesses  of  their  own  treacherous  heart;  by  untiring  efforts 
to  maintain  the  fervor  of  their  piety;  by  guarding  closely  against 
every  approach  of  si)iritual  danger;  by  keeping  vividly  before 
them  that  crown  of  glory  into  which  their  present  crown  would 
soon  be  changed;  and  chiefly  by  a  firm  faith  that  their  living 
Lord  would  ever  stand   by  them.      This  must  they  do  with  all 


THE  CITY  OF  GOD.  403 

their  might:  for  to  lose  their  patience,  their  faith,  and  their 
piety  would  be  to  lose  their  crown.  If  they  yielded  to  the  seduc- 
tions ever  pressing  upon  them  their  glory  would  be  gone. 

The  charge  thus  given  to  the  small  but  faithful  church  of  Phila- 
delphia might  involve  many  a  struggle  that  would  be  trying  to 
the  flesh;  but  it  would  not  be  long.  Their  Lord  cheers  them  by 
what  to  them  must  have  been  most  comforting:  "Behold,  I  come 
quickly!"  Whatever  that  coming  meant,  whether  it  was  to  be 
in  judgment  upon  the  world  at  the  predicted  hour  of  temptation 
or  in  the  way  of  escape  for  his  people,  this  must  have  been  to 
them  a  most  comforting  word.  Tlie  close  of  their  temptations 
and  of  their  sufferings  was  near  at  hand.  Could  they  but  hold  on 
to  it  for  a  little  while  longer,  they  would  behold  their  crown 
both  safe  and  untarnished.  The  charge  to  them  was  the  old 
appeal  of  Gethsemane:  "Watch  with  me  one  hour."  Already 
were  they  crowned  kings  and  priests  in  the  church  on  earth ; 
very  soon  would  they  wear  the  crown  of  glory  in  the  sanctuary 
above. 

14.   GENERAL   TEOMISES. 

In  treating  this  message  to  the  church  of  Philadelphia  we  have 
not,  as  in  the  others,  devoted  a  section  to  the  "overcometh"  it 
contains,  because  the.  whole  texture  of  the  communication  in- 
volves that  point.  The  one  great  duty  contained  in  the  passage 
is  that  of  resisting  or  overcoming  the  seductions  of  the  synagogue 
of  Satan,  and  therefore  nothing  more  than  the  general  obedience 
to  the  charge  is  needed.  To  overcome  the  temi^tations  of  the 
Jews  is  the  one  idea  of  the  whole  message. 

We  therefore  proceed  at  once  to  consider  the  wonderful  promises 
to  all  the  faithful  of  all  ages  and  i)laces  with  which  the  message 
closes.  In  several  respects  this  Is  the  most  interesting  general 
promise  of  all  the  seven.  As  is  usual  with  all  these  promises, 
it  arises  out  of  the  peculiarities  of  the  message,  while  at  the  same 
time  it  is  of  universal  application  to  all  the  churches.  It  is  directly 
related  to  the  central  idea:  "I  have  set  before  thee  an  open  door" 
— an  open  door  of  escape  from  the  shocks  of  the  earthquake,  and  j 
tlien  a  condition  safe  and  stable,  as  a  pillar  that  shall  move  or 
totter  no  more.  In  each  element  of  the  promise  there  is  special 
honor  engaged  for  that  people  who  were  so  humble  and  so  unflinch- 
ing in  their  faith.  It  is  as  if  to  that  churcli  so  greatly  beloved,  the 
Son  of  man  would  open  the  very  treasury  of  divine  riches.  Not 
simply  is  it  a  promise,  but  it  is  a  cluster  of  promises  all  of  them 
wonderfully  precious  and  very  abundant  and  varied  in  their  char- 


404       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

acter.  Among  the  i>eculiarities  which  arrest  our  attention  in  these 
divine  engagements  are  such  as  these:  the  singular  and  impressive 
pillar,  emblem  of  the  fixedness  in  glory  which  God  would  give; 
the  significant  expression,  "  my  God,''''  repeated  four  times  over 
within  a  single  verse;  and  the  no  less  than  five  items  in  the  gen- 
eral promise,  or  rather  five  distinct  promises  in  this  one  glorious 
cluster.  With  this  h\st  peculiarity  we  begin,  and  will  make  it  our 
guide  in  analyzing  this  marvelous  engagement  into  which  God 
here  enters  with  all  his  churches. 

The  first  of  these  points  in  the  general  promise  is:  "Him  that 
overcometh  will  I  make  a  pillar  in  the  temple  of  my  Gociy  The 
essential  idea  of  this  figure  is  undoubtedly  that  of  stability — stabil- 
ity after  insecurity,  confusion,  and  alarms.  Its  peculiar  appropri- 
ateness here  is  in  that  it  was  entered  into  with  a  people  whose 
life-dread  was  that  of  the  devastation  of  earthquakes.  Perma- 
nence and  safety  in  the  midst  of  unexpected  terrors  is  the  divine 
engagement.  Instead  of  rushing  out  at  the  first  symptoms  of  the 
coming  crash,  there  would  be  firm  rest  and  a  quiet  sense  of  security 
— this  as  a  most  impressive  promise.  The  column  of  Trajan  has 
stood  unshaken  in  Rome  for  over  eighteen  centuries;  the  pyra- 
mids of  Egypt  have  rested  amid  the  sands  for  thousands  of  years : 
so  would  it  be  with  this  symbolical  pillar  Of  the  faithful.  It  was 
a  promise  that  their  faith  should  stand  for  evermore  on  Him  who 
was  the  Rock  of  Ages.  It  was  covenanted  by  this  singularly  sig- 
nificant emblem  that  the  patient  sufferers  for  Christ's  sake  should 
finally  be  delivered  from  all  the  commotions  of  earth  and  sin,  and 
that  they  would  be  established  immovably  in  the  promised  rest  of 
Christ. 

Most  writers  consider  that  tliis  promise  to  the  patiently  faithful 
Christians  of  Philadelphia,  and  through  them  to  all  believers, 
that  they  would  be  made  pillars  in  the  temple  of  God,  is  an 
intimation  of  the  glorious  prospect  of  different  degrees  in  the 
bliss  of  the  saints  in  the  heavenly  world.  The  body  of  the  living 
temple  of  the  ransomed  shall  be  composed  of  the  community  of 
believers,  but  the  pre-eminently  devoted  on  earth  shall  be  honored 
as  the  pillars  thereof.  In  his  exceedingly  valuable  additions 
interspersed  throughout  Lange's  Commentary  on  the  Apocalypse, 
Dr.  Craven  remarks  that  "This  passage  is  but  one  of  many 
which  set  forth  the  pre-eminence  of  the  victorious  saints  of  the 
present  dispensation,  in  the  future  a?on  of  blessedness  and  glory. 
In  one  place  they  are  the  Jirst-fruits  unto  God  and  the  Lamb ;  in 
another  they  are   the  bride   of  the   Lamb;    in  another  they  are 


THE  CITY  OF  GOD.  405 

kings  and  priests  unto  God ; — here  they  are  pillars  in  the  heavenly 
temple.    The  subject  is  mysterious,  but  gloriously  sublime." 

There  is  one  fact  concerning  this  emblematic  pillar,  to  which 
we  must  devote  our  very  special  attention.  In  accordance  with 
this  covenant  promise  to  the  church  of  Philadelphia  there  is  still 
found  in  that  city  an  old  pillar  which  has  evidently  stood  there 
unmoved  since  the  time  when  that  promise  was  first  uttered.  In 
every  picture  and  photograph  of  the  city  which  any  of  us  have 
ever  seen,  the  pillar  was  there.  All  through  the  ages  of  time  it 
has  been  standing;  there  it  is  to-day.  Ages  have  worn  away, 
storms  have  raged,  fissures  have  opened  in  the  ground,  enemies 
have  devastated ;  but  there  it  has  stood  unmoved,  year  after  year, 
age  after  age,  century  after  century.  All  the  rest  of  the  city  has 
been  again  and  again  prostrated  by  the  earthquake-shocks,  but 
there  still  has  towered  up  the  immovable  pillar.  It  stands 
absolutely  alone  of  all  that  once  constituted  the  old  city.  Tlie 
antiquity  of  its  form  shows  without  a  question  that  it  is  the 
solitary  monument  of  long  by-past  ages.  There  is  no  difficulty 
in  telling  that  it  is  a  remnant  of  centuries  long  gone  even  before 
the  present  ruins  of  the  city  had  formed  its  houses  and  temples 
and  towers.  All  of  old  Philadelphia  is  gone,  but  there  is  this 
single  monument  which  was  there  in  the  day  when  this  message 
came  down  from  the  throne. 

How  came  it  to  pass  that  it  has  stood  on  unshaken  through\ 
all  the  passing  ages,  while  all  else  was  shaken  to  the  dust  around 
it?  What  but  God's  own  omnipotent  hand  could  have  kept  it 
standing,  and  that  as  a  proof  and  illustration  of  the  veracity  of 
this  word  of  promise  which  he  had  spoken  to  that  beloved 
church?  Even  the  historian  Gibbon,  with  all  his  intense  and 
never-abating  hostility  to  Christianity,  records  this  remarkable 
fiict,  though  he  w^ould  not  do  even  that  without  a  sneer  at  the 
humble  followers  of  Christ.  His  remarkable  confession,  which 
we  quote  in  full,  is  as  follows:  "In  the  loss  of  Ephesus  the  Chris- 
tians deplored  the  fall  of  the  first  angel,  the  extinction  of  the 
first  candlestick  of  the  Revelation.  The  desolation  is  complete,  and 
the  temple  of  Diana  or  the  church  of  Mary  will  equally  elude  the 
search  of  the  curious  traveler.  The  circus  and  the  three  stately 
theatres  of  Laodicea  are  now  peopled  with  wolves  and  foxes; 
Sardis  is  reduced  to  a  miserable  village;  the  God  of  Mohammed, 
without  a  rival  or  a  son,  is  invoked  in  the  mosques  of  Thyatira 
and  Pergamos,  and  the  jjopulousness  of  Smyrna  is  supported  by 
the  foreign  trade   of   the    Franks   and    Armenians;  Philadelphia 


406       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

alone  has  been  saved,  by  prophecy  or  by  courage.  At  a  distance 
from  the  sea,  encompassed  on  all  sides  by  the  Turks,  her  valiant 

{  citizens  defended  their  religion  and  freedom  above  fourscore 
years,  and  at  length  capitulated  with  the  proudest  of  the  Otto- 
mans, Among  the  Greek  colonies  and  churches  of  Asia,  Phila- 
delphia is  still  erect — a  column  in  a  scene  of  ruins— a  pleasing 
example  that  the  paths  of  honor  and  safety  may  sometimes  be 
the  same."  There  stands  that  column  to-day  to  certify,  as  it  has 
certified  through  all  the  successive  generations  that  (jod's  engage- 
ments are  firm  and  changeless.  There  it  is  to  testify  of  the  im- 
movable rock  on  which  the  gospel  is  based,  and  that  it  is  ever 
the  same  amid  all  the  commotions  of  wars  and  of  ages, 

\  The  second  item  in  this  promise  is  contained  in  the  words, 
"  And  he  shcdl  go  no  more  out.''''  "  I  will  make  him  a  pillar  in 
the  temple  of  my  God,  and  he  shall  go  no  more  out."  There  is 
here  a  cliange  in  the  imagery;  or,  dropping  metaphor  altogether, 
the  teaching  is  that  the  devoted  Christian  on  earth  shall  never 
be  allowed  to  fall  from  his  lofty  station  in  glory.  At  any  rate 
the  meaning  of  the  passage  is  perfectly  obvious.  When  the 
earthquake-shocks  began  to  awaken  the  first  alarms,  the  inhabit- 
ants of  house  or  city  would  rush  out  for  safety  into  the  oi3en 
country.  But  the  promised  spiritual  state  of  the  saint  hereafter 
would  never  have  such  danger  or  alarms.  For  him  all  the  earth- 
quake-tossings  of  sins,  sorrows,  troubles,  fears,  and  commotions 
would  be  over  for  ever;  they  would  be  unknown  in  his  blessed 
rest-^all  then  will  be  settled  and  permanent  for  evermore.  As 
that  pillar  in  Philadelphia  has  remain  unmoved  for  all  the  cen- 
turies, so  shall  they  rest  in  undisturbed  peace  through  all  the 
myriads  of  the  eternal  ages.  They  shall  be  fixed  for  ever  in 
glory.  They  shall  go  no  more  out:  for  they  shall  be  beyond  the 
possibility  of  being  lost.  He  "that  openeth  and  no  man  shutteth, 
and  shutteth  and  no  man  openeth,"  had  opened  for  them  the 
door  of  admission  into  glory,  and  he  had  also  closed  against 
them  the  door  of  exit  therefrom.  Like  the  elect  angels,  they 
could  not  possibly  be  banished  from  the  realms  of  the  blessed. 
Wondrously  cheering  is  the  divine  engagement,  as  eloquently 
described  by  Dr.  Tristram;  "'Him  that  overcometh  will  I  make 
a  pillar  in  the  temple  of  my  God,  and  he  shall  go  no  more  out.' 
What  Christian,  feeling  himself  a  pilgrim  here,  could  so  thor- 
oughly realize  the  permanence  of  his  eternal  home,  under  the 
figure  of  a  pillar  in  the  temple  of  his  God,  as  one  whose  earthly 
vhome,  shattered  repeatedly  by  the  heaving  of  the  unstable  earth. 


THE  CITY   OF  GOD.  407 

and  often  rent  and  overthrown  by  the  earthquake,  reminded  him 
by  its  craclvs  and  fissures  of  the  insecurity  of  all  human  build- 
ings?" Time  after  time  had  all  the  marble  columns  of  the 
temples  of  Philadelphia  been  laid  low.  The  shattered  and  gaping 
walls  of  this  city  needed  so  often  to  be  repaired  that  the  burden 
of  their  maintenance  had,  we  are  told,  utterly  injpoverished  the 
citizens.  But  to  the  promise  of  stability  was  added  the  promise 
of  permanence  of  residence :  '  He  shall  go  no  more  out.'  He  who 
had  so  often  tied  into  the  open  field  at  the  premonitory  rumbling ; 
he  whose  house  had  so  often  been  deserted  when  he  had  camped 
in  the  plain,  out  of  reach  of  the  falling  dwellings  (for  the  his- 
torian tells  us  how  the  inhabitants  had  for  the  most  part  to  live 
in  the  open  country) ;— he,  of  all  others,  could  appreciate  the 
promise,  'Pie  shall  go  no  more  out' — for  no  earthquake  can 
move  the  eternal  pillars,  no  shaking  of  the  strong  foundations 
drive  out  the  inhabitants  of  the  eternal  city." 

The  third  item  of  the  general  promise  is,  "J  will  write  upon  x\ 
him  the  name  of  my  God.^''  As  we  enter  upon  the  consideration 
of  this  point  we  meet  with  two  significant  things.  The  first  is 
that,  as  already  stated,  in  a  single  verse  here  we  have  the  expres- 
sion, "my  God,"  repeated  no  less  than  four  times:  ^^  the  temjyle 
of  my  God:''''  "the  name  of  my  God,^'  "the  city  of  my  God,^^ 
and  ^^oi(t  of  heaven  from  my  God^  What  is  this  but  the  em- 
phatic assertion  that  the  Fatlier  also  acquiesces  in  these  promises 
of  the  Son?  "So  do  I  engage,"  saith  the  exalted  Lord;  "and 
in  that  engagement  does  my  Father  also  agree."  It  is  repeated 
to  make  the  divine  assurance  the  more  impressive.  It  is  the 
glorious  concurrence  of  the  Father  and  the  Son,  making  these 
pledges  to  the  faithful  come  home  to  their  souls  with  the  greater 
positiveness. 

The  second  remarkable  thing  is  that  on  the  ransomed  in  glory 
shall  be  inscribed  the  three  sublime  names — the  "  name  of  my  God," 
the  "  name  of  the  city  of  my  God,"  and  "  my  new  name."  As  the 
names  of  the  renowned  of  earth  are  engravecl  on  pillars  and  other 
enduring  objects,  so  should  the  faithful  be  distinguished  by  glorious 
titles,  and  be  had  in  undying  remembrance — this  is  the  leading 
thought  of  these  promises.  Since  the  saint,  however,  is  to  be  as  a 
pillar  of  the  ages,  he  is  himself  to  bear  these  celestial  names. 
Before  others  of  the  ransomed  multitude,  and  before  the  angels,  he 
is  specially  designated  as  God's  own  follower.  Thus  should  it  be 
known  by  all  creatures  to  whom  he  belonged,  and  to  whose 
glory  he  was  for  ever  dedicated.    That  name— the  "name  of  my 


^ 


408  INAUGUKAL  OF  THE  ENTHEO^'ED   KING. 

God"  would  he  bear  for  evermore,  as  belonging  in  his  whole 
being  and  ijower  to  the  Lord  Jehovah,  his  Creator.  Tliat  name 
of  highest  sublimity  would  be  the  bright  badge  through  which 
he  would  stand  revealed  in  the  eyes  of  every  beholder.  "  This 
is  the  Lord's  own  honored  servant"  would  be  the  pre-eminent 
distinction  that  he  would  evermore  bear  in  the  sight  of  all  beings 
by  whom  he  would  be  ever  seen  and  admired. 

The  next  name  promised  is  that  of  the  city  of  God:  '■'■  I  will 
lorite  iq)0}i  him  the  name  of  the  city  of  my  God,  which  is  the  new 
Jerifsalem,  which  cometh  down  out  of  heaven  from  my  God.''"' 
That  sublime  name  would  be  so  enstamped  upon  the  glorified 
saint,  that  wherever  found  he  would  be  recognized  as  one  of  its 
honored  citizens.  He  would  have  the  freedom  of  the  city  of  the 
New  Jerusalem.  To  such  patient  sufferer  for  the  cause  of  his 
Lord  the  pledge  is  given  ''that  he  would  have  right  to  enter  into 
the  gates  of  the  New  Jerusalem,  and  that  no  being  would  be 
permitted  to  hinder  him.  As  a  victor  returning  from  the  field 
of  battle,  he  would  be  honored  as  one  of  heaven's  citizens,  and 
be  entitled  to  all  the  privileges  of  that  metropolis  of  glory. 
That  city  is  no  further  described  here,  in  this  part  of  the  Sacred 
Book;  but  it  is  in  the  closing  chapters  of  the  Apocalypse,  where 
its  jasper  walls,  its  golden  streets,  and  gates  of  pearl  are  por- 
trayed in  all  their  brightest  glories.  It  was  to  be  the  New 
Jerusalem,  for  which  Abraham  and  other  saints  so  earnestly 
longed,  and  which  since  then  has  passed  away  from  the  glories 
of  earth. 

This  City  of  the  Saints  is  here  represented  as  "  coming  down 
out  of  heaven  from  my  God."  "Coming  down  out  of  heaven," 
as  that  city  whose  builder  and  maker  is  God !  "  Coming  down 
out  of  heaven"  to  earth,  growing  more  and  more  real,  vi.  ible — 
almost  already  entered  by  the  ransomed  of  the  Lord.  What  a 
wondrous  abode  that  must  be,  even  if  we  know  no  more  of  it 
than  what  is  implied  here  in  the  names  which  were  given  to  it 
by  the  inspiring  Sj^irit  of  the  Lord,  though  his  servants !  It  is  the 
Great  City,  the  Holy  Jerusalem — as  the  old  Jerusalem,  but  she 
had  forfeited  that  name  for  ever.  It  is  the  "Jerusalem  which  is 
above;"  "the  city  of  the  living  God;"  "the  holy  city."  Very 
sublimely  and  truthfully  did  one  of  the  Greek  Fathers  speak  of 
it  as  "that  Beautiful  City,"  and  another  as  the  "Metropolis  of 
Heaven."  It  is  the  city  which  is  new,  in  that  sin  never  entered 
it;  and  at  the  same  time  it  is  the  oldest  of  all.  But  who  can 
imagine   or   describe   that   celestial    abode?     What   exalted    con- 


THE  CITY  OF  GOD.  409 

ceptions  of  it  must  have  beeu  in  the  mind  of  old  Bernard  of 
Clugny  as  lie  wrote: 

"  Me  receptet  Sion  ilia, — 
Sion,  David  urbs  tranquilla, 
Cujus  faber  Auctor  lucis, 
Cujus  portse  ligyum  Crucis." 

AVith  what  rapture  must  he  have  been  filled  as  he  thought: 
"Zion  shall  open  its  gates  to  me— Zion,  David's  city  of  rest;  Zion, 
whose  builder  is  the  Creator  of  the  light;  Zion,  whose  very  gates 
are  formed  of  the  wood  of  the  cross."  Oh,  that  city  of  glory, 
over  whose  sublime  portal  gleams  ^^Jehovah-Shammah''^  for  ever- 
more! "I  will  write  the  name  of  the  city  of  my  God"— it  is  at 
least  a  curious  coincidence  that  this  city  of  the  old  Philadelphia 
church  should  bear  as  its  name  even  to  the  present  day,  "^//e 
City  of  God P^  Is  there  no  providential  guidance  in  this?  Has 
not  the  same  divine  power  that  preserved  the  pillar  also  pre- 
served the  name  as  a  testimony  to  all  the  successive  ages? 

The  climax  to  all  the  i^ledges  and  names  engaged  to  the  pi-e- 
eminently  faithful  is  the  close:  "I  will  write  upon  him  my  new 
namey  What  means  this?  Doubtless  to  be  enstamped  with  the 
name  of  Christ  would  imply  that  the  highly  favored  saint  be- 
longed to  Christ,  or  represented  Christ  in  some  pre-eminent 
manner.  As  remarked  by  the  pious  commentator,  Thomas  Scott: 
"Thus  would  the  Lord  own  his  patient  follower  as  one  of  his 
chosen  people :  a  trophy  of  his  victory  over  the  world,  sin,  Satan, 
and  death,  and  a  monument  erected  by  the  power  of  his  arm, 
the  truth  of  his  Word,  the  efficacy  of  his  atonement  and  media- 
tion, and  the  unsearchable  riches  of  his  grace." 

But  by  the  new  name,  especially,  what  is  meant?  Not  the 
name  Lamb,  so  often  occurring  in  this  book — for  that  is  not  new, 
but  as  old  at  least  as  the  Passover;  not  the  Word,  or  Christ,  or 
Son  of  man,  or  King  of  kings;  these  are  all  appropriate  and 
most  blessed  titles  of  our  Redeemer,  but  they  cannot,  any  of  them, 
be  this  neiv  name,  for  they  are  all  old  and  well-known  by  all  the 
saints  of  the  Lord.  Not  these,  but  something  else  as  yet  unknown, 
probably  something  which  could  not  as  yet  be  comprehended  or 
communicated.  It  is  to  be  some  new  title  earned  by  the  sublime 
achievements  of  his  humiliation  and  exaltation.  It  will  be  some 
new  revelation  of  Christ's  glory  of  which  as  yet  even  his  most 
devoted  followers  do  not  dream — a  name  never  heard  except 
among  the  ransomed  at  the  Throne.     It  will  be  some  mysteri- 


410       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

ously  sublime  name,  unknown  to  any  creature,  and  of  which 
there  comes  to  us  but  a  dim  intimation  in  the  Revelation:  "His 
eyes  were  as  a  flame  of  fire,  and  on  his  head  were  many  crowns: 
and  he  had  a  name  ivriften  that  no  man  kneiv  but  he  himself.''^  Thus 
the  pledge  is  here  given  that  in  some  sublime  way,  throughout 
eternity  he  will  share  this  new  and  glorious  name  with  his  ran- 
somed followers:  "I  will  write  upon  him  my  new  name,"  and, 
with  the  name,  he  will  also  impart  of  the  mysterious  mediatorial 
character  and  glory. 

We  are  now  prepared,  in  the  retrospect,  to  form  an  estimate 
of  the  riches  and  the  abundance  of  the  treasure  in  this  general 
promise  made  to  the  faithful  and  humble  church  of  Philadelphia, 
and,  through  it,  to  all  the  patient  and  sufieriug  followers  of  Christ, 
in  every  church  and  every  age.  Here  have  we,  in  the  baptismal 
formula  of  glory,  the  "  name  of  my  God,"  "  my  own  new  name," 
and  the  name  of  the  Zion  of  the  Holy  Ghost ;  the  truths  attested 
four  times  over  by  "my  God" — the  emphasized  "name  of  my 
God"  the  "name  of  the  city  of  my  God"  and  "my  own  new 
name;"  the  "pillar"  as  stable  as  the  ages;  the  "go  no  more  out" 
from  the  bliss  of  eternity ;  the  citizenship  of  heaven  as  a  glorious 
home;  the  sharing  with  Christ  in  the  enjoyment  of  his  own 
highest  honor,— and  all  these  as  but  dim  shadows  of  the  blissful 
realities. 

15.   THE  CITY   AS  IT   IS   NOW. 

Philadelphia  is  a  city  still ;  and,  for  that  land,  a  city  of  excep- 
tional prosperity.  Though  it  has  stood  for  two  thousand  years, 
it  has  even  yet  a  population  of  over  fifteen  thousand  souls.  Pro- 
tected by  the  hand  of  God,  the  candlestick  of  the  church  has  never 
been  removed  ;  for  it  has  still  five  congregations,  with  their  five 
church  edifices  that  are  used,  and  about  twenty  others  which  have 
fallen  into  decay.  It  and  the  church  of  Smyrna  are  the  only  ones 
against  which  there  is  no  rebuke,  and  that  are  in  a  prosperous  or 
even  living  condition.  As  to  Philadelphia,  this  is  the  more  re- 
markable in  that  it  is  not  sustained  through  the  influence  of  the 
commerce  of  other  lands,  as  is  that  of  Smyrna. 

The  city  still  shows  the  same  peerless  beauty  which  it  did 
eighteen  hundred  years  ago.  There  is  still  the  vast  plain  of 
matchless  fertility  sweeping  out  around  it,  the  little  Cogamus 
brook  dashing  down  over  the  rocks  on  the  hill-side  and  then 
meandering  for  many  a  league  through  fields  and  meadows,  on  to 
the  very  suburbs  of  Sardis;  the  old  Ilermus  flowing  on,  just  as 
it  has  done  without  a  pause  for  century  after  century ;  the  moun- 


THE  CITY  OF  GOD.  411 

tiiin  peaks  of  snow,  with  their  heads  slirouded  in  white,  or 
bathed  in  sunlight,  or  forming  romantic  shadows  under  the  sil- 
very moon ;  the  fragrant  gardens,  or  solemn  olive-groves  sloping 
up  the  mountain  sides,  or  sleeping  around  the  ruined  walls  and 
towers.  Concerning  its  location  one  intelligent  traveler  writes: 
"  The  country,  as  viewed  from  the  hills  behind  the  city,  is  ex- 
ceedingly magnificent;  gardens  and  vineyards  lying  at  the  back 
and  sides  of  the  town,  and  before  it  one  of  the  most  extensive 
and  beautiful  plains  of  Asia.  Across  the  summits  of  the  hill 
behind  the  town,  and  the  small  valleys  between  them,  runs  the 
town  wall,  strengthened  by  circular  and  square  towers,  and  form- 
ing also  an  extensive  and  long  quadrangle  in  the  plain  below." 
Another  who  had  personally  examined  the  place  writes :  "  The 
lower  hills  just  behind  the  city  are  composed  of  the  detritus 
washed  down  from  the  mountains  above,  picturesquely  worn  and 
wooded,  and  form  a  vast  amphitheatre,  from  the  crest  of*  which 
there  is  a  magnificent  view  of  the  town,  with  its  ruined  walls, 
and  here  and  there  a  great  block  of  ancient  masonry  rising  from 
the  midst  of  a  wilderness  of  gardens  and  orchards.  The  country 
around  resembles  a  billowy  sea  suddenly  petrified.  Old  streams 
of  lava,  with  their  surface  decomposed  into  rich  black  soil,  may 
be  traced  in  every  direction,  clad  with  luxuriant  verdure,  here 
and  there  interrupted  by  a  bold  protuberance,  a  dark  basaltic 
dyke  pushed  above  the  lava.  But  in  front  of  the  town  a  fertile 
belt  extends,  about  five  miles  in  width.  In  early  summer  it 
presents  the  appearance  of  a  gorgeous  carpet:  for  the  principal 
product  is  opium,  and  the  poppies,  white,  lilac,  and  purple 
mingled  indiscriminately,  are  in  full  bloom."  The  vast  space 
which  the  city  covers — with  its  three  concentric  walls  nearly 
shattered  into  the  dust,  its  half-hidden  and  half-ruined  old  nar- 
row streets,  its  vast  masses  of  ruined  heaps  here  and  there,  its 
massive  towers  rising  up  in  confusion  in  their  dreary  unsight- 
liness,  and  all  over  the  formless  acres  of  buildings — is  a  very 
wilderness  of  verdant  olive  trees  and  solemn  cypresses.  Such 
is  Philadelphia  when  it  first  meets  your  eye,  as  you  approach 
that  spot  made  sacred  by  the  memory  of  this  first  church  and 
these  first  gospel  days,  by  the  preaching  there  of  John,  and  Paul, 
and  Timothy,  and  by  this  message  of  the  seven,  sent  down  to  it 
directly  from  the  throne  of  the  Glorious  One  who  was  seen  to 
walk  in  the  midst  of  the  golden  candlesticks,  and  to  hold  in  his 
hands  the  keys  of  that  kingdom  which  is  decreed  to  rule  over  all, 
and  to  continue  while  the  world  shall  stand,  and  eternity  endure. 


412  IXAUGUEAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

As  to  the  present  strength  of  this  old  city  and  church,  in 
which  we  cannot  help  feeling  a  more  than  ordinary  interest,  we 
have  tolerably  full  and  accurate  information.  At  the  present 
day  it  has  a  jjopulation  of  about  fifteen  thousand  souls.  Of 
these  about  ten  thousand,  or  two-thirds,  are  Turks,  who  are  the 
dominant  class,  and  the  rest,  or  about  five  thousand,  are  nomi- 
nally Christians,  of  the  Greek  faith.  As  usual,  there  is  a  sprink- 
ling of  Jews,  but  what  proportion  of  the  entire  population  they 
constitute  we  are  not  informed.  As  is  often  the  case  in  these 
Oriental  lands,  most  of  the  money-dealing  is  conducted  by  the 
Armenians,  another  sect  of  the  degenerate  Christians.  They  are 
largely  the  bankers,  the  brokers,  the  money-lenders,  even  the 
merchants  of  the  place.  Even  more  so  than  the  Jews,  they  are 
the  money  kings  of  the  leading  Turkish  communities. 

The  business  of  the  inliabitants,  and  their  modes  of  life,  are 
very  much  the  same  that  they  were  in  the  days  of  these  Apoca- 
lyptic messages.  The  water  of  the  Cogamus  has  still  the  same 
quality  of  producing  superior  dyes.  The  tints  of  the  cottons 
colored  in  them  are  considered  far  superior  to  those  of  any  other 
quarter  of  the  Levant ;  and  many  of  the  Philadelphians  are 
engaged  in  that  industry.  The  volcanic  jilain  and  hill-slopes  are 
still  covered  over  with  terraces  and  vineyards  which  give  em- 
ployment to  multitudes  of  farmers,  mechanics,  and  wine  mer- 
chants. The  production  of  opium — an  industry  unknown  to  the 
ancients — is  now  a  sad  feature  of  the  place.  The  caravan  route 
to  Persia,  passing  through  the  city  and  up  the  river,  gives  to 
it  its  greatest  life  and  activity,  for  it  brings  thousands  of  pass- 
ing strangers,  and  fills  the  streets  with  the  sounds  of  unknown 
tongues. 

These  are  the  leading  articles  of  the  place,  and  its  chief  sources 
of  wealth,  and  even  serve  to  keep  it  in  existence  while  so  many 
other  towns  are  utter  ruins.  It  is  through  them  that  it  has  re- 
mained a  place  of  so  much  importance  during  so  many  changes 
of  the  centuries.  Like  most  Oriental  life,  however,  it  is  subject 
to  so  little  change  as  to  stand  generation  after  generation  an 
abiding  witness  to  the  character  of  past  days.  Indeed,  there  are 
some  things  in  which  there  appears  to  be  scarcely  any  alteration 
for  a  score  of  <?enturies. 

The  religious  condition  of  the  city  at  the  present  time,  though 
so  much  of  it  is  nominally  Christian,  is  deplorable  in  the  ex- 
treme. There  is,  it  is  true,  a  population  of  five  thousand  who 
are  named  Christian,  and  they  have  six  Christian  churches  which 


THE  CITY  OF  GOD.  413 

are  used,  besides  about  a  score  of  ofhers  which  have  fallen  into 
utter  ruin,  having  been  destroyed  by  earthquakes.  Of  these  sacred 
ruins,  a  traveler  tells  us,  one  forms  by  far  the  most  conspicuous 
object  in  the  city — more  conspicuous  than  any  of  the  six  mosques 
that  are  among  the  first  things  which  one  sees  there.  It  was 
undoubtedly  the  old  cathedral,  and  is  still  called  the  Church  of 
the  Holy  Theologian — that  is,  of  the  apostle  John.  Its  massive 
pilasters  tower  high  above  the  modern  buildings,  with  large 
blocks  of  masonry,  but  the  arches  which  sprang  from  them  have 
long  since  been  overthrown.  The  fragments  of  many  ancient 
temples  were  employed  in  its  construction.  The  piers  and  lower 
parts  of  the  wall  are  built  of  stone  and  marble,  while  the  arches, 
of  some  of  which  the  springs  remain,  are  of  brick.  Many  niches 
and  brackets  may  yet  be  seen  in  the  walls,  and  portions  of 
mutilated  inscriptions  remain,  built  into  many  of  the  modern 
churches. 

To  this  old  ruined  cliurch  the  faithful  repaired,  and  there 
they  probably  received  this  message  from  their  Lord ;  and  in  it, 
it  is  more  than  probable,  the  beloved  friend  of  Jesus  often 
uttered  his  tender  appeal,  "Brethren,  love  one  another!"  But 
these  few  Greek  Christians,  infinitely  superior  though  their  faith 
is  to  that  of  the  ten  thousand  Mohammedans  by  whom  they  are 
surrounded — what  are  they  as  the  salt  of  that  whole  corrupting 
mass?  Even  their  bishop  could  not  tell  one  of  our  missionaries 
the  names  of  some  of  the  leading  books  of  the  Bible;  and 
scarcely  one  of  its  twenty  or  thirtj^  priests  could  read  the  Sacred 
Word.  Still  it  is  a  church,  and  has  at  least  the  idea  of  a  Re- 
deemer. The  light  has  not  all  gone  out.  It  is  composed  of  the 
descendants  of  those  by  whom  the  crown  of  glory  was  possessed. 

16.  PLACE  IN  THE  BEACON. 
If  it  be  true  that  every  item  of  cliurch  and  Christian  life,  good 
and  bad,  in  tliese  messages  was  intended  to  be  predictive  of  similar 
forms  or  tendencies  in  the  Church  through  all  succeeding  time,  then 
it  is  certain  that  we  have  a  most  important  admonition  here  as  to 
those  w"ho  would  ever  form  a  large  portion  of  the  professed  fol- 
lowers of  Christ.  The  intention  was  doubtless  to  forewarn  that  there 
would  always  be  many  weak  churches  and  poor  members.  That  this 
would  be  an  abiding  feature  of  the  kingdom  was  intimated  in  a  most 
impressive  manner.  That  humble  churches,  and  humble  individuals 
in  every  church,  were  to  be  a  constituent  element  in  the  economy  of 
Christ's  earthly  administration,  was  here  clearly  revealed.    And  the 


414      INAUGUKAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

importance  thereof  in  the  mitid  of  Christ  is  manifested  in  that  twice 
over  do  the  messages  promise  a  crown  to  the  poor  and  patient  be- 
lievers. Tlie  only  cliurclies  whicli  have  such  ijromise  are  Smyrna 
in  its  poverty,  and  Philadelphia  in  its  little  strength.  These  both, 
and  these  only,  would  be  crowned,  even  here.  Was  this  without 
significance?  was  it  meaningless  that  these  two  poor  churches  were 
followed  by  the  divine  favor  throughout  all  the  generations,  and  that 
even  to  the  present  hour  they  have  a  people  and  a  standing  above  all 
the  others?  and  was  it  without  special  significance  that  tliis  fact 
should  have  such  a  prominent  place  in  this  Beacon  of  the  ages? 
Undoubtedly  this  is  our  Lord's  emphatic  publication  to  all  the 
churches  that  there  would  evermore  be  the  humble  and  patient  suffer- 
ers among  his  people,  and  that  these  would  be  especially -dear  to  him. 

This  patient  endurance  for  his  sake  would  be  carefully  noted  by 
him.  That  humility  and  patience  were  what  would  render  them 
dear  to  him,  what  he  would  write  in  the  book  of  remembrance,  and 
what  would  be  confessed  in  heaven,  before  the  Father  and  before 
his  angels,  to  their  everlasting  honor.  That  they  are  now  small  in 
the  esteem  of  men  is  no  indication  that  they  are  small  in  the  sight 
of  God.  It  is  not  much  to  such  faithful  souls  what  men  may  think 
of  their  humble  sacrifices  for  the  cause  of  Christ,  but  what  God  thinks 
of  them.  What  men  despise  and  persecute  is  often  what  the  all- 
seeing  King  of  glory  holds  in  the  highest  esteem.  How  often  does 
he  who  walks  in  the  midst  of  the  golden  candlesticks  pass  by 
gorgeous  temples,  swelling  organs,  and  glittering  equipages,  for  a 
few  humble  and  obscure  souls  who,  true  to  the  cause  of  their  God, 
assemble  where  they  are  neither  seen  nor  cared  for  by  the  proud  and 
the  great  of  earth  ! 

Moreover,  the  Lord  of  the  Church  proclaims  to  all  the  patiently 
suffering  for  his  sake  not  only  that  his  loving  eye  is  upon  them,  but 
also  that  when  they  shall  be  sorely  pressed  by  evil,  he  will  appear  for 
their  deliverance  in  some  surprising  manner.  Their  api)arent  weak- 
ness and  want  of  influence  will  prove  no  impassable  barrier  in  their 
way,  even  in  their  time  of  greatest  need.  In  that  very  crisis  will  he 
set  before  them  an  open  door— the  door  most  needed.  He  will  open 
some  way  of  escape,  and  it  sliall  be  seen  that  he  is  mighty  and 
prompt  to  deliver.  No  matter  how  weak  is  any  churcli,  how  few 
and  obscure  its  members,  or  how  powerless  the  two  or  three  who 
foru)  its  assemblies,  he  will  be  there  in  the  plenitude  of  his  power. 
The  universal  and  glorious  engagement  he  makes,  and,  in  this 
Beacon,  holds  up,  bright  and  cheering,  to  all  the  faithful,  is  that  he 
will  grant  special  grace  for  special  times  of  need. 


THE  CITY  OF  GOD.  415 

How  grandly  cheering  the  unalterable  promise  that  the  weakest 
and  most  helpless  of  the  seven  churches  are  those  to  which  the  very- 
richest  clusters  of  blessings  are  made  sure!  Philadelphia  and 
Smyrna,  the  poorest  of  all,  are  the  ones  before  which  are  set  the 
richest  rewards.  It  is  not  the  crowd  of  the  half-hearted  which 
have  this  promised  honor;  it  is  to  the  twelve  who  gave  up  all  for 
Christ's  sake  that  the  thrones  are  assured;  to  the  three  hundred 
of  Gideon's  band,  with  their  pitchers  and  lamps,  that  the  victory 
was  given.  "  There  is  no  restraint  to  tlie  Lord  to  save  by  many  or 
by  few,"  and  he  often  chooses  to  give  tliat  honor  to  the  few,  in  order 
that  his  strength  may  be  glorified  by  tlie  weakness  of  men. 

And  all  these  facts  of  the  divine  administration  are  Iiere,  in  the 
Beacon,  raised  up  on  high,  for  the  humbling  of  the  proud  and  for 
the  encouragement  of  the  humble.  This  is  the  portion  which 
Philadelphia  contributes  to  the  light  of  that  Beacon.  How  import- 
ant in  tlie  sight  of  God  does  it  show  this  element  of  church  life — the 
element  of  humble  suffering  and  service — to  be !  It  was  in  substance 
a  proclamation  made  to  all  the  faithful  to  the  end  of  time:  "Ye 
two  or  tlu-ee  faithful  ones,  your  case  is  not  hopeless;  look  at  the 
Beacon  !— There  has  your  Lord  placed  this  great  fact  for  your  cheer 
and  hope!  Little  praying  circle,  be  not  discouraged;  pray  on,  look 
to  the  Beacon  !  Thy  model  is  the  little  band  of  Philadelphia ;  it  is 
the  pledge  of  thy  God— the  rich  cluster  of  promises  in  this  message 
is  all  for  thee.  Ye  only,  of  all  the  churches,  ai'e  of  such  a  name  and 
standing  as  to  claim  their  glorious  fulfiljing." 

This  point  calls  for  very  close  attention  in  these  days  of  such 
deplorable  indifference  to  the  claims  of  God  and  the  soul  and 
eternal  realities.  The  faithful  Christian  returns  from  the  sanctuary 
with  his  heart  sore  because  of  what  he  has  just  witnessed  on  the 
day  and  in  the  place  where  he  had  hoped  to  find  sweet  peace  and 
comfort.  Why  did  he  meet  in  the  streets  so  many  young  men 
whom  he  had  longed  to  find  in  the  house  of  God?  Why  such  a 
mere  handful  of  worshippers  in  the  sacred  place  where  the  divine 
Lord  had  promised  to  meet  his  friends?  Why,  on  the  evening 
of  the  Lord's  day,  the  sanctuary  almost  empty?  Why  do  the 
world  and  the  things  of  the  world— its  excitements,  its  politics,  its 
ftishions,  its  pleasures,  its  amusements,  its  sciences  and  improve- 
ments— fill  up  all  the  thought  and  conversation  and  interests  of 
men  wherever  he  turns  or  meets  them?  And  then,  oh  how  sad 
the  slights  and  insults,  the  cold  neglect  or  positive  hostility  to  the 
kingdom  over  which  his  loving  Jesus  reigns,  whose  blessed  aim 
is  the  redemption  of  our  race,  the  elevation  of  mankind,  and  the 


416       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

happiness  of  the  pure  and  noble  hihabitants  of  the  celestial  world ! 
Is  it  any  wonder  that  the  true  child  of  God  should  feel  crushed 
and  sore  in  heart  at  the  sight  of  these  things,  until  he  hears  the 
cheering  words  of  his  almighty  Friend:  "Fear  not,  little  flock; 
for  it  is  your  Father's  good  jDleasure  to  give  you  the  kingdom." 

To  the  "little  flock"  does  the  loving  Father's  great  heart 
turn,  and  with  a  just  and  devoted  parent's  desire  to  make  happy 
his  weaker  child  does  he  shower  gifts  upon  it,  gifts  of  royalty 
such  as  only  the  King  of  time  and  eternity  knows  how  to  bestow. 
Yea,  a  still  higher  and  grander  consideration  may  properly  ani- 
mate the  soul  of  the  faithful  follower  of  the  heavenly  King:  it 
is  that  the  glory  of  that  King  is  intimately  associated  with  that 
of  his  people.  If  he  triumjDh,  so  shall  they  also  be  victorious  over 
every  foe.  If  he  reigns  in  glory  and  honor  and  immortality,  so 
shall  they  also  reign  with  hiiii  over  all  nations.  Since  the  gates 
of  hell  shall  not  be  able  to  prevail  against  him,  his  people  need 
not  fear  any  power  that  shall  threaten  them.  Rejoice,  ye  children 
of  the  kingdom !  j^e  are  safe ;  for  the  shield  of  Omnipotence  is 
over  you! 


LAODICEA. 


THE    WRETCHED    ONE. 


27 


THE  MESSAGE. 

And  unto  the  angel  of  the  church  of  the  Laodiceaus  write:  These  things 
saith  the  Amen,  the  faithful  and  true  witness,  the  beginning  of  the  creation 
of  God ; 

I  know  thy  works,  that  thou  art  neither  cold  nor  hot :  I  would  thou  wert 
cold  or  hot. 

So  then  because  thou  art  lukewarm,  and  neither  cold  nor  hot,  I  will  spue  thee 
out  of  my  mouth. 

Because  thou  sayest,  I  am  rich,  and  increased  with  goods,  and  have  need  of 
nothing;  and  knowest  not  that  thou  art  wretched,  and  miserable,  and  poor,  and 
blind,  and  naked: 

I  counsel  thee  to  buy  of  me  gold  tried  in  the  fire,  that  thou  mayest  be  rich ; 
and  white  raiment,  that  thou  mayest  be  clothed,  and  that  the  shame  of  thy  naked- 
ness do  not  appear ;  and  anoint  thine  eyes  with  eyesalve,  that  thou  mayest  see. 

As  many  as  I  love,  I  rebuke  and  chasten :  be  zealous  therefore,  and  repent. 

Behold,  I  stand  at  the  door,  and  knock :  if  any  man  hear  my  voice,  and  open 
the  door,  I  will  come  in  to  him,  and  will  Sup  with  him,  and  he  with  me. 

To  him  that  overcometh  will  I  grant  to  sit  with  me  in  my  throne,  even  as  I 
also  overcame,  and  am  set  down  with  m'y  Father  in  his  throne. 

lie  that  hath  an  ear,  let  him  hear  what  the  Spirit  saith  unto  the  churches. 

418 


CHAPTER    XIV. 
THE  WRETCHED  ONE. 

1.    THE   MESSAt^E. 

In  beginning  our  investigation  of  tliis  message  to  tlie  church 
of  Laodicea  we  feel,  not  only  that  we  are  entering  upon  a  new 
field  of  research,  but  also  upon  one  that  is  very  interesting.  The 
city  is  sometimes  called  by  an  old  name,  Ledik,  which  connects 
the  present  ruins  with  the  old  city;  but  the  name  which  is  com- 
monly given  to  it  by  the  Turks  is  that  of  Eski-Hismr,  "  The  Old 
Castle."  Why  this  name  we  cannot  tell.  We  have  met  with  no 
explanation  of  its  origin  or  significance.  It  was  doubtless  given 
by  the  modern  inhabitants  of  the  country  in  memory  of  some 
object  or  event  connected  therewith.  In  the  message  there  are 
two  peculiarities  by  which  it  is  distinguished  from  all  the  others, 
and  which  must  therefore  receive  our  special  consideration. 

One  is  that  there  is  iTi  it  not  one  word  of  approbation.  Not  one 
thing  is  noticed  in  its  praise,  even  by  Him  whose  heart  is  so  full 
of  forbearance  and  tenderness.  What  a  strange  i)re-eininence ! 
What  a  sad  stigma  even  in  the  silence!  How  deep  the  disgrace 
of  that  people  in  the  portraiture  of  whose  Christian  character 
there  is  not  even  one  faint  spot  of  brightness!  And  what  gives 
it  its  saddest  pre-eminence  is  that  in  this  it  stands  alone.  In  the 
records  of  Ephesus  we  read  of  a  "first  love;"  of  Smyrna,  con- 
cerning a  heavenly  riches;  of  Pergamos,  "thou  boldest  fast  my 
name;"  of  Thyatira,  "thy  charity,  and  service,  and  foith,  and 
thy  patience;"  of  Sardis,  "thou  hast  a  few  names;"  and  of  Phil- 
adelphia, "thou  hast  kept  the  word  of  my  patience;"  but  of 
Laodicea  not  one  expression  of  commendation  is  to  be  found. 
"It  was  lukewarm  without  exception,  and  therefore  it  was  wholly 
loathsome."  This  omission  in  such  connection  and  circumstances 
was  dreadful.  No  words  could  have  told  the  story  so  well.  It 
fixed  a  stigma  upon  the  church  of  Laodicea  which  could  never 
be  effaced.  This  brand  impressed  by  God's  own  hand  upon  the 
crime  in  his  sight  of  lukewarmness  was  fearfully  significant.  Did 
it  not  say,  as  if  in  words  engraved  in  eternal  remembrance:  Worse, 

419 


420       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

in  God's  sight,  than  the  backsliding  of  Ephesus;  worse  than  the 
lewdness  of  Pergamos;  worse  than  the  fornication  of  Thyatira; 
worse  than  the  hypocrisy  of  Sardis,  is  this  lukewarmness  of  Lao- 
dicea.  O  Laodicea !  with  all  thy  wealth,  and  culture  and  preten- 
tiousness, what  art  thou,  with  this  Heaven-impressed  brand  upon 
thy  brow ! 

'  The  other  striking  peculiarity  of  the  message  to  this  church 
is  that  there  is  in  it  no  mention  made  of  any  opposers  or  seducers, 
or  foes  of  any  kind,  as  standing  in  the  way  against  it.  Was  this 
the  reason  for  its  deplorable  lukewarmness?  Was  it  because  there 
were  no  opposing  currents  to  fan  up  its  zeal  that  that  zeal  seems 
to  have  utterly  expired?  Was  it  because  there  was  no  goodness 
to  be  found  in  the  place  that  would  excite  opposition?  Certain 
it  is  that  we  have  no  hint  of  any  such  obstacle  as  standing  in  the 
way  of  this  church.  In  this  also  it  had  a  doubtful,  if  not  a  bad 
2)re-eminence.  No  defilers  of  the  truth  as  at  Ephesus;  no  blas- 
pheming Jews  as  at  Smyrna;  no  murderous  persecutors  as  at  Per- 
gamos; no  vile  Jezebel  as  in  Thyatira;  no  synagogue  of  Satan 
as  in  Philadelphia,  were  in  Laodicea  to  oppose  the  cause  of  Christ. 
Wvas  it  because  Satan  found  no  need  to  make  war  upon  that  church  ? 
Or  was  her  settling  down  upon  the  lees  the  result  of  her  having  no 
enemies,  contending  with  whom  would  have  kept  her  life  and  zeal 
at  least  in  some  measure  of  vigor? 

Very  impressively  has  Canon  Tristram  presented  this  deeply 
momentous  thought:  "It  has  been  already  remarked  that  the 
only  two  churches  addressed,  with  reference  to  which  there  is 
no  mention  either  of  foes  without  or  of  traitors  within,  are  just 
those  two  which  were  in  the  most  deplorable  spiritual  condition 
— Sardis  and  Laodicea.  Cold  and  dead,  sunk  in  slumber,  they 
slept  on,  undisturbed  by  heathen  persecution  or  false  Jews.  No 
Nicolaitans  corrupted  their  doctrine,  no  followers  of  Balaam,  no 
seducing  Jezebel  rent  the  church,  and  at  the  same  time  con- 
strained them  earnestly  to  contend  for  the  truth.  It  was  just, 
perhaps,  because  she  had  not  gainsayers  nor  heretics  to  resist 
that  the  cliurch  of  Laodicea  did  not  learn  to  grasp  more  firmly 
and  to  prize  more  highly  the  truths  she  so  coldly  held.  It  was 
not  good  for  them  to  be  without  the  necessity  of  doing  battle 
for  the  truth.  What  is  this  but  the  lesson  which  all  Church  his- 
tory teaches,  that  when  the  Church  has  settled  down  at  ease, 
supreme  apparently  over  all  around,  she  has  lost,  fii-st  her  watch- 
fulness, and  then  her  faithfulness?  The  struggles  of  the  second 
century  prevented  the  Church  from  settling  down  into  a  philo- 


THE  WEETCHED  ONE.  421 

sophical  sect.  The  oft-recurring  heresies  of  the  third  century 
caused  all  doctrine  i^ertaining  to  the  person  and  ofhces  of  our 
blessed  Lord  to  be  so  defined  that  clearness  of  dogma  on  these 
great  points,  and  orthodoxy  were  ever  afterward  inseparable. 
The  dominant  church  of  the  Middle  Ages,  on  the  contrary,  lost 
all  its  life  and  its  love,  and  sank  into  the  dark  sleep  of  death 
so  soon  as  it  had  conquered  the  world,  and  the  history  of  the 
eighteenth  century  in  England  and  Scotland  is  almost  a  repeti- 
tion of  the  same  sad  story." 

This  is  a  point  in  the  message  which  deserves  to  be  very  care-  ] 
fully  pondered.  It  intimates  with  great  distinctness  that  in  our  i 
present  imperfect  state,  opposition  and  persecution  are  needed 
to  bring  out  the  full  graces  of  the  Christian  character ;  while  at 
the  same  time  it  causes  the  depravity  and  evil  tendencies  of  the 
heart  to  appear  in  the  more  glaring  light  that  such  a  people  as 
these  of  Laodicea  should  sink  so  low  in  their  spiritual  state  when 
there  was  no  enemy  to  oppose  their  growth  in  every  grace. 

2.   LOCATION. 

The  usual  route  to  Laodicea  was  up  from  the  coast  through  the 
Meander  valley;  and  that  fact  serves,  so  fiir,  to  fix  the  location 
of  the  city.  As  we  have  already  seen,  this  was  the  southern  one 
of  the  two  great  rivers  which  drained  the  whole  highlands  of  the 
interior;  the  other,  the  Hermus,  falls  into  the  sea  at  Smj-rna, 
and  this,  on  the  south,  at  Miletus,  not  far  from  Ephesus.  The 
valley  through  which  this  river  flows  was  one  of  the  most  cele- 
brated in  all  western  Asia.  Fertile  and  picturesque  in  itself  and 
its  surroundings,  it  was  also  famous  because  of  many  historic  t 
events  with  which  its  name  was  associated.  Among  others, 
several  miles  up  from  its  mouth  lay  the  "Asian  Meadows"  to 
which  the  lines  of  Homer  have  given  a  celebrity  that  has  passed 
into  most  of  the  elegant  languages  of  the  world.  One  hundred 
miles  up  this  river,  following  its  flexuous  course,  amid  its  head- 
waters, was  located  this  great  city. 

Another  thing  that  will  aid  us  in  comprehending  its  location 
is  that  it  was  situated  on  one  of  the  two  great  highways  of  com-  ^ 
merce  from  the  ^gean  Sea  into  the  territory  of  the  interior. 
From  Smyrna  in  the  north  and  Ephesus  in  the  south  there  were 
two  great  lines  over  which  most  of  the  merchandise  through  the 
land  was  carried.  We  can  easily  see  that  the  traffic  up  the 
Meander  valley  must  have  been  immense.  On  the  one  end  of  it 
lay  the  ^Egean  Sea,  with  its  waves  washing  the  shores  of  Greece 


422      INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

and  the  Grecian  Archipelago,  and  its  navigation  touching  nearly 
every  known  port  of  commerce.     This  commerce,  concentrating 
at   the   ports   of  Miletus   and    Ephesus,  would   send    its  greatest 
volume  up  the  valley  to  Laodicea,  and  thence  into  the  upland 
plateau    of  the   interior;    on    still,  to  the  Eujihrates  and  Persia, 
and  still  farther,  to  India.    A  great  Roman  road  had  been  con- 
structed along  the  route,  and  we  can  easily  conceive  how  busy  a 
scene  it  nuist  have  presented,  with  the   wares  of  all  the  Medi- 
terranean ports  carried  in  one  direction,  and  those  from  the  East 
in  the  other.      The   busiest   centre   of  all  that  line  of  highway 
would  be  the  city  of  Laodicea. 
V       It  would  probably  have  been  difficult  to  find  another  site  in 
^  western  Asia  that  had  so  many  natural  advantages.      In  addition 
to  the  one  we  have  already  mentioned,  there  were  many  others 
of  a  purely  local  character.    It  lay  amid  the  head-waters  of  the 
Meander,   where  a  large  number  of  small  streams  flow  together 
and  unite  in  forming  the  large  river.    The  riches  of  that  river's 
valley  naturally  accumulated    in  it.     It   was,  in  fact,  one  great 
\  central  valley  into  which  mountain  slopes  on  every  side  dipped 
I  down    in    the    very    affluence   of  fertility   and    beauty.       It   was 
abundantly    watered,   not    only   by  the    numerous    brooks    which 
poured   down   the    mountain  slopes,   but    also    by  the  multitudes 
of  perennial  springs  that  are  found  over  the  whole  region.     It 
was,  moreover,    a   volcanic   district,  and,  like   all    such  districts, 
it  had  a  rich  fertility.    From  all  these  local  advantages  numerous 
towns  and  villages  surrounded   it  and  the  whole  region  teemed 
With  a  large  and  busy  population. 
I        So  very  important  was  the  city  at  that  time  that  it  was  fre- 
(    quently  noticed    and  referred  to  by  Josephus  and  other   writers 
of  the  age,  and  we  are  therefore  able  to  fix  upon  its  location  and 
surroundings  with  unusual  accuracy.      Its   site  was  at  the  point 
where  the  great  thoroughfare    of  commerce,   having  kept  on  its 
steady  course  for  a  long  distance  up  the  Meander  valley,  begins 
to  penetrate  the  gorges  into  the  mountains  of  the  interior  high- 
lands.     Crossing    it    here    there    is   another    great    thoroughfare 
which,  coming  from  the  north,   and  passing  through   Sardis  and 
Philadelphia,    and    running    southward    past   Cadmus    and    other 
.  mountain  ranges,  keeps  on  its  course  until  it  reaches  the  Paphla- 
gonian  coast.     On  every  side  around  it,  at  some  miles'  distance, 
there  are  great  mountain  ranges  which,  even  among  the  uplands 
of  the  country,  secure  for  it  a  salubrious  temperature  and  pour 
down    upon    it   the    debris   and    M'ater-brooks    which    give   it   a 


THE  WEETCHED  ONE.  423 

climate  so  genial  and  a  soil  so  rich  that  it  is  a  very  earthly 
paradise.  On  the  nortli  and  west  towers  up  the  Messogis  range 
of  mountains,  which  bound  the  whole  landscape  with  their  snow 
summits;  on  the  east,  the  country  rises  into  a  wilderness  of 
ridges;  on  the  south  towers  aloft  Mount  Cadmus,  with  innumer- 
able surrounding  hills,  rising  higher  and  higher;  on  the  west, 
the  Meander  valley  stretches  on  until  the  view  is  closed  in  by 
mountains,  hills,  and  elevated  plateaus.  In  the  heart  of  all  these 
lay  this  city.  In  many  a  valley  and  stretch  of  cultivated  land, 
where  magnificent  oaks  and  other  trees  tower  up  in  sublimity, 
and  mountain  gales  sweep  gently  down,  and  verdure  delights 
the  eye,  and  the  air  breathes  as  if  a  very  ocean  of  perfume,  the 
traveler  feels  a  longing  desire  to  rest  from  his  wanderings  and 
make  that  charming  vale  his  home. 

The  site  of  the  city  is  on  a  little  affluent  called  the  Lycus,  which 
flows  from  the  south-east,  and  enters  the  Meander  a  mile  or  two 
below.  On  this  account  it  was  generally  called  "  Laodicea  on  the 
Lycus,"  to  distinguish  it  from  several  other  cities  of  the  same  name. 
On  this  little  stream  there  is  a  wide  valley,  on  the  southern  extremity 
of  which  lay  the  city  of  Laodicea,  while  face  to  face  with  it  on  the 
north  side,  and  about  six  miles  farther  up,  was  Hierapolis.  These 
two  cities  lay  in  full  view  of  each  other,  on  opposite  sides  of  the 
valley,  and  the  stream  flowed  through  the  middle  of  the  plain  that 
was  between  them. 

How  came  such  a  large  and  important  city  to  be  established  there, 
in  the  heart  of  the  mountains,  only  forty  miles  from  Ephesus,  and 
twenty-five  miles  from  Philadelphia  ?  Among  its  many  advantages, 
placed  in  distinct  view,  were:  (1)  It  was  located  at  the  head  of  the 
Meander  valley,  at  the  point  where  the  great  thoroughfare  of  that 
valley  entered  into  the  high  table-lands  of  the  interior.  (2)  It  lay 
at  the  intersection  of  several  leading  highways  of  the  country; 
among  them  the  one  just  named,  running  east  and  west  from  the 
coast  up  into  the  farthest  interior,  and  another  north  and  south, 
from  the  Olympic  region  of  mountains  to  the  Paphlagonian  coast. 
(3)  It  was  at  the  very  heart  of  a  magnificent  valley  region  which 
was  walled  around  on  every  side  by  vast  mountain  ranges.  (4)  Be- 
cause of  its  location  among  the  head-waters  of  the  great  river,  of  the 
volcanic  influences  which  gave  the  soil  an  incomparable  richness, 
and  of  the  }uany  towns  and  villages  which  lay  around  it,  it  was  one 
of  the  finest  agricultural  and  manufacturing  regions  that  was  then 
known.  (5)  It  was  the  great  money  centre  or  exchange  of  the  whole 
land  at  that  time,  and  had  all  the  advantages  which  would  neces- 


424  INAUGUKAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

sarily  result  therefrom.  (6)  It  was  the  metropolis  of  the  worship  of 
^  Jupiter  ill  all  Asia  Minor ;  on  this  account  it  not  only  bore  a  charac- 
ter of  sanctity  in  itself,  but  it  also  drew  to  it  the  influence  and  the 
business  activity  of  that  famous  worship  and  crowds  of  worshipers. 
(7)  Still  further,  it  was  the  capital  of  Phrygia  at  the  time  when  the 
boundary  of  that  nation  was  such  as  to  include  it  in  its  territory; 
and  so  had  all  the  advantages  of  that  distinction. 

From  all  these  causes  it  resulted  that  Laodicea  was  one  of  the 
greatest  and  most  important  cities  of  the  country,  during  the  period 
when  it  was  at  the  zenith  of  its  glory ;  and  that  was  the  period  of 
these  messages. 

3.  THE  CITY  AT  THAT  TIME. 

A  most  instructive  volume  was  years  ago  written  by  Prof.  Arnold 
Guyot  of  Princeton  College,  entitled  Earth  and  3fan,  whose  object 
it  was  to  show  that  the  physical  features  of  a  country  have  an 
important  influence  in  forming  the  character  of  its  inhabitants. 
The  widest  induction  of  instances  and  the  closest  inspection  make 
this  law  very  evident.  Abundantly  indented  sea-coasts,  mountain 
ranges,  broad  plains  of  low  flat  grounds,  all  have  their  effect  in  form- 
ing the  character  and  fortunes  of  any  people.  The  English,  the 
Swiss,  and  the  Dutch  are  all  illustrations  of  this  great  general  fact. 
Even  special  locations  have  their  influence  upon  special  communi- 
ties.   Laodicea  was  an  instance.    Its  location  was  such  as  to  render 

'  its  inhabitants  enterprising,  rich  and  great.  Its  greatness  made  it 
proud.  Its  pride  in  self  made  it  lukewarm  in  religion.  Its  luke- 
warmness  made  it  wretched.    Grace  would  have  preserved  it  from 

/  that  calamity;  but  worldliness  in  the  people  prevented  grace  from 
bearing  its  heavenly  fruit. 

The  site  of  this  city  was  remarkably  favorable  for  the  develop- 
ment of  enterprise  and  worldly  prosperity.  It  was  located  amid  the 
little  streams  which  united  in  forming  the  river  Meander.  Among 
these,  coming  in  from  the  south-east  was  one  little  affluent  called  the 
Lycus.  About  a  mile  from  where  this  enters  the  river,  on  a  broad 
plain  was  the  site  of  the  renowned  city.  Partly  rising  up  from  the 
Lycus  valley  and  partly  as  a  spur  from  the  mountains  on  the 
south,  there  was  a  cluster  of  five  or  six  small  volcanic  hills ;  over 
these  it  was  spread  out  for  a  considerable  space.  Because  of  a  wild- 
erness of  small  streams  or  brooks  which  flowed  in  from  the  moun- 
tains and  of  innumerable  springs  gushing  out  over  the  whole  region, 
it  had  a  fertility  which  attracted  a  dense  farming  population  to  the 
neighborhood.    Outside  of  this  again,  and  extending  for  many  miles 


THE  WRETCHED  ONE.  425 

in  every  direction,  tliere  were  many  villages,  and  even  small  cities 
of  some  celebrity,  such  as  Colosse,  Hierapolis,  Derbe,  Lystra,  and 
otiiers.   The  whole  region,  in  fact,  swarmed  with  a  dense  population. 

A  striking  peculiarity  of  the  neighborhood  was  the  existence  of 
remarkable  mineral  springs  which  influenced  its  whole  character.  / 
These  springs  were  very  numerous,  resulting  no  doubt   from  the 
mountain  ranges  by  which  the  region  was  surrounded,  and  deriving 
much  of  their  quality  from  the  volcanic  nature  of  the  country. 
These  waters  held  in  solution  an  immense  quantity  of  the  carbonate   I 
of  lime,  which  was  deposited  in  the  form  of  incrustations  on  every-  ( 
thing  with  which  it  came  in  contact.    Conducted  about  the  vineyards 
and  gardens,  the  channels  became  long  fences,  each  as  if  a  single 
stone.    They  were  also  singularly  adapted  for  purposes  of  dyeing—  1 
a  quality  which  was  extensively  used  in  coloring  the  wool  in  which 
the  country  abounded.    Still  another  virtue  of  these  waters  was 
their  invaluable  medicinal  properties.    Like  the  waters  of  Saratoga, 
Aix-les-bains,  and  Baden-baden,  they  were  resorted  to  by  thousands 
for  the  removal  of  many  diseases. 

Among  the  various  products  of  the  vicinity  and  industries  arising 
therefrom  was  that  of  the  raising  of  wool.  The  immense  mountain 
slopes  rising  over  the  whole  land  were  covered  with  flocks  of  sheep, 
and  their  care  was  the  leading  element  of  all  the  farming.  Their 
wool  was  of  the  finest  texture,  so  that,  at  that  time,  it  was  famous 
throughout  the  world.  This  gave  rise  to  large  manufacturing  en- 
terprise and  supplied  a  vast  amount  of  commerce.  Hence  it  arose, 
for  instance,  that  the  carpets  of  Laodicea  were  famed,  not  only  then, 
but  for  centuries  afterwards.  Even  to  the  present  day,  flocks  of 
sheep  on  hills  and  plains  form  one  of  the  most  marked  features  of 
the  landscape. 

Arising  from  the  same  cause,  as  well  as  from  the  quality  of  the    ] 
water  of  the  streams,  was  the  extensive  industry  of  dyeing.    An- 
cient writers  frequently  allude  to  this  characteristic  of  Laodicea, 
and  it  must  have  been  a  very  important  industry  of  the  place. 

Still  another  extensive  employment  of  the  people  was  the  tanning  ■ 
and  coloring  of  leather.  This  is  very  often  spoken  of  by  ancient 
writers.  Indeed,  this  and  the  weaving  of  linen  are  the  chief 
emi)loyment  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  surrounding  country  even  at 
the  present  day.  From  the  innumerable  flocks  of  sheep  would  come 
the  hides,  and  from  the  forests  on  the  mountain  slopes  would  come 
the  bark  which  the  industry  required. 

It  is  probable,  however,  that  the  chief  business  peculiarity  of 
Laodicea  was  that  it  was  the  leading  money  centre  of  the  country. 


426       INAUGUKAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

It  was  the  great  financial  exchange  of  proconsular  Asia.  Extensive 
money  transactions  were  carried  on  by  it  witli  all  the  cities  of  that 
land,  as  well  as  with  many  other  centres  of  trade.  It  lay  at  the 
crossing  of  so  many  routes  of  conniierce  and  near  the  junction  of 
so  many  provinces  that  it  would  necessarily  become  an  important 
point  of  exchange.  Eoads  passing  through  it,  or  starting  from  it, 
extended  into  Phrygia,  Pamphylia,  Cappadocia,  Galatia,  Lydia, 
and  all  the  countries  along  the  sea-coasts,  and  travelers  would  there 
provide  themselves  with  the  money  they  needed  to  carry  with  them 
in  any  direction.  A  curious  glimpse  of  this  we  obtain  in  a  letter  of 
Cicero,  wherein  lie  states  that  on  the  way  home  from  the  province 
of  which  he  was  the  governor,  he  had  to  stop  at  Laodicea  in  order  to 
take  up  money  to  defray  the  expense  of  the  rest  of  his  journey. 

It  was,  in  fact,  the  greatest  commercial  emporium  in  the  whole 
of  Asia  Minor.  Its  own  manufactures  gave  rise  to  an  immense 
traffic  with  the  surrounding  country.  The  sheep-raising  and  man- 
ufactures of  wool,  the  extensive  dyeing  establishments,  the  tanneries 
all  over  the  region,  as  well  as  the  exporting  and  importing  from 
east,  west,  north,  and  south,  necessarily  gave  rise  to  a  busy  trade  at 
home.  Its  peculiar  location  on  the  great  highways  of  traftlc 
occasioned  great  business  activity.  Add  to  all  this  its  pre-eminence 
as  a  money  exchange,  and  we  may  well  understand  why  Laodicea 
was  a  vast  mercantile  emporium,  and  very  rich. 

Though  the  place  it  once  occujiied  is  now  a  scene  of  utter  ruin 
and  waste,  in  the  days  of  its  prosperity  it  must  have  been  splendid 
in  its  magnificent  buildings.  Spread  out  over  a  wide  space  and 
covering  a  number  of  low  hills  or  elevations  it  must  have  been 
beautiful  beyond  compare,  with  each  of  its  eminences  crowned  by 
some  splendid  edifice.  Here  are  still  to  be  seen  the  ruins  of  a 
magnificent  musical  theatre;  here  tlie  jasper  pillars  of  some  structure 
the  very  name  of  which  has  perished;  and  here  the  stupendous 
remnants  of  an  amphitheatre  that  must  have  been  spacious  enough 
to  contain  thirty  thousand  spectators.  It  was  strangely  significant 
that  this  immense  structure  for  bloody  and  inhuman  shows  was 
going  up  at  the  very  time  when  the  temple  of  Jerusalem  was  being 
destroyed  by  sacrilegious  hands,  and  that  it  was  new  and  beautiful 
and  thronged  by  crowds  at  the  very  crisis  when  these  seven 
messages  were  sent  down  to  the  churches  from  the  heavenly  throne. 
The  very  hands  that  tore  down  the  temple  of  the  living  God  were 
the  hands  that  erected  tlie  blood-stained  structure  the  broken  frag- 
ments of  which  we  may  trace  at  the  present  day ! 

One  inscription  remains  on  the  ground  to  tell  us  this  strange 


THE   WRETCHED  ONE.  427 

story.  Its  words  are  still  legible;  and  their  substance  is  that  it 
was  twelve  years  in  building,  and  that  it  was  erected  under  the 
patronage  successively  of  Titus,  Vespasian,  and  Trajan.  This 
coupling  together  of  these  names  on  such  an  edifice  leaves  a 
strange  impression.  It  led  the  Christian  traveler,  Arundell,  to 
write:  "What  painful  recollections  are  connected  with  this 
period !  Twelve  years  were  employed  in  building  this  place  of 
savage  exhibitions,  and  in  the  first  of  these  years  the  temple  of 
Jerusalem,  which  had  been  forty-eight  j^ears  in  building,  was 
razed  to  its  foundations,  and  of  the  Holy  City  "  not  one  stone 
was  left  upon  another,  which  was  not  thrown  down."  Tliis 
"  abomination  of  desolation  "  was  accomplished  by  the  very  Titus 
to  whom  this  amphitheatre  was  dedicated,  and  may  have  been — 
probably  was — in  lionor  of  his  triumph  over  the  once  favored 
people  of  God.  Most  likely  in  this  very  amphitheatre  the  fol- 
lowers of  a  crucified  Redeemer  were,  a  few  years  afterwards, 
exposed  to  the  fury  of  wild  beasts,  by  the  order  of  the  same 
Trajan. 

This  city  was  eminently  rich  and  proud,  as  is  intimated  by  the 
whole  tenor  of  the  message  addressed  to  it.  As  such  it  was  cele- 
brated by  all  heathen  writers.  In  Roman  times  it  was  one  of 
the  most  distinguished  cities  of  the  land.  "  Many  of  its  sons 
became  merchant  princes  and  lavished  vast  sums  in  the  decora- 
tion of  their  native  city.  Strabo  tells  us  of  one  merchant, 
Hieron,  who  adorned  the  city  with  many  splendid  buildings, 
and  bequeathed  at  death  the  enormous  sum  of  fifty  millions  of 
dollars  to  be  applied  to  public  purposes  at  Laodicea.  The  orator 
Zeno  and  the  rhetorician  Polemon,  both  of  them  natives  of  this 
city  in  the  Roman  times,  were  also  conspicuous  among  its  bene- 
factors. Along  with  wealth  there  had  evidently  grown  up  a 
taste  for  arts,  science,  and  literature.  There  was  also  a  great 
medical  school  here,  distinguished  by  the  names  of  some  of  the 
most  eminent  successors  of  Galen.  Some  of  the  existing  ruins 
have  been  supposed  to  be  the  porticos  of  these  philosophers. 

In  material  greatness  the  city  was  pre-eminent,  but  its  moral 
condition  was  wretched.  Its  crowning  sin  was  utter  forgetful- 
ness  of  God.  From  this,  even  in  its  Christian  church,  there 
flowed  the  inevitable  result  of  a  worldliness  that  was  ruinous  to 
souls.  Pride,  self-conceit,  and  all  their  apostate  train  followed. 
The  numerous  and  splendid  ruins,  found  even  at  the  present  day, 
attest  the  brutality  of  the  amusements  to  which  the  inhabitants 
were  addicted  even  amidst  their  ostentatious  elegance.     Plere  it 


428       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

was,  ainicl  its  glittering  temples,  that  the  beautiful  temptress, 
Cleopatra,  came  to  meet  and  j)ropitiate  Antony,  and  by  her 
seductive  charms  conquered  the  conqueror.  Here  it  was  that,  on 
a  cross,  the  disciple  Philip  received  the  crown  of  martyrdom. 

4.   HISTORY. 

Concerning  the  earliest  history  of  Laodicea,  Canon  Tristram 
has  given  this  account:  "The  roll  of  its  olden  histoiy  is  a  long 
one,  extending  from  the  establishment  of  the  Greek  empire  to 
that  of  the  Turkish,  Pliny  has  given  us  its  early  traditions. 
They  are  not  vague  or  mythic  like  those  of  Sardis.  Trade,  busi- 
ness, material  prosperity,  and  luxury— not  splendor,  fame,  or 
art— seem  from  the  first  to  have  been  the  pursuit  of  the  Laodi- 
ceans.  Pliny  gives  us  its  early  history  as  known  in  his  day. 
The  Ionian  Greeks,  its  probable  founders,  named  it  Diospolis, 
"the  City  of  Jupiter,"  which  was  afterwards  changed  for  the 
name  of  Rhoas,  under  which  appellation  it  became  the  largest 
city  of  Phrygia.  It  suffered  greatly  during  the  wars  of  the  suc- 
cessors of  Alexander.  At  length  Antiochus  II.  rebuilt  it,  and 
gave  it  the  name  of  his  wife,  Laodice,  whom  he  afterwards  heart- 
lessly divorced  for  the  sake  of  a  matrimonial  and  political  con- 
nection with  Ptolemy,  king  of  Egypt."  Two  years  afterwards 
this  second  union  was  dissolved,  and  that  very  Laodice  for  whom 
he  showed  his  strong  affection  by  giving  her  name  to  this  great 
city,  managed  to  effect  her  revenge  by  giving  him  the  cup  of 
deadly  poison  by  wiiich  liis  wicked  career  was  closed. 

One  hundred  and  seventeen  years  after  its  founding,  or  refound- 
ing,  by  Antiochus,  or  in  b.  c.  138,  it  was  annexed  to  the  Roman 
empire,  and  grew  to  be  one  of  the  most  populous,  wealthy,  and 
splendid  cities  of  Asia  Minor.  It  suffered  very  greatly  during 
the  Mithridatic  wars;  for,  being  in  the  battle-ground  region  be- 
tween the  Roman  and  Persian  powers,  it  was  frequently  exposed 
to  the  unparalleled  cruelties  of  those  horrible  scenes. 

In  A.  i>.  G2  the  city  was  fearfully  devastated  by  an  eartliquake 
— tlie  curse  of  that  whole  country — wliich  liurled  to  the  ground 
a  large  part  of  its  most  splendid  structui-es ;  and  yet,  so  vast  was 
tlie  wealth  of  the  place,  that  its  inhabitants,  without  any  aid  from 
the  dominating  Romans,  soon  rebuilt  it  in  more  than  its  former 
splendor.  During  those  years  of  its  connection  with  Rome,  the 
city  was  at  the  heiglit  of  its  greatness,  and  was,  in  fact,  one  of 
the  most  splendid  cities  of  that  country  or  age. 

This  message  from  heaven,  in  the  year  !)G,  with  its  awful  warn- 


THE  WRETCHED  ONE.  429 

ings  and  glorious  i^romises,  as  well  as  keen  rebukes  and  affec- 
tionate appeals,  was  probably  heeded  by  the  church ;  for  after- 
ward, even  for  centuries,  we  read  of  its  holding  a  foremost  place 
in  the  establishing  of  Christianity  throughout  the  empire.  It 
even  grew  to  be  a  chief  leader  in  the  work  of  the  kingdom  dur- 
ing that  age.  At  least  sixteen  other  churches  were  known  to 
have  sprung  from  it,  and  to  have  long  and  happily  flourished. 
So  important  did  it  become  that  several  general  councils  of  the 
whole  Church  were  held  there,  and  some  of  them  have  borne 
its  name  in  all  succeeding  history. 

After  the  city,  with  all  the  rest  of  Asia  Minor,  had  fallen  under 
the  dominion  of  the  Turk,  it  shared  the  sad  downward  fate  of  all 
other  places  where  that  ruinous  power  prevailed.  An  outline  of 
its  mournful  decline  and  fall  may  be  briefly  given.  "The  city," 
says  Dr.  Chandler,  "it  is  probable,  became  early  a  scene  of  ruins. 
About  the  year  1097  it  was  possessed  by  the  Turks,  and  submitted 
to  Ducas,  general  of  the  emperor  Alexius.  In  1120  the  Turks  sacked 
some  of  the  cities  of  Phrygia,  but  were  defeated  by  the  emperor 
John  Comnenus,  who  took  Laodicea,  and  built  anew  or  repaired 
the  walls.  About  1161  it  was  again  unfortified.  Many  of  the 
inhabitants  were  then  killed,  with  their  bishop,  or  carried  into 
captivity  with  their  cattle,  by  the  Turks.  In  1190  the  German 
emperor,  Frederic  Barbarossa,  going  by  Laodicea  with  his  army, 
toward  Syria,  on  a  crusade,  was  received  so  kindly,  that  he  prayed 
on  his  knees  for  the  prosperity  of  the  people.  In  1196  this  region, 
with  Caria,  was  dreadfully  ravaged  by  the  Turks.  With  tlie 
decline  and  ultimate  ruin  of  the  city,  the  church  also  passed  away 
from  the  pages  of  history."  Says  Lightfoot:  "At  length  the  very 
name  of  this  primitive  apostolic  church  passes  wholly  out  of  sight. 
The  Turkish  conquest  pressed  with  more  than  common  severity  on 
these  districts.  When  the  day  of  visitation  came,  the  church  was 
taken  by  surprise.  The  long  impending  doom  overtook  her,  and 
the  golden  candlestick  was  removed  for  ever  from  the  'eternal 
presence." 

The  church  and  city  of  Laodicea  must  for  ever  hold  a  prominent 
place  in  the  hearts  of  all  true  believers  because  of  three  memorable 
things  in  the  Church  of  God  which  are  inseparably  associated  with 
them : 

(1)  This  was  the  place  from  which  the  apostle  Paul  sent  his  first 
well-known  epistle  to  Timothy,  his  beloved  son  in  the  faith.  This 
we  have  asserted  in  the  subscription  to  that  epistle:  "The  first  to 
Timothy  was  written  from  Laodicea,  which  is  the  chiefest  city  of 


sj 


430       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

Phrygia  Pacatiana."    This  is  a  trace  of  one  of  the  footsteps  of  the 
great  apostle  which  the  church  must  hold  as  very  precious. 

(2)  Here  it  was  that  the  council  was  held  which  gaVe  the  earliest 
conciliar  decision  on  the  canonical  books,  giving  the  list  of  the  Old 
and  New  Testaments  substantially  as  it  has  been  ever  since.  In  the 
year  363,  by  the  sixtieth  canon  of  the  Council  of  Laodicea,  that  list 
of  the  boolvs  was  definitely  given.  It  w^as  just  as  we  have  it  now, 
except  that  the  Apocalypse  was  not  included,  about  which  there 

/  was  some  local  controversy;  ^'- and  all  the  books  were  ordered  to  be 
public! J/  read  in  the  churches ^ 

(3)  Another  very  important  canon  of  the  Council  of  Laodicea 
w^as  that  which  officially  defined  and  authoritatively  established 

^  the  Lord^s  day  as  the  holy  day  of  rest  and  worship.  Its  formal 
enactment  was  in  these  words:  '■'■Christians  shoidd  not  judaize  or 
rest  from  labor  on  the  seventh  day^  but  ivorlc  on  it  as  usual.    But  on 

•4  the  Lord^s  day  they  are  to  rest  from  labor,  as  far  as  jwssible,  like 
Christians.''^  These  words  are  very  important  as  proving  the 
doctrine  and  practice  of  the  early  Church ;  nor  less  so  are  the 
comments  of  the  Christian  writers  of  that  age,  who  observe  that 
the  exceptions  are  special  cases,  such  as  fighting  to  preserve  men's 
lives  against  an  enemy,  toiling  at  the  helm  and  oar  to  escape  a 
storm,  traveling  to  church  for  the  worship  of  God,  dressing  food 
for  a  man  laboring  to  save  the  life  of  man  and  beast — or  the  like. 
No  word  hereof  ''^needed  recreations  or  amusements'''' — all  of  which 
are  strictly  prohibited.  How  must  this  appear  to  those  of  the 
present  day  who  look  with  such  an  invidious  eye  upon  our  hal- 
lowed day — a  great  bulwark  of  our  faith?  This  w'as  over  fifteen 
hundred  years  ago,  and  yet  how  sad  it  is  that  men  would  take 
away  from  us  this  venerable  and  priceless  legacy  of  our  Lord  and 
his  earliest  followers!  These  words  of  its  enactment  are  invalu- 
able as  showing  that  the  godly  men  who  lived  so  near  to  the 
fountain-head  of  the  Church's  history  had  no  thought  of  triturat- 
ing aw'ay  all  that  was  most  j^recious  in  God's  holy  day. 

5.  DEITY    OF   THE    CITY. 

As  with  all  the  others,  this  city  of  Laodicea  had  its  special  deity 
for  whom  and  his  worship  it  was  famed.  That  deity  was  Jupiter, 
king  of  all  the  gods  and  worshiped  under  various  titles  in  most 
pagan  lands.  How  much  the  idolatry  of  this  the  chief  of  the  pagan 
deities  had  to  do  with  giving  celebrity  and  importance  to  this  city 
we  have  no  means  of  knowing,  but  doubtless  it  had  very  consider- 
able.   This  connection  of  Laodicea  with  the  cultus  of  Jupiter  must 


THE  WEETCHED  ONE.  431 

have  been  very  ancient,  inasmuch  as  its  original  name  was  Diospolis, 
or  the  City  of  Jupiter,  afterwards  changed  to  that  of  Rhoas,  the 
fabled  mother  of  all  the  gods;  and  afterward,  when  it  was  known 
as  Laodicea,  it  was  still  the  seat  of  the  same  original  worship. 

At  the  same  time  that  the  city  was  the  metropolis  of  Jupiter's 
worship,  there  can  scarcely  be  a  question  that  the  whole  surrounding 
country  had  the  same  object  of  idolatrous  service.  The  same 
tutelary  deity  would  have  his  temples  and  priests  and  followers  in 
every  city  and  town  throughout  the  adjoining  region.  AVe  have  a 
singular  corroboration  of  this,  as  well  as  a  remarkable  confirmation 
of  Scripture,  in  a  well-known  incident  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles, 
14  :  13.  In  the  progress  of  a  missionary  tour,  Paul  and  Barnabas 
had  reached  Iconium,  in  the  region  of  this  city;  and  in  conse- 
quence of  a  great  miracle  which  they  had  wrought,  the  fickle 
mob  jumped  at  the  conclusion  that  they  were  gods,  and  "Then 
the  priest  of  Jupiter  which  was  before  the  city,  brought  oxen  and 
garlands  unto  the  gates,  and  would  have  done  sacrifice  with  the 
people."  Hence  Jupiter  of  Laodicea  was  also  the  deity  of  Iconium 
of  the  same  region.  This  is  a  fact  the  significance  of  which  it  is 
scarcely  possible  for  us  to  mistake. 

This  fact  of  Laodicea  being  the  metropolis  of  Jupiter,  the 
chief  of  all  the  heathen  deities,  must  necessarily  have  had  an 
influence  upon  its  daily  life  and  character.  This  we  would 
naturally  expect,  and  this  doubtless  was  the  case  to  some  extent; 
and  yet  we  do  not  find  much  about  it  on  record.  We  search  in 
vain  both  in  history  and  traditions  for  some  corresponding  de- 
scriptions of  the  grandeur  of  Jupiter's  worship  there.  "We  read 
nothing  of  a  celebrated  temple,  of  the  gathering  of  great  crowds 
of  devotees  from  the  surrounding  country,  as  we  do  in  connection} 
with  the  worship  of  Diana  at  Ephesus,  or  of  Cybele  at  Sardis. 
There  seems  to  have  been  no  enthusiasm,  no  excited  interest 
among  the  people  of  Laodicea,  even  in  the  worship  of  what  was 
the  leading  deity  of  all  heathenism. 

Can  we  help  the  impression  that  they  were  too  much  engrossed 
in  the  making  of  money  to  be  even  good  idolaters?  And  then, 
how  fully  does  this  accord  with  the  character  of  its  church  as 
revealed  in  these  messages!  Its  members  had  become  utterly 
indifferent  to  the  things  of  eternity  through  the  absorbing  pressure 
of  the  things  of  the  present  day.  The  church  had  no  persecutions 
or  opposition  of  any  kind,  because  neither  pagans  nor  Christians 
were  interested  enough  about  spiritual  things  to  give  them  that 
earnest  heed  that  would  raise  up  either  persecutors  or  persecuted. 


432       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

Worldly,  wealthy,  money-making  Laoclicea!  thy  care  for  gaining 

riches  had  crushed  out  all  time  and  thought    for  religion  of  any 

kind! 

6.   PLANTING  OF  THE  CHUECH. 

Concerning  the  beginnings  of  this  church  of  Laodicea  we 
have  information  that  is  fuller  and  that  rests  upon  stronger  prob- 
ability than  we  have  of  any  of  the  other  churches  save  Ephesus. 
In  the  first  place,  we  learn  from  reliable  authorities  that  the 
money  exchange  and  commerce  of  the  place  had  attracted  thither 
a  large  Jewish  community;  and,  as  usual,  the  gospel  at  first 
made  its  most  rapid  advances  among  them,  because  their  knowl- 
edge of  the  true  God  had  in  some  measure  made  them  ready  for 
its  reception. 

Then,  it  is  all  but  certain  that  Paul,  the  greatest  of  mis- 
sionaries, preached  Christ  there  at  first,  and  that  with  great 
power  and  success.  In  fact,  there  is  scarcely  a  question  that  he 
was  the  honored  man  by  whom  the  gospel  was  first  planted 
there.  The  churches  of  Laodicea,  Hierapolis,  and  Colosse,  all 
situated  in  the  region  of  the  head-waters  of  the  river  Meander, 
were  in  the  track  of  his  missionary  tours  on  various  occasions, 
and  he  must  have  preached  in  them  all,  as  we  have  positive 
information  that  he  did  in  some  of  them.  "  We  find  that,  '  After 
he  had  spent  some  time  there  (at  Antioch,  in  the  neighborhood) 
he  departed  and  went  over  all  the  country  of  Galatia  and 
Phrygia  in  order' — a  statement  which  intimates  that  he  made  a 
regular  tour  through  both  districts.  Though  the  historian  here 
devotes  only  a  single  verse  to  his  notice  of  this  journey,  it  is 
obvious  from  his  manner  that  it  was  not  a  hasty  one,  but 
occupied  the  apostle's  time  and  labor  for  a  considerable  period. 
Macknight  says  that  Paul,  in  his  travels,  appears  to  have  gone 
directly  to  the  chief  cities  in  every  country  where  he  proposed  to 
introduce  the  gospel.  '  The  policy  and  advantages  of  this  plan 
are  manifest;  for  in  the  great  towns  he  would  have  an  oppor- 
tunity of  making  known  his  doctrines  to  multitudes  at  once, 
thus  most  rapidly  effecting  the  diff"usion  of  Christianity.'  Two 
other  journeys  of  Paul  are  noticed  in  the  book  of  Acts  in  which 
he  must  have  passed  in  the  neighborhood  of  Laodicea;  for  he 
traversed  Pisidia  and  Pamphylia,  the  adjoining  provinces  of 
Phrygia,  and  within  a  day's  journey  of  the  Apocalyptic  city: 
'And  after  they  (Paul  and  Barnabas)  had  passed  through  Pisidia 
they  came  to  Pamphylia.'  " 

It  is  certain,  moreover,  that  in  his  writings  he  had  a  peculiar 


THE  WRETCHED  ONE.  433 

interest  and  tenderness  towards  that  people,  as  if  arising  from 
such  peculiar  relations  in  the  past.  In  one  place  we  find  him 
writing  to  the  neighboring  church  of  Colosse:  "When  this  epistle 
is  read  among  you,  cause  that  it  be  read  also  in  the  church  of 
the  Laodiceans ;  and  that  ye  likewise  read  the  epistle  from 
Laodicea.  As  to  the  ej^istle  to  which  he  here  alludes,  it  most 
likely  was  some  letter  which  he  had  sent  them,  but  which  has 
not  been  placed  in  the  canon  of  Scripture.  It  appears  also  that 
this  church  had  been  drawn  very  near  to  his  heart  by  some  great 
trial  or  persecution  which  he  had  passed  through  for  it,  or  while 
preaching  the  gospel  there.  To  this  he  also  refers  in  his  epistle 
to  the  Colossians:  "For  I  would  that  ye  know  what  great  con- 
flict I  have  for  you,  and  for  them  at  Laodicea,  and  for  as  many 
as  have  not  seen  my  face  in  the  flesh."  From  all  this  we  can 
scarcely  entertain  a  question  but  that  the  great  apostle  had  at 
least  a  most  active  hand  in  establishing  this  important  church  of 
Laodicea. 

There  is  also  a  tradition  that  the  apostle  Bartholomew  labored 
diligently  in  planting   the   gospel    liere   and   in  tlic  surrounding 
country.      Moreover,  it  is  believed  that  the  apostle  Philip  became  \ 
such  an  eminent  instrument  in  the  same  work  as  to  call  down  : 
upon  himself  the  wrath  of  the   persecutors,  by  whom,  like  his 
blessed  Lord,  he  was   put   to   death  on  the   cross.      A  tradition 
which  is  more  than  merely  jjrobable  gives  us  still  another  cause 
which    contributed    considerably   to    the    rapid    growth    of    this 
church  at  the  beginning.    It  is  known  that  in  the  year  a.d.  63  a  , 
dreadful  earthquake  sent  terror  and  ruin  through  Laodicea  and 
the  adjacent  country ;  and  the  account  is  that  the  imju-ession  of 
this  fearful  visitation  was  such  as  to  impel  multitudes  to  flee  to  \ 
the  God  of  the  Christians  for  refuge  from  both  the  temporal  and 
eternal  ruin.     A  very  wide  and  lasting  tradition  affirms  this  fact, 
and  there  is  every  likelihood  that  it  was  not  without  foundation. 
All  these  things  conspiring— the  large  Jewish  colony  in  the  city, 
the  preaching   there  of  Paul    and  other  apostolic  men,  and  the  , 
solemnizing   impression  of  the   earthquake-shock— we   can  easily  \ 
see  why  it  was  that  the  church  became  very  soon  so  strong  and  J 
influential. 

7.   TITLE  OF  THE   SOX   OF  MAN. 

The  title  which,  in  this  message,  is  given  to  the  Lord  of  the 
churches,  consists  of  three  elements,  each  of  which  is  new  to  us 
and  marvelously  appropriate  here.    The  words  conveying  it  are: 

28 


434  IN  AUG  UK  AL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING.    ' 

"  These  tilings  saith  the  Amen,  the  faithful  and  true  icitness,  the 
beginning  of  the  creation  of  God.''^  What,  in  the  glorified  Lord, 
does  each  of  these  indicate?  why  are  all  the  three  used?  and 
what  do  they  imply  in  their  application  to  this  particular  church? 

"  The  Amen.''^  This  is  an  important  term  which  is  used  in  both 
Old  and  New  Testaments  to  express  a  certain  class  of  general  but 
kindred  ideas.  Its  essential  purport  is  to  signify  that  which  is 
true,  real,  stable,  decided,  positive,  and  earnest.  It  is  a  declara- 
tion of  certainty,  an  assertion  of  that  which  is  confirmed,  an 
affirmation  of  what  is  real  and  substantial.  Christ  is  the  embodi- 
ment, the  personification  of  the  truth.  He  is  the  veritable  Amen. 
"All  the  promises  of  God  in  him  are  yea,  and  in  him  amen,  unto 
the  glory  of  God  by  us."  He  is  expressly  called  the  Amen  in  the 
Old  Testament  as  well  as  here,  near  to  the  close  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment. '■'■  EIohim-Amen''''  the  Lord-Amen,  is  the  title  which  is  given 
to  him  in  the  projihecy  of  Isaiah.  It  is  abundantly  evident,  then, 
that  he  is  not  only  true,  but  the  truth  itself.  He  is  the  reality  of 
all  that  is  established,  positive,  substantial,  immovable.  He  is  the 
sure  foundation  of  all  that  is  reliable  in  the  whole  universe. 

From  all  this  it  may  be  easily  gathered  why  this  peculiar  epithet 
is  applied  to  the  Son  of  man  in  the  message  to  the  church  of  Lao- 
dicea.  It  is  clearly  intended  to  place  this  his  glorious  attribute  in 
contradistinction  to  the  wretched  character  of  that  people.  He 
was  true,  real,  earnest;  while  they  were  insincere,  indifferent, 
fickle,  false,  and  unreliable.  In  their  insincerity  and  levity  their 
condition  was  deplorable,  inasmuch  as  they  had  to  do  with  Him 
who  was  all  real  and  would  not  be  trifled  with.  They  had  every- 
thing to  alarm  them  in  that  his  whole  nature  was  the  very  opposite 
of  theirs.  They  dare  not  entertain  the  faintest  shadow  of  a  hope 
that  he  would  condone  their  indifference  to  all  that  was  true  and 
solemn  in  their  relations  to  him  who  had  every  righteous  claim 
upon  their  entire  being. 

As  the  Amen,  both  his  threatenings  and  his  promises  are  as 
certain  as  if  they  had  already  been  fulfilled.  It  would  be  con- 
trary to  his  whole  nature  to  deceive  or  mislead  in  the  smallest 
measure.  What  he  engages  cannot  fail  of  entire  fulfillment. 
Neither  want  of  perfect  veracity,  nor  ignorance  of  every  possi- 
ble contingency,  nor  defect  in  power  to  carry  out  his  fixed  pur- 
pose, nor  changeableness  in  his  character,  can  cause  any  coming 
short  in  that  which  he  has  engaged  to  perform. 

"  The  Faithful  and  True  Wifnes.t.'*^  The  Son  of  man  is  per- 
fectly qualified  to    bear  witness  of   what  was  the  real   character 


THE  WRETCHED  ONE.  435 

and  condition  of  the  church,  of  the  estimation  in  which  ahe 
was  held  by  lier  divine  Lord,  and  of  the  consequences  wliicli 
would  assuredly  follow — witness  of  all  that,  in  heaven  or  earth, 
was  of  interest  to  the  Church,  in  the  past,  at  that  time,  or  for 
evermore.  As  the  Amen,  the  Truth,  all  that  he  asserts*  may 
be  received  with  the  utmost  confidence:  as  the  qualified  Witness, 
all  his  declarations  are  according  to  the  exact  facts.  He  is  the 
witness  concerning  God  to  all  who  profess  to  believe;  and,  con- 
sequently,  what  he  addresses  to  the  lukewarm  church  of  Laodicea 
may  be  received  as  the  established  and  solemn  truth. 

In  saying  of  him  that  he  is  a  faithful  and  competent  witness 
there  are  three  qualifications  included.  JFirsf,  being  eternal  and 
divine,  and  having  had  his  dwelling-place  ii\  heaven  for  ever- 
more, he  has  with  his  own  eyes  seen  that  whereof  he  testifies. 
Of  him  especially  it  may  be  asserted:  "He  speaks  what  he  knows, 
and  testifies  what  he  has  seen."  Second,  as  a  perfect  witness  he 
is  competent  to  relate  all  that  he  has  seen  and  known.  Every 
perfection  is  in  him,  and  every  power  is  in  his  prerogative.  Third, 
he  is  willing  and  ready  truthfully  to  declare  all  that  whicli  he  knew 
so  well.  Love  of  truth  and  benevolence  toward  his  people  would 
ever  lead  him  to  impart  all  that  would  be  for  their  highest  welfare. 
The  Son  of  man  has  all  these  attributes,  and  he  is  therefore  the 
true,  the  competent  witness  to  warm,  instruct,  and  aid  his  luke- 
warm followers. 

But  he  was  also  the  faithful  witness.  He  could  and  would 
declare  the  truth  and  nothing  but  the  truth.  He  was  the  Amen, 
and  all  his  utterances  were  final.  He  neitlier  could  nor  would 
make  any  mistake.  All  his  utterances  would  be  the  absolute 
reality.  Moreover,  they  would  be  so  perfect  as  to  convey  all  that 
any  case  could  possibly  require.  The  members  of  the  church  of 
Laodicea  might  trust  their  all  upon  the  words  they  should  hear 
from  his  unerring  lips.  He  is  the  one,  great,  glorious,  ordained 
witness  for  all  creatures  in  heaven  and  in  earth.  He  is  the  one 
witness,  and  the  only  one,  both  ordained  and  competent  to  stand 
between  God  and  man,  and  bear  that  sublime  testimony  on  which 
the  weal  of  the  universe  depends.  The  church  of  Laodicea  should 
therefore  give  heed  to  his  warning  words.  They  were  true,  and 
they  were  infinitely  important.  They  could  not  fail.  Their  all, 
both  for  this  world  and  for  the  world  to  come,  depended  on 
their  heeding  his  most  earnest  admonition. 

"  The  Beginning  of  the  Creation  of  God.''''  The  whole  of  the 
interpretation  of  this  part  of  the  title  of  the  Son  of  man  depends 


436       INAUGUEAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

upon  our  ascertaining  the  riglit  meaning  of  the  word  "beginning," 
We  must  liave  a  distinct  and  correct  understanding  of  this,  or 
we  shall  have  a  very  vague  and  inadequate  idea  of  the  point. 

There  are  several  opinions  as  to  the  import  of  the  word  as 
used 'here,  each  of  which  must  give  its  own  character  to  the 
meaning  of  the  passage,  and  every  one  of  which  must  be  wrong 
that  does  not  harmonize  with  the  other  elements  of  the  title. 
Among  such  interpretations  is  that  which  would  make  the 
expression  to  signify  the  beginning  or  first  one  of  created  beings — 
the  first  one  created — merely.  But  evidently  this  is  contrary  to 
the  whole  scope  of  other  scriptures,  especially  in  this  book  of 
Revelation,  in  which  Christ  is  constantly  spoken  of  as  the  Creator, 
and  not  as  a  creature;  and  Lord— not  as  the  beginning,  but  as  the 
Beginner  of  all  things.  We  have  many  passages  which  make 
this  very  plain.  Among  them  we  may  cite,  in  the  Apocalypse: 
"  I  am  Alpha  and  Omega,  the  beginning  and  the  end,  the  first 
and  the  last."  Also,  in  Isaiah:  "Thus  saith  the  Lord,  the  King 
of  Israel,  and  his  redeemer,  the  Lord  of  hosts:  I  am  the  first, 
and  I  am  the  last;  and  beside  me  there  is  no  God."  Besides, 
how  could  he  be  a  creature,  when  all  creatures  in  heaven  and 
earth  are  often  represented  as  falling  down  to  worship  him?  A 
single  passage  will  make  it  plain  that  this  excludes  the  thought 
of  the  possibility  of  his  being  a  creature.  In  the  sublime  scenes  of 
Revelation  the  four  living  creatures,  representing  all  created  being, 
are  described  as  resting  not  day  and  night,  "  saying.  Holy,  holy, 
holy,  Lord  God  Almighty,  which  was,  and  is,  and  is  to  come.  .  .  . 
Thou  art  worthy,  O  Lord,  to  receive  glory  and  honor  and  power: 
for  thou  hast  created  all  things,  and  for  thy  pleasure  they  are  and 
were  created." 

Neither  can  those  interpretations  be  correct  which  make  the 
word  to  mean  that  he  is  the  beginning  of  the  resurrection,  the 
first  to  rise  from  the  dead;  or  that  he  is  the  commencement 
of  the  Church  as  now  existing  in  the  world.  Such  interpretations 
are  in  no  sense  pertinent  to  the  subject,  and  cannot  be  considered 
as  bearing  on  it. 

What,  then,  is  the  true  meaning  of  this  expression?  There 
can  scarcely  be  a  question  but  that  it  refers  to  the  Son  of  man 
as  the  Prince  of  all  creatures,  the  Principal  of  all  the  universe, 
the  Lord,  Ruler,  of  the  whole  world.  The  word  translated  "begin- 
ning" bears  that  significance  in  many,  if  not  all  other,  places. 
He  is  the  beginning,  the  head,  the  originator  of  all  creatures. 
He  is  invested  with  authority  and  i)ower  as  the  sovereign  Prince 


THE  WRETCHED  ONE.  437 

of  the  creation  in  all  its  departments.  In  a  word,  "  He  is  the 
origin,  the  author,  and  the  ruler  of  the  universe."  It  is  more 
than  probable  that  this  peculiar  form  of  expression  concerning 
our  Lord  as  the  Beginning  had  its  origin  in  the  description  of 
Wisdom  as  given  in  Proverbs:  "The  Lord  possessed  me  in  the 
beginning  of  his  way,  before  his  works  of  old.      I   was  set  up 

from  everlasting,  from  the  beginning,  or  ever  the  earth  was 

When  he  prepared  the  heavens,  I  was  there;  when  he  set  a 
compass  upon  the  fiice  of  the  deep.  .  .  .  Then  I  was  by  him 
as  one  brought  up  with  him."  With  this  agree  the  whole  tone 
and  import  of  Scripture  in  every  part.  It  was  the  same  claim 
M'hich  Christ  asserted  in  his  farewell  charge  to  his  followers: 
"All  power  is  given  unto  me  in  heaven  and  in  earth."  The  most 
pertinent  and  complete  statement  of  it  is  that  which  we  have  in 
Colossians:  "For  by  him  were  all  tilings  created,  that  are  in 
heaven  and  that  are  in  earth,  visible  and  invisil)le,  whether 
they  be  thrones,  or  dominions,  or  principalities,  or  powers ;  all 
things  icere  created  by  him  and  for  him;  and  he  is  be/ore  all 
things,  and  by  him  all  things  co)isisL  And  he  is  the  head  of  the 
body,  the  church.''^ 

Tlien,  if  in  this  sense  he  be  the  Lord  and  Ruler  of  all  creatures, 
we  can  easily  understand  the  pertinency  of  the  title  to  this  special 
message.  This  is  the  explanation  of  his  intense  interest  in  that 
people,  and  the  reason  of  his  solicitude  that  they  should  fulfill 
the  mission  to  which  he  had  appointed  them  as  their  ordained 
Head.  In  his  capacity  as  their  Head,  not  only  had  he  the  pre- 
rogative, but  the  authority  and  the  power  also  to  rebuke,  direct, 
and  reward  and  chasten  them.  He  could  dispose  of  them,  as  of 
all'  things  else,  according  to  his  own  will.  It  was  his  preroga- 
tive to  look  into  their  condition,  and  to  correct  and  command. 
His  own  glory  was  at  stake  in  what  they  were  as  his  creatures 
and  under  his  direction. 

The  entire  title  of  the  Son  of  man,  as  it  is  in  this  message  now 
lies  before  us  in  its  three  constituent  elements,  and  we  are  able 
to  estimate  them  in  their  separate  signification,  in  their  relations 
to  each  other,  and  in  their  united  appropriateness  to  that  which 
is  the  object  of  this  communication  from  the  throne.  Together 
they  present  us  with  one  most  sublime  characteristic  of  Him  who 
i.-!  the  Lord  of  this  and  of  all  other  worlds.  As  the  Atnen,  all  his 
words  to  this  people  are  true,  and  reliable,  and  absolutely  with- 
out shadow  of  turning.  As  the  faithful  Witness,  he  is  competent 
to  testify  as  to  their  sad  condition  and  the  effects  that  must  fol- 


438  INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

low  their  continuance  therein ;  and  it  is  his  supreme  prerogative 
to  direct  them  in  all  their  interests.  As  the  supreme  Lord  of 
the  world  it  was  his  to  command,  to  direct,  as  his  own  infinite 
and  righteous  wisdom  might  prompt. 

8.   EEBUKE. 

Because  the  peculiar  state  of  this  church  is  that  which  forms 
the  burden  of  the  whole  message;  because  of  the  exceptional 
severity  of  the  rebukes  which  are  administered  to  it,  and  be- 
cause of  the  very  important  practical  points  for  all  times  and 
l^laces  which  are  involved  in  it,  we  shall  dwell  more  fully  on 
this  than  on  any  other  portion  of  the  passage.  The  entire  con- 
dition of  the  church,  in  its  worldliness  and  sinfulness  and  wretched- 
ness, lay  open  clearly  before  the  eyes  of  our  Lord,  and  he  exposes  it 
all.  He  lays  it  open  before  their  eyes,  in  these  emphatic  words: 
"  I  know  thy  works,  that  thou  art  neither  cold  nor  hot ;  I  would 
thou  wert  either  cold  or  hot." 

"  Thou  art  neither  cold  nor  hot."  It  is  not  difficult  to  conceive 
what  the  character  of  such  a  people  must  have  been.  They  were 
not  pagans,  either  in  their  own  esteem  or  that  of  others.  They 
were  not  infidels.  They  were  professedly  believers  in  Christ. 
They  were  members  of  the  Church.  They  were  attendants  on 
at  least  a  part  of  the  ordinances  on  the  Lord's  day.  They  had 
not  cowardly  given  up  their  Christian  name  or  faith.  But  all 
this  was  with  them  little  more  than  a  mere  name.  They  had 
no  zeal  either  for  their  own  salvation  or  that  of  others  around 
them.  /You  would  not  have  found  anything  in  them  to  distin- 
guish them  from  their  heathen  neighbors,  excepting  the  name 
and  some  little  forms.  They  were  not  ready  to  make  any  sort 
of  sacrifice  for  the  cause  of  Christ.  In  cases  where  the  interests 
of  the  world  and  those  of  the  gospel  were  antagonistic,  they  would 
be  likely  to  give  Christ  and  his  cause  the  cold  shoulder.  The  sad 
description  is  tliat  they  were  "  neither  cold  nor  hot."  They  claimed 
that  they  were  Christians,  but  they  were  practically  indifferent  to 
everything  that  was  characteristic  of  that  profession ;  they  cared 
nothing,  in  act,  about  the  soul  or  eternity,  or  any  of  their  most 
solemn  interests.  They  were  not  interested  enough  in  religion 
to  give  any  earnest  heed  to  the  subject. 

-  A  very  graphic  description  of  what  must  have  been  their  con- 
dition is  given  by  an  eminent  author:  "There  was  not  one  word 
of  approval ;  it  was  lukewarm  without  exception,  and  therefore 
it    was   wholly  loathed.     The   religion  of  Jesus   had    become  to 


THE  WRETCHED  ONE.  439 

them  as  an  ordinary  matter.  They  would  attend  to  it  just  as 
they  would  to  other  things.  The  sacrifice  of  the  Son  of  God 
upon  the  cross  was  nothing  thought  of  more  than  a  common 
gift  by  man.  They  were  not  constrained  by  the  love  of  Christ 
more  than  by  other  feelings.  They  could  repeat  the  words  of 
the  first  great  commandment  of  the  law,  and  of  the  second  that 
is  like  unto  it;  but  they  showed  no  sign  that  the  one  or  the 
other  was  truly  a  law  to  them.  There  was  no  Dorcas  among 
them  who,  out  of  pure  Christian  love,  made  clothes  for  the  i)Oor. 
There  was  no  Philemon  to  whom  it  could  be  said,  '  The  church 
in  thy  house,'  and  who  could  look  on  a  Christian  servant  as  a 
'  brother  beloved.'  There  was  no  servant  who  looked  to  the 
eye  of  his  Father  in  heaven  more  than  to  that  of  his  master  on 
earth,  and  to  the  recompense  of  eternal  reward  more  than  to  the 
hireling  wages  of  a  day,  and  who  by  showing  all  good  fidelity 
sought  to  adorn  the  doctrine  of  God  his  Saviour  in  all  things. 
There  was  nothing  done  as  everything  should  be — heartily,  as 
to  the  Lord,  and  not  unto  men.  They  neither  felt  nor  lived  as 
if  they  knew  that  whatsoever  is  not  of  faith  is  sin.  Their  luke- 
warmness  was  worse,  for  it  rendered  their  state  more  hopeless, 
than  if  they  had  been  cold.  For  sooner  would  a  man  in  Sardis 
have  felt  that  the  chill  of  death  was  upon  him,  and  have  cried 
out  for  life,  and  called  to  the  physician,  than  would  a  man  of 
Laodicea,  who  could  calmly  count  his  even  i)ulse,  and  think  his 
life  secure,  while  death  was  i^reying  on  his  vitals." 

It  would  be  hard  for  us  to  exaggerate  the  grossness  of  the 
sin,  in  the  sight  of  God,  of  such  a  state  of  indifference  to  the  in- 
finitely momentous  interests  of  eternity.  Some  of  the  ingre- 
dients of  that  guilt  by  which  our  Lord  is  wounded  in  the  house 
of  his  friends  we  can  readily  imagine  when  we  consider  the 
ingratitude  that  forgets  all  that  God  has  already  done  for  us ;  the 
disobedience  to  Christ's  gracious  command,  "Seek  ye  first  the 
kingdom  of  God  and  his  righteousness;"  the  humiliating  fact 
that  the  world  is  preferred  to  its  Creator,  who  is  almighty,  all- 
gracious,  and  infinitely  benevolent;  that  the  Most  High  is  thus 
grossly  insulted,  and,  alas!  worst  of  all,  that  the  Son  of  God  is 
thus  trodden  under  foot,  and  the  blood  of  the  covenant  wherewith 
we  are  sanctified  is  counted  an  unholy  thing,  and  despite  done  to 
the  Spirit  of  grace.  Without  controversy,  such  lukewarmness 
is  an  insult  and  ^  crime  to  our  glorified  Lord  before  whom  the 
angels  bow ;  an  insult,  as  if  he  were  not  worthy  of  our  earnest 
thought  and  adoring  worship. 


440       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

He  who  laid  down  his  life  to  save  us  feels  it  deeply,  as  w^e 
cannot  hut  see  from  his  sad  complaint,  "  I  would  thou  ivert  cold 
or  hoV^  These  are  strange  words  to  come  from  the  lips  of  Him 
who  is  the  Truth,  and  who  never  speaks  otherwise  tlian  in  the 
language  of  truth  and  soberness.  It  was  not  exaggeration,  or 
hyberbole,  or  a  mere  rhetorical  stretch;  but  the  simple  fact  as 
it  lay  before  his  unerring  mind.  We  might  have  judged  other- 
wise; we  might  have  supposed  that  it  were  better  to  have  a  little 
heat  than  to  be  absolutely  cold ;  to  have  even  a  feeble  love  than 
none  whatever;  but  the  heart-searching  Lord  pronounces  other- 
wise. His  declaration  is  tliat  there  is  more  hope  for  the  man 
who  is  utterly  untouched  by  grace  than  for  the  one  who  has  pro- 
fessed to  receive  that  grace,  and  has  been  warmed  for  a  little 
while,  but  has  become  indifferent,  and  finally  lapsed  into  a  worse 
life  than  before.  If  it  were  a  lukewarmness  arising  out  of  the 
progress  of  the  soul  up  out  of  absolute  darkness  into  the  true 
light,  then  it  would  be  well:  but  the  progress  from  life  down  to 
death — then  lukewarmness  is  an  awful  state  that  is  truly  deplora- 
ble! There  is  some  hope  of  the  as  yet  absolutely  impenitent; 
they  may  yet  obey  the  touch  of  the  Spirit  of  God,  and  arise  to  a 
glorious  life ;  but  what  of  those  who  are  growing  colder  and 
colder? 

Look  at  the  influence  of  such  lukewarmness  on  its  victim.  He 
has  enough  of  the  appearance  of  religion  to  lull  him  into  a  state 
of  torpor.  He  has  as  much  of  the  name  as  to  form  a  salvo  to 
his  conscience.  You  may  then  ply  him  with  all  the  most  attrac- 
tive motives  of  the  gospel;  but,  "Lo!  thou  art  unto  him  as  a 
very  lovely  song  of  one  that  hath  a  jjleasant  voice,  and  can  play 
well  on  an  instrument ;  for  he  hears  thy  words,  but  he  does 
them  not."  It  is  with  him  as  with  the  one  described  by  Christ: 
"Then  goeth  he,  and  taketh  with  him  seven  other  spirits  more 
wicked  than  himself,  and  they  enter  in  and  dwell  there,  and  the 
last  state  of  that  man  is  worse  than  the  first." 

Thus  evil  is  this  lukewarm  state  to  him  who  is  under  its 
influence;  and  who  shall  describe  the  injury  which  the  example 
does  to  the  impenitent  world  around  him?  It  does  far  more 
harm  than  can  be  done  by  those  who  have  never  made  any 
profession  of  being  under  religious  impressions.  Through  its 
blighting  example  it  says  to  the  irreligious  world :  "  I  have 
tried  all  that  there  is  in  religion ;  I  have  iitofessed  it,  and  I 
have  claimed  all  its  excellencies,  and  I  know  for  n)yself  that 
it  is  all  nothing  but  pretense."    Its  practical  effect  is  to  teach  men 


THE  WRETCHED  ONE.  441 

that  religion  is  a  lie,  and  the  hopes  offered  by  the  gospel  a 
delusion.  Than  this  there  is  nothing  more  effectual  in  keeping 
the  impenitent  from  coming  to  Christ  and  seeking  his  offered 
salvation.  No  community  is  so  utterly  impervious  to  gospel 
influences,  none  where  religion  is  so  sure  to  be  bitterly  and 
persistently  opposed,  none  where  the  servants  of  God  will  so 
surely  labor  in  vain,  as  where  the  withering  influences  of  luke- 
warmness  have  settled  down  like  an  impenetrable  pall.  It  is 
as  the  inspired  description :  "  He  shall  be  like  the  heath  in  the 
desert,  and  shall  not  see  when  good  cometh ;  but  shall  inhabit 
the  parched  place  in  the  wilderness,  in  a  salt  land,  and  not 
inhabited."  Witness  any  connnunity  within  our  knowledge  over 
which  pestiferous  errors  have  swept  their  blighting  path,  or  wit- 
ness the  intense  and  never-relaxing  opposition  oi  the  Jews  to 
the  cause  when  Christ  and  his  apostles  labored  among  them. 

Need  we  wonder  that  our  Lord  expressed  his  detestation  of 
such  a  state  among  any  of  his  professed  people  in  such  strong 
terms?  His  words  concerning  it  are  more  indicative  of  utter 
abhorrence  than  are  any  others  which  we  can  recall  in  Scripture. 
It  is  a  state  which  is  hateful,  disgusting,  nauseous  in  his  sight. 
Could  any  language  be  more  expressive  of  utter  loathing? 
"Because  thou  art  neither  cold  nor  hot,  I  will  spue  thee  out 
of  my  mouth."  He  turns  away  from  it  as  too  offensive  to  be 
even  striven  with — "Ephraim  is  joined  to  idols;  let  him  alone." 
The  description  by  the  learned  Adam  Clarke,  strong  as  it  is,  is  yet 
not  too  strong:  "'Thou  art  neither  cold  nor  hot.'  Ye  are  neither 
heathens  nor  Christians — neither  good  nor  evil — neither  led  away 
by  false  doctrine,  nor  thoroughly  addicted  to  that  which  is  true. 
They  seemed  to  care  little  whether  heathenism  or  Christianity 
prevailed.  Be  either  cold  or  hot.  Be  decided.  Adopt  some 
part  or  other,  and  be  in  earnest  in  your  attachment  to  it.  If 
ever  the  words  of  the  gospel  sonnet  were  true,  they  were  of  this 
Church : 

'To  good  and   evil  equal   bent, 
I'm  both  a  devil  aud  a  saint.' 

They  were  too  good  to  go  to  hell,  too  bad  to  go  to  heaven.  Like 
Ephraim  and  Judah  :  'O  Ephraim,  what  shall  I  do  unto  thee? 
O  Judah,  what  shall  I  do  unto  thee?  for  your  goodness  is  as  a 
morning  cloud,  and  as  the  early  dew  it  passeth  away.'  They 
had  good  dispositions  which  were  captivated  by  evil  ones,  and 
they  had  evil  dispositions  which  in  their  turn  yielded  to  those 


442       INAUGQEAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

that  were  good;  and  the  divhie  justice  and  mercy  seem  jauzzled 
to  know  what  to  do  to  or  with  them." 

As  a  rebulie  and  warning,  the  expression,  "I  would  thou 
wert  cold  or  hot,"  is  so  very  remarkable  that  we  are  anxious  to 
press  it  home,  and  so  use  a  few  sentences  of  Dean  Trench  to  aid 
in  so  doing:  "It  is  as  though  he  had  said:  I  would  thou  wouldst 
take  one  side  or  other,  be  avowedly  with  me  or  avowedly  against 
me,  ranged   under   my    banner   or   under   that   of  my   enemies, 

that  so  I  might  understand  how  to  deal  with  thee How 

shall  we  unde^rstand  this  exclamation  of  the  Saviour?  But,  I 
think,  in  this  way:  namely,  by  regarding  the  cold  as  one  hith- 
erto untouched  by  the  powers  of  grace.  There  is  always  hope 
of  such  a  one,  that,  when  he  does  come  under  those  powers, 
he  may  become  a  zealous  and  earnest  Christian.  He  is  not  one 
on  whom  the  grand  experiment  of  the  gospel  has  been  tried  and 
failed.  But  the  lukewarm  is  one  who  has  tasted  of  the  good 
gift  and  of  the  powers  of  the  world  to  come — who  has  been,  '  in 
some  measure,'  a  subject  of  divine  grace,  but  in  whom  that 
grace  has  failed  to  kindle  more  than  a  feeble  spark.  The  pub- 
licans and  harlots  were  cold,  the  apostles  hot.  The  scribes  and 
Pharisees,  such  among  them  as  that  Simon  in  whose  house  the 
Lord  sat  and  spake  the  parable  of  the  fifty  and  the  five  hundred 
pence,  they  were  lukewarm.  It  was  from  among  the  cold,  and 
not  the  lukewarm,  that  he  drew  recruits;  from  among  them  came 
forward  the  candidates  for  discipleship  and  apostleship  and  the 
crown  of  life:  Matthew  and  Zaccha?us,  and  the  Magdalene,  and 
the  woman  that  had  been  a  sinner,  and  all  those  others,  publicans 
and  harlots,  that  entered  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven  while 
the  scribes  and  Pharisees  continued  without.  That  woman  who 
was  a  sinner,  for  example,  having  been  cold,  passed  from  that 
coldness  to  the  fervency  of  a  divine  heat  at  which  there  is  little 
or  no  likehood  that  the  lukewarm  Simon  ever  arrived." 

9.   CENTEAL   POINT. 

The  centre  and  substance  of  this  seventh  message  from  the 
throne  of  God  is  contained  in  the  charge  against  the  church:  "I 
know  thy  works,  that  thou  art  neither  cold  nor  hot."  This  would 
seem  to  be  but  a  repetition  of  that  which  forms  the  subject  of  the 
previous  section  as  the  divine  rebuke  of  that  people.  It  is  in  reality 
such  ;  but  at  the  same  time  it  may  also  serve  to  bring  out  that  which 
is  tlie  groat  object  of  the  message,  to  make  their  censure  the  more 
emphatic,  to  give  their  condemnation  in  God's  own  words,  and  to 


THE   WEETCHED  ONE.  443 

make  the  misery  of  a  lukewarm  state  the  more  conspicuous — for 
we  have  thus  far  dwelt  chiefly  on  its  sinfulness. 

It  is  not  to  be  overlooked  that  the  censure  upon  this  church  is 
more  severe  than  that  of  any  other.  This  is  surely  significant. 
We  cannot  but  see  that  it  points  forward  to  an  evil  that  would 
perpetually  beset  the  church ;  an  evil  which  is  afflicting  her  in  a 
pre-eminent  degree  at  this  present  day.  The  cause  of  the  evil  in 
the  days  of  the  messages  was  lukewarmness — the  curse  of  the 
church  at  the  present  day  is  lukewarmness.  And  oh,  what  an 
evil  it  must  be! — made  by  our  exalted  Lord  the  very  burden  of 
a  special  message  from  his  heavenly  throne;  described  by  him 
under  the  strongest  epithets— wretched,  and  miserable,  and  poor 
and  blind,  and  naked ;  and  branded  by  him  as  so  loathsome  in 
his  sight  that  he  will  spue  it  out  of  his  mouth. 

It  is  to  be  very  specially  noticed  that  the  lukewarmness  of  this 
church  resulted  from  its  people  being  possessed  of  great  wealth. 
That  is  the  undoubted  inference  to  be  drawn  from  the  language 
that  is  made  use  of:  '■'■  Because  thou  sayest,  T  am  rich,  and  in- 
creased with  goods,  and  have  need  of  nothing;  and  knowest 
not  that  thou  art  wretched,  and  miserable,  and  poor,  and  blind, 
and  naked?"  There  cannot  be  a  question  that  many  of  them 
were  of  the  wealthier  class  of  the  community.  That  such  was 
the  fact  we  may  justly  infer,  among  other  such  passages,  from 
the  charge  given  to  Timothy,  who  labored  in  that  region :  "  Charge 
them  that  are  rich  in  this  world,  that  they  be  not  highminded,  nor 
trust  in  uncertain  riches,  but  in  the  living  God,  who  giveth  us 
richly  all  things  to  enjoy."  The  place  being  a  great  money  ex- 
change, and  having  so  much  commerce  and  so  many  manufac- 
turing interests,  would  account  for  this.  Moreover  the  money- 
making  Jews  who  constituted  such  an  important  element  of  the 
population  would  naturally  furnish  many  members  to  that  early 
church.  The  possession  of  wealth  would,  with  them,  have  the 
usual  result  in  leading  off  their  minds  and  engrossing  them  with 
the  world,  to  their  great  spiritual  harm. 

This  is  the  message  of  the  seven  which  is  pre-eminently  applica- 
ble to  the  church  of  the  present  time.  We  here  introduce  a  few 
most  appropriate  sentences  from  the  pen  of  Albert  Barnes:  "There 
is  no  doubt  that  there  was  much  wealth  in  Laodicea,  and  that, 

as  a  people,   they  prided  themselves  on  their  riches Is  it 

not  true  that  they  who  have  much  of  this  world's  goods,  when 
they  make  a  profession  of  religion,  are  very  apt  to  suppose  that 
they  are  well  off  in  everything,  and  to  feel  self-comijlagent  and 


44-t       INAUGUEAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

happy?  And  is  not  the  possession  of  much  wealth  by  an  individ- 
ual Christian,  or  a  Christian  cliurch,  likely  to  produce  just  the 
lukewarnmess  which  it  is  said  existed  in  the  church  of  Laodicea? 
If  we  thus  understand  it,  there  will  be  an  accordance  with  the 
well-known  fact  that  Laodicea  was  distinguished  for  its  riches, 
and  at  the  same  time  with  another  fact,  so  common  as  to  be 
almost  universal,  that  the  possession  of  great  wealth  tends  to 
make  a  professed  Christian  self-complacent  and  satisfied  in  every 
,  respect — to  make  him  feel  that  although  he  may  not  have  much 
^ I  religion,  yet  he  is  on  the  whole  well  off;  and  to  produce  in  his 
religion  a  state  of  just  such  lukewarmuess  as  our  Lord  here  says 

was  loathsome   and   odious 'And  have  need  of  nothing.' 

Still  an  emphatic  and  intensive  way  of  saying  that  they  were 
rich.  In  all  respects  their  wants  were  satisfied ;  they  had  enough 
of  everything.  They  felt,  therefore,  no  stimulus  to  effort;  they 
sat  down  in  contentment,  self-complacency,  and  indifference.  It 
is  almost  unavoidable  that  those  who  are  rich  in  this  world's 
goods  should  feel  that  they  have  need  of  nothing.  There  is  no 
more  common  illusion  among  men  than  the  feeling  that  if  one 
has  wealth  he  has  everything ;  that  there  is  no  want  of  his  nature 
which  cannot  be  satisfied  with  that ;  and  that  he  may  now  sit 
down  in  contentment  and  ease.  Hence  the  almost  universal  desire 
to  be  rich;  hence  the  common  feeling  among  those  who  are  rich 
that  there  is  no  occasion  for  solicitude  or  care  for  anything  else." 
These  professed  Christians  of  Laodicea  whom  God  so  severely 
rebukes  imagined  themselves  to  be  in  a  most  enviable  condition 
because  they  were  rich  and  independent  and  prosperous  in  the 
world;  but  God  pronounces  a  far  different  judgment  concerning 
them.  His  verdict  is  that  they  were  most  wretched— wretched 
beyond  all  others  because  of  their  lukewarmuess  in  religion.  He 
further  declares  of  them  that  they  are  the  wretched  ones  through 
the  effects  of  their  riches.  His  language  importing  this  sad  fact 
is  extremely  significant:  Because  thou  sayest,  "I  am  rich,  and 
increased  with  goods,  and  have  need  of  nothing,"  and  knowest 
not  that  thou  art  wretched  and  miserable!  AVe  must  remember 
that  this  is  God's  estimation,  and  that  therefore  it  is  true  and 
solemn.  Their  condition,  according  to  the  divine  testimony,  was 
deplorable.  We  can  think  of  no  other  in  all  Scripture  concern- 
ing which  such  strangely  emphatic  language  is  used.  No  less 
than  five  distinct  terms  are  found  by  which  their  shocking  state 
is  portrayed — wretched,  and  miserable,  and  poor,  and  blind,  and 
naked.    Such  words  are  not  uttered  in  vain  by  the  lips  of  infinite 


THE  WRETCHED  ONE.  445 

truth  and  mercy,  nor  is  one  of  them  used  without  its  own  dread 
significance. 

(1)  Wretched!  The  wretched  one— the  one  that  is  wretched  in 
comparison  with  jjll  others.  This  must  be  weighed  in  contrast 
with  their  own  estimate  of  what  they  were:  "Thou  sayest,  I  am 
rich,  and  increased  with  goods,  and  have  need  of  nothing." 
(2)  Ifiseirible !  Not  only  wretched  in  themselves,  but  in  such  a 
plight  as  was  calculated  to  excite  the  commiseration  of  others. 
Their  state  was  pitiable;  no  one  could  see  and  understand  their 
condition  without  pitying  them.  It  was  so  in  the  sight  of  God, 
who  beheld  it  in  all  its  relations ;  and  in  the  sight  of  all  holy 
and  tender  creatures.  (3)  Poor!  Poor,  notwithstanding  they 
imagined  themselves  so  rich!  Poor!  poor!  was  God's  verdict, 
who  alone  knows  what  are  the  true  riches.  They  were  chiefiy 
poor  because  they  boasted  that  they  were  so  rich.  How  poor 
they  were  in  all  things  that  would  meet  the  real  wants  of  their 
nature!  how  poor  when  the  inevitable  calamities  of  life  would 
come  crushing  upon  them !  how  utterly  destitute  when  upon  a 
death-bedj  and  trembling  upon  the  brink  of  an  awful  eternity! 
(4)  Blind!  So  blind  that  they  did  not  know  their  wretchedness: 
"  and  knowest  not  that  thou  art  wretched,  and  miserable,  and 
poor,  and  blind,  and  naked."  They  were  so  blind  and  ignorant 
that  they  did  not  know  their  awful  condition ;  so  blind  that  they 
had  no  just  views  of  sin,  of  God  and  their  relations  to  him,  or 
of  their  binding  duties,  of  the  solemnity  of  eternal  things,  or  of 
their  own  impending  dangers;  so  blind  that  they  understood 
nothing  of  their  highest  interests,  or  of  anything  which  it  was 
of  the  greatest  importance  they  should  know.  This  was  the 
worst  conceivable  blindness.  Better  had  it  been  for  them,  a 
thousand-fold,  had  they  been  born  blind  and  only  understood 
the  transcendent  value  of  their  own  souls.  (o)  Naked!  No 
righteousness  of  Christ;  no  wedding  garment  to  put  on;  nothing 
to  cover  their  sin  and  shame,  to  protect  from  cold  and  storm,  to 
adorn  their  poor  souls.  "There  may  be  gorgeous  robes  of  adorn- 
ing, and  yet  real  nakedness.  With  all  the  decorations  that 
wealth  can  impart,  there  may  be  a  nakedness  of  the  soul  as  real 
as  that  of  the  body  would  be  if,  without  a  rag  to  cover  it,  it 
were  exposed  to  cold  and  storm  and  shame.  The  soul  destitute 
of  the  robes  of  salvation  is  in  a  worse  condition  than  the  body 
without  raiment:  for  how  can  it  bear  the  storms  of  wrath  that 
shall  beat  upon  it  for  ever,  and  the  shame  of  its  exposure  in  the 
last  dread  day?" 


446       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

Such  was  the  unspeakably  wretched  state  of  this  church  in  the 
sight  of  God— who  never  forms  a  wrong  judgment.  To  warn  it 
of  this,  and  to  arouse  its  members  to  a  sense  of  their  misery,  was 
the  great  design  of  this  message.  This  was  ,the  centre  around 
which  all  else  was  arranged— the  great  burden  of  all.  Titles  of 
the  Son  of  man,  rebukes,  counsels,  threatenings,  promises— all 
were  intended  to  force  them  out  from  a  state  of  sin  and  danger 
that  was  truly  appalling. 

10.   COUNSELS. 

Wretched,  loathsome,  as  was  the  condition  of  this  church  in 
his  sight,  yet  her  merciful  Lord  would  not  give  her  up  without 
one  more  effort  to  rescue  her  from  the  doom  that  must  follow. 
He  counsels  her  in  the  most  gracious  manner  to  awake  to  a  sense 
of  her  sin  and  danger.  The  advice  he  gave  was  that  of  infallible 
wisdom,  and  would  be  invaluable  to  her,  as  it  would  also  be  to 
all  other  churches  that  might  in  after-time  lapse  into  a  similar 
lamentable  plight.  We  can  see  the  benevolence  of  his  heart  in 
that  he  exhorts  rather  than  commands.  He  counsels  as  a  friend 
rather  than  commands  as  a  sovereign.  He  appeals  to  his  wretched 
churches,  and  all  his  words  are  counsels,  invitations,  promises, 
rather  than  mandates.  Not  an  irritating  word  does  he  utter. 
Five  distinct  appeals  does  he  make,  each  fraught  with  wisdom  and 
tenderness  and  fatherly  consideration.  His  earnest  entreaties 
are:  Be  zealous!  Repent!  Buy  of  me — buy  gold  tried  in  the 
fire:   buy  white  raiment!    Anoint  thine  eyes  with  eyesalve. 

"^e  zealous!''''  The  root  evil  of  this  church  was  its  lukewarm- 
ness,  its  indifference,  its  want  of  zeal,  its  utter  destitution  of 
all  earnestness.  Most  fittingly,  therefore,  is  it  first  called  upon  to 
awake  to  appropriate  zeal  in  that  cause  which  infinitely  transcends 
all  others  in  importance.  The  first  step  was  to  awake  from  its 
fatal  torpor,  and  to  become  thoroughly  in  earnest.  Indifference 
must  be  laid  aside,  and  that  at  once,  or  they  were  lost. 

'■^  Repent  V  Their  wretched  state  of  hikewarmness  must  be 
realized,  acknowledged,  and  abandoned  with  shame  and  sorrow. 
The  enormity  of  their  sin  and  danger  they  must  look  in  the 
face.  The  sight  of  their  situation  in  all  its  appalling  nature 
was  enough  to  stir  their  souls  to  their  very  depths.  As  a 
church  they  were  guilty  in  the  sight  of  God — guilty  of  sins  of 
a  very  deep  dye  because  committed  in  the  house  of  his  friends, 
and  because  they  were  trifling  with  the  inmiortal  interests  of 
their   souls.     A   strange    fascination   was   upon    them    that   they 


THE  WRETCHED  ONE.  447 

could  be  guilty  of  such  folly.  Hence,  at  once  must  they  fall 
in  the  dust  before  God,  and  cry  for  mercy,  and,  with  all  the 
intensity  of  their  being,  turn  away  from  their  causeless  infatua- 
tion. As  if  they  had  never  experienced  any  renewal  of  their 
nature,  and  just  as  they  did  at  first,  they  must  come  to  the 
blood  of  atonement  by  which  alone  could  they  be  saved.  So 
must  they  repent  as  they  did  at  the  beginning;  and  so  must  it 
be  with  every  other  lukewarm  soul,  of  any  church  or  place  or 
time. 

"■  Buy  of  Mey  This  exhortation  was  given  to  a  trading  com-  ' 
munity,  and  the  language  used  was  that  with  Avhich,  as  mer- 
chants, they  were  most  familiar.  They  boasted  that  they  were 
rich  and  increased  with  goods;  and  they  were  therefore  advised 
to  purchase  that  of  which  God  saw  they  were  in  the  greatest 
need.  Perhaps  there  was  a  little  irony  in  these  words,  or  per- 
haps it  was  intended  to  lead  them  to  see  of  how  little  real 
value  their  wealth  could  be  to  them.  They  were  rich — then  let 
them  buy.  The  first  attempt  they  made  would  show  that  all 
they  relied  on  was  really  worthless.  They  must  buy  of  God: 
"Buy  of  me!"  is  the  charge  given  to  them.  The  awakened 
soul,  in  order  to  find  satisfaction,  must  deal  with  Christ  directly; 
for  he,  and  he  alone,  can  furnish  that  of  which  it  is  in  the  most 
crying  need.  "Buy  of  me!"  is  his  call  to  those  who  have  been 
brought  to  feel  their  poverty  and  wretchedness.  "Buy  of  me!" 
in  his  cordial  invitation  ;  for  in  him  "  are  hid  all  the  treasures  of 
wisdom  and  knowledge."  Such  riches  as  the  soul  needs  can  be 
found  nowhere  else  but  in  him.  Through  him  alone  can  they  be 
reached. 

"Buy  of  me!  "—but  how  could  those  Laodiceans  buy,  who  were 
so  poor,  and  blind,  and  naked?  AVhat  price  had  they  to  give? 
The  answer  comes  from  the  old  prophecy  of  many  ages  before: 
"  Ho!  every  one  that  thirsteth,  come  ye  to  the  waters,  and  he  that 
hath  no  money;  come  ye,  buy  and  eat;  yea,  come,  buy  M'ine  and 
milk  without  money  and  without  price!  Wherefore  do  ye  spend 
money  for  that  which  is  not  bread,  and  your  labor  for  that  which 
satisfieth  not?  Hearken  diligently  unto  me,  and  eat  ye  that  which 
is  good  and  let  your  soul  delight  itself  in  fatness."  They  had 
neither  gold  nor  silver  nor  gems  which  he  would  value;  but  they 
might  accept  what  he  would  give  them  freely.  There  is  a  price 
which  even  beggars  could  give,  and  which  God  even  asks  from 
them.  That  price  is  the  renunciation  of  all  vain  reliance  upon  their 
own  righteousness,  and  their  own  devices.    It  was  the  price  which 


448       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

Paul  had  willingly  paid,  as  declared  in  tlie  well-known  words: 
"  What  things  were  gain  to  me,  these  I  counted  but  loss  for  Christ. 
Yea,  doubtless,  and  I  count  all  things  but  loss  for  the  excellency  of 
the  knowledge  of  Christ  Jesus  my  Lord ;  for  whom  I  have  suffered 
the  loss  of  all  things,  and  do  count  them  but  dung,  that  I  may  win 
Christ."  This,  and  this  alone,  the  penitent  soul  can  give;  but  this 
involves  the  giving  of  himself,  the  yielding  of  his  body,  soul,  and 
spirit,  to  be  dealt  with  as  his  Lord  shall  see  fit,  if  only  he  may 
receive  the  priceless  treasure  which  he  needs.  And  this  price  is 
rendered  by  the  earnest  striving  after  and  longing  for  the  gift— 
the  reaching  out  after  it,  the  opening  of  the  mouth  wide  that  he 
may  fill  it.  More  specially  still,  in  this  place,  there  is  a  distinct 
enunciation  of  the  several  things  whicli  must  in  this  manner  be 
bought  from  Christ— "gold  tried  in  the  fire,"  "white  raiment," 
and  "eyesalve." 

"  Gold  tried  in  the  fire.''''  Gold  pure  and  bright  from  the  furnace 
— gold  that  had  been  assayed  and  X)roved  to  be  genuine,  was  that 
which  they  must  have.  They  to  whom  this  was  addressed,  of  that 
money-dealing  city,  could  appreciate  the  significance  of  this  figure. 
TJiey  imagined  tliemselves  to  be  rich  through  their  gold ;  but  God 
declared  that  such  merely  earthly  treasure  was  worthless  in  his 
sight.  "They  took,"  says  Plumptre,  "'the  unrighteous  mammon  ' 
not  only  as  a  substitute  for  the  'true  riches,'  but  almost  as  an  evi- 
dence that  they  possessed  them.  Outward  ease  and  comfort  took 
the  place  of  inward  peace:  prosperity  was  thought  a  sure  sign 
of  divine  approval.  We  cannot  read  the  history  of  the  Church 
of  Christ,  or  look  around  us,  or  retrace  our  own  experience,  with- 
out feeling  that  it  has  been  so,  both  with  churches  and  individual 
men.  Lethargy  creeps  over  them ;  love  is  no  longer  active ;  mate- 
rial success,  multiplied  endowments,  the  power  of  giving  money 
as  the  one  embodiment  of  love  to  God  and  man— these  have  been 
the  i)recursors  of  decline  and  of  decay.  On  the  larger  scale  it  has 
been  found  liard  to  rouse  to  energetic  spiritual  action  a  church  that 
was  tlu-eatened  with  no  dangers,  resting  on  an  arm  of  flesh,  secure 
in  the  State's  support.  On  the  smaller  it  is  equally  hard  to  con- 
vince a  respectable  and  well-to-do  Christian  that  he  can  be  want- 
ing in  the  true  wealth  of  love  when  he  is  ready,  on  occasion, 
to  draw  a  cheque  for  a  charitable  institution."  But  tlie  "tried 
gold"  is  that  priceless  faith  which  comes  from  God's  Spirit  alone 
and  through  which  we  can  secure  all  the  riches  of  grace.  By 
such  faith  it  is  that  we  caij  obtain  from  the  divine  hand  a  bond 
that  "All  things  are  yours;  whether  Paul  or  ApoUos,  or  Cephas, 


THE  WRETCHED  ONE.  449 

or  tlie  world,  or  life,  or  death,  or  things  present,  or  things  to 
come:  all  are  yours;  and  ye  are  Christ's;  and  Christ  is  God's." 

"  U7iife  raiments  This  must  be  the  righteousness  of  Christ 
that  will  cover  the  guilt  and  shame  of  all  our  sins,  so  that  we 
can  stand  unabashed  in  the  immediate  presence  of  our  God  of 
infinite  purity.  Everything  is  significant  here.  The  wretched 
church  of  Laodicea  liad  been  pronounced  naked— naked  in  its 
shame  and  exposedness  to  cold  and  storm.  Here  was  a  cover- 
ing which  might  be  obtained  by  every  one  who  would  apply 
for  it — buy  it,  strive  for  it,  but  without  money  and  without  price. 
This  possession  was  one  that  was  so  indispensable  that  they  should 
strive  for  it  with  all  earnestness.  It  was  a  covering  which,  by  God's 
appointment,  would  hide  all  shame  and  protect  from  all  storms.  It 
was  an  ornament  that  would  be  recognized  and  admired  by  every 
sainted  eye  in  the  realms  of  bliss.  It  would  prove  a  wedding  gar- 
ment that  would  I'ender  the  wearer  a  welcome  guest  at  the  marriage 
feast  of  the  Lamb.  It  would  be  the  glorious  apparel  that  would 
distinguish  all  the  ransomed  around  the  White  Throne.  It  was 
wrought  out  by  the  atonement  of  Christ,  and  for  evermore  would 
it  mark  all  who  should  wear  it  as  trophies  of  the  most  sublime 
achievement  of  the  exalted  Lord.  Adorned  with  this,  the  faith- 
ful of  Laodicea  would  be  of  a  truth  both  rich  and  glorious,  as 
would  also  all  other  believers,  of  every  land  and  age. 

^'■Anoint  thine  ei/es  with  eyesalve.''^  In  some  respects,  eyesalve 
was  a  requisite  which  they  needed  most  of  all.  Sin  had  so 
obscured  their  spiritual  vision  that  they  could  not  see  or  under- 
stand their  wretchedness.  They  could  not  discern  their  miser- 
able condition,  nor  their  crying  need  of  spiritual  supplies  from 
the  hand  of  God.  They  could  not  appreciate  the  divine  detes- 
tation of  their  loathsome  state,  nor  God's  willingness  to  pardon 
and  restore  them  if  they  only  would  be  zealous  and  repent,  nor 
the  marvelous  gifts  with  which  he  would  then  enrich  them.  They 
needed  to  have  their  spiritual  vision  rectified ;  and  that  could  be 
done  only  by  the  enlightening  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  That 
was  the  spiritual  eyesalve  for  which  they  were  counseled  to  strive, 
and  to  secure  at  any  price.  Then  would  they  be  able  to  compre- 
hend why  it  was  that,  whilst  they  were  flattering  themselves 
that  they  were  rich  and  independent,  they  were  in  reality  poor, 
ai:d  naked,  and  miserable. 

Such  was  the  admonition  which  God  gave  to  this  lukewarm 
church  of  Laodicea,  and  through  it  to  all  lukewarm  souls  of  every 
church  of  every  place  and  age.    They  must  awake  to  intense  earn- 

29 


450  INAUGURAL  OF  TtlE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

estness,  to  repent,  to  strive  for  the  riches  of  true  faitli,  for  the 
righteousness  of  Christ,  and  for  the  blessed  illumination  of  the 
Holy  Ghost.  Then  would  they  be  truly  rich  and  happy  and 
blessed — blessed  beyond  imagination  through  their  merciful  Lord. 

11.    THE   WAENING. 

"  I  will  spue  thee  out  of  my  mouth."  Such  was  the  emblem 
of  disgust,  and  such  the  significant  warning.  It  told  of  loathing, 
and  disgust,  and  utter  rejection.  As  if  the  Lord  were  "  vexed 
with  their  lukewarmness ;"  and,  although  he  wished  not  so  to 
do,  must  ultimately  cast  them  out  and  drive  them  from  him— as 
he  did  on  another  occasion  when  he  cried :  "  Plow  shall  I  give 
thee  up,  Ephraim?  how  shall  I  deliver  thee,  Israel?  How  shall 
I  make  thee  as  Admah  ?  how  shall  I  set  thee  as  Zeboim  ?"  Then 
this  rejection  of  the  lukewarm  Laodiceans  would  be  the  more 
clei^lorable  in  that  it  would  be  of  those  who  had  been  so  near  to 
him,  shared  in  his  special  favor,  and  bore  his  beloved  name. 
Very  appropriate  are  the  words  of  Dean  Trench:  "The  land  of 
Canaan  is  said  to  have  spued  out  its  former  inhabitants  for  their 
abominable  doings;  the  children  of  Israel  are  warned  that  they 
commit  not  the  same  sins,  lest  in  like  manner  it  spue  them  out; 
but  this  threatening  is  more  terrible  still :  it  is  to  be  spued  out  of 
the  mouth  of  Christ — to  be  rejected  as  with  nausea,  with  moral 
loathing  and  disgust,  by  him ;  to  exchange  the  greatest  possible 
nearness  to  him  for  the  remotest  distance."  This  lukewarmness 
being  continued  in  by  them,  they  would  as  it  were  be  thrown 
up,  rejected  with  loathing,  indignation,  and  utter  repulsion. 

Amid  the  surroundings  of  Laodicea,  such  threatening  words 
would  have  an  awful  significance.  The  eminent  writer  and  trav- 
eler Dr.  Chandler  depicts  this,  while  standing  on  the  very  spot: 
"  The  hill  of  Laodicea,  it  is  probable,  was  originally  an  eruption ; 
for  it  consists  of  dry,  impalpable  soil,  porous  with  small  cavities, 
resembling  the  bore  of  a  pipe,  as  may  be  seen  on  the  sides  which 
are  bare.  It  resounded  beneath  our  horses'  feet.  The  stones  are 
mostly  masses  of  pebbles,  or  of  gravel  consolidated,  and  as  liglit 
as  pumice  stone.  We  had  occasion  to  dig,  and  found  the  earth 
as  hard  as  any  cement. 

"It  is  an  old  observation  that  this  country  about  the  Meander, 
the  soil  being  light  and  friable,  and  full  of  salts  generating  in- 
flammable matter,  was  undermined  by  fire  and  water.  Hence  it 
abounded  in  hot  springs,  which,  after  passing  underground  from 
the  reservoirs,  appeared  on  the  mountain  or  were  found  bubbling 


THE  WRETCHED  ONE.  451 

lip  in  the  plain  or  in  the  mud  of  the  river.  Hence  it  was  subject 
to  frequent  eartliquakes.  The  nitrous  vapor  compressed  in  the 
cavities,  and  sublimed  by  heat  or  fermentation,  bursting  its 
prison  with  loud  explosions,  agitating  the  atmosphere  and  the 
earth  and  waters  wuth  a  violence  as  extensive  as  destructive. 
And  hence,  moreover,  the  pestilential  grottoes,  which  had  sub- 
terranean communications  with  each  other,  derived  their  noisome 
effluvia;  and,  serving  as  smaller  vents  to  those  furnaces  or  hol- 
lows, were  regarded  as  apertures  of  hell,  as  jiassages  for  deadly 
fumes  rising  up  from  the  realms  of  Pluto.  One  or  more  of  these 
mountains,  perhaps,  has  burned  ;  and  it  may  be  suspected  that  the 
surface  of  the  country,  Laodicea  in  particular,  has  in  some  places 
been  formed  from  its  own  bowels."  To  a  country  such  as  this 
how  awfully  appropriate  is  the  message  of  the  Apocalypse:  "I 
know  thy  works,  that  thou  art  neither  cold  nor  hot;  I  would 
thou  wert  either  cold  or  hot ;  so  then,  because  thou  art  luke- 
warm, and  neither  cold  nor  hot,  I  icill  spue  thee  out  of  my 
mouthy 

Most  exactly  and  awfully  was  this  menace  accomplished  in  the 
ultimate  doom  of  Laodicea.  It  is  probable  that  for  a  time  the 
church  hearkened  to  the  warning,  repented  and  prospered ;  but 
the  people  must  afterwards  have  lapsed  again  into  their  indiffer- 
ence until  they  were  literally  cast  out,  rejected,  and  their  candle- 
stick taken  away  from  them  for  ever.  The  city  and  church  were 
rejected,  and  became  desolate.  The  desolations  of  the  place 
where  it  once  stood  are  now  horrible.  The  visitor  does  not 
wish  to  remain  amid  its  doleful  ruins  even  for  a  single  night. 
Strange  is  the  connection  of  its  present  wretchedness  with  these 
words  of  doom.  Says  Emerson:  "To  Laodicea  the  most  sum- 
mary of  the  denunciations  contained  in  the  messages  to  the 
Apocalyptic  churches  is  directed,  namely,  that  of  total  subver- 
sion ;  and  it  has  been  awfully  accomplished.  The  name  of  Chris- 
tianity is  forgotten,  and  the  only  sounds  that  disturb  the  silence 
of  its  desertion  are  the  tones  of  the  muezzin,  whose  voice  from 
the  distant  village  proclaims  the  ascending  of  Mohammed. 
Laodicea  is  even  more  solitary  than  Ephesus ;  for  the  latter  has 
the  prospect  of  the  rolling  sea,  or  of  a  whitening  sail,  to  enliven 
its  decay;  while  the  former  sits  in  widowed  loneliness,  its  walls 
are  grass-grown,  its  temples  desolate,  its  very  name  has  perished. 
A  thunderstorm  gatherc'd  on  the  mountains  at  a  distance  while 

we    were    examining    the    ruins    of  this    city We    returned 

and  waited  until  the  fury  of  the  storm  had  abated,  but  set  oflF 


452       INAUGUEAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

ou  our  journey  again  before  it  had  entirely  ceased  to  blow  and 
to  rain.  ^Ye  preferred  hastening  on,  to  a  further  delay  in  that 
melancholy  spot,  where  everything  whispered  desolation,  and 
where  the  very  wind  that  swept  impetuously  through  the  valley 
sounded  like  the  fiendish  laugh  of  Time,  exulting  over  the  de- 
struction of  man  and  his  proudest  monuments,"  The  city, 
rejected  and  desolate,  cast  out  of  God,  and  shunned  as  a  disgust- 
ing thing  by  man,  lies  there,  through  the  ages,  as  an  awful 
witness  of  the  unutterable  doom  of  those  who  persist  in  a  state 
of  lukewarm ness. 

12.   THE  OVERCOMING. 

The  established  formula  in  all  the  messages — "To  him  that 
overcometh" — in  this  case  is  easily  understood,  and  is  the  more 
impressive  becau.se  it  stands  alone.  It  is  one  definite  thing,  not 
confused  \\ith  others  and  not  to  be  mistaken.  The  single  evil 
named  as  that  with  which  the  Laodicean  church  had  to  contend 
Avas  indiff"erence,  or  lukewarmness.  They  had  no  enemies  from 
without  with  Avhom  they  were  called  to  battle— they  were  not 
earnest  enough  in  their  Christian  life  to  inake  any  enemies.  They 
had  no  errors  among  them.selves  which  they  needed  to  oppose — 
they  did  not  care  enough  about  their  faith  even  to  run  into  errors 
concerning  it.  The  single  thing  they  were  called  upon  to  do  was 
to  break  away  from  their  horrid,  soul-destroying,  God-insulting  in- 
difference. 

That,  however,  was  a  task  which  it  was  extremely  difficult 
to  accomplish.  Had  it  been  a  danger  from  without,  they  would 
have  seen  it  and  been  forced  to  rise  up  in  earnest  opposition.  If 
it  had  been  even  a  suspected  enemy,  they  would  have  been  on 
their  guard.  But  they  did  not  see  or  apprehend  any  danger. 
They  did  not  believe  that  there  was  any,  and  so  they  slept  on 
in  utter  unconcern.  They  thought  themselves  all  right  and  safe, 
and  were  fully  contented  as  they  were.  They  imagined  them- 
selves so  independent  in  all  their  worldly  concerns  that  they 
needed  nothing,  and  had  settled  down  in  self-conceited  ea.se; 
and  so,  on  this  very  account,  their  danger  had  grown  to  be  of 
the  most  imminent  character. 

At  first  sight,  it  might  a})pear  that  the  conquest  which  this 
church  was  recpiired  to  achieve  would  be  a  very  easy  one.  It 
was,  however,  the  very  hardest  of  all ;  and  the  reward  promised 
to  victory  was  that  which  would  be  the  most  glorious  imagin- 
able.   All  experience  testifies  that  seJf  is  the  hardest  of  all  enemies 


THE  WRETCHED  ONE.  453 

to  conquer.  That  self  must  suffer  sacrifice  was  the  lesson  which 
this  church  muBt  learn  at  the  very  beginning.  Self,  with  its  in- 
vincible habits,  its  self-love,  its  self-indulgence,  antl  its  self-con- 
ceit, must  all  be  attacked.  How  hard  this  is  to  do  is  not  at  first 
manifest,  from  the  fact  that  this  very  indifference  of  the  Laodi- 
cean church  is  the  deplorable  condition  in  which  the  great  mul- 
titude of  men  are  found.  Wherever  such  lukewarniness  exists, 
the  needed  motives  and  impulses  are  asleep.  Feelings,  habits, 
example  of  others— everything  most  cherished  and  longest  in- 
dulged is  against  the  merely  making  of  the  attempt.  Hence, 
even  to  make  a  beginning  requires  an  effort  that  would  be  almost 
desperate.  Moreover,  the  tendency  to  procrastinate  greatly  in- 
creases the  difficulty.  Yet  the  desiderate  efi'ort  to  break  away 
from  the  blighting  indifference  must  be  made.  There  is  no  pos- 
sibility of  avoiding  it.  There  is  no  other  way  to  the  victory.  It 
is  eitlier  the  conquest  of  self,  with  its  dearest,  strongest  and  most 
inveterate  habits  and  feelings;  or  sleep  on,  dream  on,  in  wretched 
stupidity,  until  there  comes  the  crash  of  some  overwhelming  chas- 
tisement, or  the  more  awful  doom  of  utter  and  contemptuous 
reprobation. 

Yet,  hard  as  it  is  for  the  spiritually  lukewarm  to  repent,  awake, 
and  arise  to  new  zeal,  the  effort  need  not  be  a  hoj^eless  one.  The 
contest  with  indifference  of  soul  would  not  be  an  absolutely  des- 
perate one.  Even  that  dreadful  enemy  has  been  overcome  by 
many;  and  what  God  has  enabled  others  to  do  may  surely  be 
done  again  !  It  is  a  struggle  to  which,  in  his  infinite  truth  and 
love,  he  would  not  have  called  his  children,  if  there  \\as  no  pos- 
sibility of  their  success.  If  it  were  impossible,  he  would  not  have 
demanded  it.  Besides,  it  is  a  most  blessed  assurance  of  his,  that 
he  does  himself  stand  ready  to  render  his  own  omnipotence  in 
aid.  Without  him  the  undertaking  would  be  a  desperate  one; 
with  him,  obstacles  would  be  nothing.  It  would  be  the  gratifi- 
cation of  his  loving  heart  to  aid  the  obedient  striver;  it  would 
be  his  glory  to  crown  with  success.  In  this,  as  in  everything 
else,  we  might  triumphantly  exclaim  :  "  If  God  be  for  us,  who 
can  be  against  us?" 

INIoreover,  the  rapture  of  deliverance  from  the  debasement  of 
a  lukewarm  state  would  be  more  than  a  recompense  for  any 
toil  and  self-denial  that  the  effort  might  require.  Oh,  to  be 
free  from  that  enslaving  and  degrading  indifference!  The  an- 
ticipation of  such  joy  is  a  motive  that  might  be  very  urgently 
pressed.    What  a  victory  it  would  be  to  overcome  self,  the  most 


454       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHEONED  KING. 

to  be  dreaded  of  all  foes !  The  very  hardness  of  the  contest  would 
add  to  the  sweetness  and  the  glory  of  victory.  The  joy  of  deliver- 
ance!— the  rapture  it  would  be  to  the  soul  that  was  not  absolutely 
dead!  Who  shall  describe  the  ecstasy  of  life  and  earnestness — 
especially  in  contrast  with  stupid  lukewarmness? 

Such  is  the  overcoming  to  wliich  this  message  calls,  and  to  which 
its  promise  is  made.  It  would  be  the  victory  of  faith,  and  hence 
the  most  glorious  achievement  that  heart  can  conceive.  The  em- 
phasis which  God  himself  lays  on  it  shows  how  unspeakably  great 
it  must  be.  The  greatest  of  all  the  promises  is  attached  to  it,  and 
that  is  evidence  that  it  would  be  the  most  sublime  of  triumphs 
in  his  sight,  as  it  will  also  be  in  the  sight  of  every  creature  that 
possesses  any  of  God's  Spirit. 

13.    THE    LOCAL    PEOMISE. 

It  cannot  but  attract  our  attention  and  excite  our  surprise 
that  this  church,  the  most  displeasing  in  God's  sight  of  the  seven, 
and  to  which  there  is  not  one  word  of  praise,  is  the  one  to  which 
the  greatest  of  all  the  promises  is  made.  This  is  so  contrary  to 
what  we  would  have  expected  that  there  must  have  been  some 
good  reason  for  it.  For  the  present  it  is  sufficient  to  notice  that 
all  the  promises  are  made  to  the  overcoming  in  the  churches, 
and  that  the  faith  which  could  live  and  conquer  in  such  a  blighting 
atmosphere  as  that  of  Laodicea  must  have  been  peculiarly  praise- 
worthy in  God's  esteem.  But  still  further  than  this,  it  is  evident 
that  there  was  a  purpose  to  reveal  the  sympathy  of  our  Lord,  his 
tenderness  and  his  long-suffering,  by  this  message  in  a  pre-eminent 
degree.    This  appears  to  have  been  a  special  design  in  it. 

The  condition  of  the  church  was  one  most  offensive  in  God's 
sight,  and  he  felt  it  most  keenly.  Its  lukewarmness  was  odious 
to  him ;  the  more  so  that  while  both  city  and  church  had  been 
specially  favored,  yet  they  had  treated  him  with  scornful  in- 
difference. Such  indifference  was  worse  than  even  open  hostility, 
inasmuch  as  it  contained  the  intolerable  element  of  contempt.  So 
abominable  was  this  that  the  church  must  ultimately  be  cast  out; 
so  odious  that  it  was  warned  that  it  would  be  rejected  as  an  object 
of  utter  disgust.  Yet,  notwithstanding  this,  the  doom  was  held 
back,  as  if  God's  mercy  could  not  endure  its  infliction.  In  this 
respect  the  message  had  a  peculiarity  diverse  from  all  the  others. 
The  lukewarmness  condemned  was  a  deplorable  element  that  would 
be  so  common  in  all  churches  and  ages  that  it  is  here  made  to  stand 
out  in  contem])tuous  i)re-eminence. 


THE   WRETCHED  ONE.  455 

It  is  very  significant  indeed  that  the  loving  Lord  seemed  so 
reluctant  to  desert  this  church,  or  to  let  the  inevitable  sentence  come 
down  upon  it.  That  he  still  rebukes,  even  when  he  had  threatened, 
shows  that  he  had  not  yet  left  his  people,  and  that  he  could  not 
bear  so  to  do.  The  whole  message  shows  how  loath  he  was  to 
give  them  up.  The  feeling  is  contained  in  his  one  tenderly 
expressed  explanation  :  "  As  many  as  I  love,  I  rebuke  and  chasten." 
He  would  not,  could  not,  abandon  his  dear  people,  even  of  that 
loathsome  church,  until  he  had  made  one  more  effort  to  save  them. 
In  order  to  appreciate  this,  we  must  trace  his  efforts  to  reclaim  the 
church  and  rescue  it  from  the  impending  doom,  before  he  would 
allow  the  dreadful  blow  to  fall  upon  it.  First,  he  threatens  them 
with  utter  rejection  if  they  would  not  repent:  "  I  will  spue  thee  out 
of  my  mouth."  Then  he  counsels  them,  with  infinite  wisdom,  what 
it  was  best  for  them  to  do — that  is,  that  they  should  buy  of  him 
refined  gold,  white  raiment,  and  healing  eyesalve.  Then  he  appeals 
to  them  in  a  pitying  exhortation:  "Be  zealous,  therefore,  and 
repent."  Then  he  exijlains  to  them  that  his  language  of  apparent 
severity  was  not  addressed  to  them  in  wrath,  but  in  compassion  for 
their  wretched  condition  of  indifference  and  danger:  "As  many  as 
I  love,  I  rebuke  and  chasten."  Then  he  declares  himself  as 
determined  to  save  them,  if  they  only  will  be  saved:  "Behold, 
I  stand  at  the  door"  of  your  hearts,  unwilling  to  leave  you.  Then 
he  does  all  that  is  at  all  likely  to  awaken  them  to. a  sense  of  their 
danger:  he  knocks.  Then  he  offers  to  come  back  to  them — to  come 
in  to  them,  if  they  will  only  open  the  door  of  their  hearts  to  his 
overtures.  Then  he  makes  to  them  the  crowning  offer  of  full  par- 
don and  cordial  reconciliation,  in  the  figurative  words:  "I  will  come 
in  to  him,  and  will  sup  with  him,  and  he  with  me."  It  is  wonder- 
ful how  anxious  their  compassionate  Lord  is  to  rescue  thein  from 
the  threatened  doom.  Before  spuing  out  that  loathsome  church, 
he  would  try  every  expedient  to  reclaim  them.  A  people  so 
much  beloved  once,  and,  we  must  suppose,  so  loving  in  return, 
he  could  not  bear  to  give  up  to  such  a  horrid  doom.  He  yearned 
over  that  church,  once  so  dear  to  him,  with  the  tenderest  affection, 
and  would  not  repudiate  her,  if  it  seemed  possible  that  she  could 
be  saved. 

How  tender  these  words  of  his :  "  I  stand  at  the  door  and  knock  " 
—knock  repeatedly,  and,  we  may  suppose,  the  more  earnestly  as  the 
moment  for  forbearance  to  end  drew  nearer.  He  does  not  merely 
stand  waiting  with  diminishing  hope,  but  makes  use  of  the  means 
that  are  most  likely  to  affect  and  to  rescue  them.    He  knocks,  first 


456  INAUGUKAL  OF  THE  ENTHROInED    KING. 

using  one  method  and  then  another,  so  that  nothing  might  remain 
untried.  Hence  it  is  that  arousing  calls  to  churches  are  sometimes 
made  by  revivals  and  other  favorable  events.  Sometimes  he  sum- 
mons churches  by  allowing  spiritual  leanness  to  come  upon  them, 
and  wretched  strifes  and  divisions  to  prevail.  Sometimes  he  knocks 
at  the  hearts  of  individuals  by  suffering  alarming  and  painful 
accidents,  and  sickness,  and  sorrows  and  disappointments,  and 
family  and  other  troubles.  Sometimes  he  would  arouse  by  the 
gracious  influences  of  the  Holy  Ghost  on  the  ordinances  of  the 
sanctuary,  and  especially  at  the  Lord's  Supper.  Soujetimes  his 
moving  appeals  are  through  some  unusual  impressions  on  the  mind 
by  which  it  is  unexpectedly  and  deeply  moved.  The  whole  of  this 
message,  whenever  read  or  heard,  is  such  a  sermon  to  whomsoever  it 
may  come. 

Most  appropriately  has  an  earnest  writer  depicted  this  knock- 
ing of  Christ:  "  By  his  word:  pressed  upon  you  in  early  childhood 
by  Christian  parents,  friends,  teachers,  pastors;  or,  in  later  life, 
pondered  in  the  solitude  of  your  closet.  By  his  providence:  pre- 
serving life  and  health,  or  sending  sickness;  supplying  every 
want,  directing  all  your  ways,  protecting  from  danger,  giving 
friends,  and  removing  them— in  each  case  for  your  good.  By  his 
Spirit:  awakening,  convicting,  reproving,  melting,  leading  others 
around  you  to  repentance,  pardon,,  and  peace;  convincing  you 
that  you  have  only  to  accept  the  proffered  mercy  to  be  blessed." 
The  pious  Bev.  Henry  Blunt  has  also  presented  the  subject  in 
these  words:  "Look  back  to  that  season,  when,  infancy  and 
childhood  over,  you  became  a  man  and  put  away  childish  things: 
Christ  was  there  again,  in  the  mid-day  of  life,  knocking,  oh  how 
loudly!  by  some  warning  providence,  some  awakening  word,  some 
providential  recovery  from  illness,  or  some  escape  from  danger, 
some  spiritual  conviction.  Again  he  was  refused  admittance. 
And  now^  it  is  evening  with  you;  you  cannot  disgui.'^e  the  fact: 
morning,  mid-day,  afternoon  are  all  past,  and  the  lengthened 
shadows  of  evening  will  force  themselves  upon  your  observation. 
Yes,  it  is  evening  with  you,  and  to-day  he  is  once  more  there, 
beseeching  you  to  admit  him,  by  all  the  great  and  affecting  truths 
that  have  been  set  before  you ;  by  the  table  spread  for  you,  upon 
which  you  have  so  often  turned  your  back ;  by  his  invitations  sent 
to  you,  which  you  have  so  often  disregarded ;  by  his  ministers 
pleading  with  you  which  you  have  so  long  neglected ;  nay,  more, 
by  his  agony  and  bloody  sweat,  by  his  cross  and  passion,  by  his 
precious  death  and  burial,  by  his  glorious  resurrection,  he  is  this 


THE  WRETCHED  OXE.  457 

day  knocking  for  admittance— anxious,  most  anxious,  that  you 
should  open  to  him,  that  he  should  come  in  to  you,  and  sup  with 
you,  and  you  with  him,  before  the  night  conieth,  and  he  with- 
draws himself  for  ever,  a  slighted  visitor,  a  rejected  suitor,  an 
insulted  guest." 

The  same  tender  yearning  of  our  Lord  over  his  Church  is  touch- 
ingly  expressed  in  the  Canticles:  "I  sleep,  but  my  heart  waketh; 
it  is  the  voice  of  my  beloved  that  knocketh,  saying,  '  Open  to  me, 
my  sister,  my  love,  my  dove,  my  undefiled ;  for  my  head  is  filled 
with  dew,  and  my  locks  with  the  drops  of  the  night.'  '  I  have  put 
off  my  coat;  how  shall  I  put  it  on?  I  have  washed  my  feet;  how 
shall  I  defile  them  ?' I  opened  to  my  beloved ;  but  my  be- 
loved had  withdrawn  hinjself,  and  was  gone ;  my  soul  failed  when 
he  spake;  I  sought  him,  but  I  could  not  find  him;  I  called  him, 
but  he  gave  me  no  answer."  This  deep  compassion  of  our  loving 
Lord  is  ever  the  same — in  the  song  of  the  royal  poet,  in  the  mes- 
sage of  Patmos,  and  at  the  present  hour!  Undoubtedly  the  illus- 
tration here  is  taken  from  tlie  Song  of  Solomon,  and  exactly  sets 
forth  Christ's  mode  of  dealing  with  men.  Not  only  does  he  wait 
for  them  ;  he  comes  to  seek  them.  Instead  of  demanding  that 
w^e  should  knock  at  his  door,  he  knocks  at  ours.  He  searches 
for  the  straying  sheep,  and  reverses  the  whole  relation  which  we 
might  have  expected.  He  calls  as  well  as  knocks,  that  the  sheep 
may  bear  his  voice,  and  may  know  who  it  is  that  seeks  admission 
to  their  hearts. 

This  is  but  one  out  of  innumerable  instances  contained  in  the 
Sacred  Book  which  allude  to  the  indescribable  affection  and  for- 
bearance of  our  gracious  Saviour.  The  thought  burned  in  the  heart 
of  President  Edwards,  that  greatest  of  American  divines,  and  he 
thus  wrote  of  it:  "'Behold,  I  stand  at  the  door,  and  knock.' 
Christ  condescends  not  only  to  call  you  to  him,  but  he  comes  to 
you;  he  comes  to  your  door  and  there  knocks.  He  might  send  an 
officer  and  seize  you  as  a  rebel  and  vile  malefactor;  but,  instead 
of  tliat,  he  comes  and  knocks  at  your  door,  and  seeks  that  you 
would  receive  him  into  your  home,  as  your  Friend  and  Saviour. 
And  he  not  only  knocks  at  your  door,  but  he  stands  there  waiting, 
while  you  are  backward  and  unwilling.  And  not  only  so,  but  he 
makes  promises  what  he  will  do  for  you,  if  you  will  admit  him— 
what  privileges  he  will  admit  you  to :  he  will  sup  with  you,  and 
you  with  him." 

The  object  of  such  earnest  appeal  to  the  lukewarm  Laodiceans 
was  to  get  them  to  open  the  door  of  their  hearts  to  receive  him 


458       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

as  their  reconciled  friend.  He  wanted  to  secure  tlieir  confidence 
in  him  as  willing  to  pardon  and  forget  their  unworthy  treatment 
of  him.  If  they  would  only  give  tlieir  heart's  confidence  and 
affections  to  him,  all  would  be  well.  What  stood  in  the  way? 
What  was  there  which  kept  the  door  so  firmly  closed  against 
him — and  probably  against  him  only?  W^hat  consequently  must 
be  removed  for  his  admittance?  The  world  barred  the  door — 
that  must  be  taken  away.  Self-conceit  and  pride  barred  the 
door — these  must  go.  Sloth  barred  the  door — tliat  must  be  torn 
away,  even  though  it  should  require  a  desperate  struggle  to  do 
it.  The  greatest  bar  of  all,  however,  was  indifference,  lukewarm- 
ness— it  must  go,  or  Christ  would  not,  could  not,  come  in.  The 
whole  heart  must  be  opened  to  Jesus,  if  he  would  be  admitted 
to  rescue  that  soul  that  is  in  such  imminent  peril  of  utter  rejection 
and  ruin.  He  must  be  welcomed;  for  he  will  not  force  himself 
in,  even  though  his  infinite  compassion  is  yearning  over  the  soul 
that  he  would  save. 

More  marvelous  still  it  is  that  God  not  only  offers  to  spare  this 
wretched  church,  to  pardon  their  loathsome  indifference,  and  to 
avert  the  threatened  doom,  but  shows  himself  willing  to  receive 
them  back  into  the  most  cordial  friendship.  "  I  will  sup  with 
him,"  is  the  strong  figurative  Oriental  expression  he  uses  in  mak- 
ing that  offer.  Even  though  they  had  lapsed  into  such  guilty 
indifference  toward  him  that  they  cared  nothing  about  him  or 
his  offered  mercy,  yet  would  he  overlook  all,  sink  their  loathed 
unconcern  into  oblivion,  and  receive  them  back  with  open  arms. 
Though  the  miserable  church  had  become  disgustingly  lukewarm, 
he  would  still  receive  back  any  of  its  penitent  members,  and  deal 
with  them  as  old  and  well-tried  and  trusted  friends.  Even  though 
the  church,  as  such,  should  give  no  heed  to  him,  and  add  another 
and  even  worse  insult,  by  ignoring  this  offer,  if  even  a  few  of  its 
members,  or  even  one  of  them,  would  receive  him,  he  would 
come  in  to  that  one;  for  he  declares:  '•'■If  any  man  hear  my  voice, 
and  open  the  door,  I  will  come  in  to  him."  This  we  regard  as  the 
most  important  practical  point  of  all,  and  we  would  lay  upon  it 
the  strongest  emphasis. 

"I  will  sup  with  him,  and  he  with  me."  The  offer  is  that  of  a 
feast,  sealing  the  pardon  and  assuring  of  the  most  cordial  friend- 
ship. "  I  will  sup  with  him,"  in  testimony  that  all  his  past  offenses 
are  blotted  out  and  cast  into  the  depths  of  oblivion.  Not  a  word 
of  reproach  for  his  former  base  ingratitude  will  he  hear;  not  a  syl- 
lable of  censure;   nothing  to  bx-ing  a  blush  to  his  cheek  because 


THE  WRETCHED  ONE.  459 

of  his  ingratitude.  "And  lie  with  me"— in  evidence  that  his 
very  heart  and  feelings  are  changed,  and  that  his  confidence  iu 
me  is  established.  It  will  be  a  feast  of  unutterable  joy  over  the 
perfect  reconciliation,  as  their  hearts  shall  thrill  with  the  bliss 
of  restored  life  and  love.  Oh  that  joy!  who  shall  describe  its 
rapture  ? 

A  beautiful  thought  concerning  the  scene  suggested  by  this  pas- 
sage is  contained  in  the  excellent  little  volume  on  the  messages  by 
Professor  Pluniptre.  We  may  "ask  whether  such  a  scene  as  that 
which  this  verse  brings  before  us  may  not  often  have  presented 
itself  in  John's  (the  writer)  own  actual  exioerience?  Think  of  the 
day's  work  over,  the  sick  healed  and  the  poor  taught,  and  then 
the  Master,  after  his  manner,  leaves  the  shouts  of  the  crowd  and 
the  stir  of  the  town,  and  withdraws  into  some  solitary  place  to 
hold  communion  with  his  Father.  Meantime  the  disciple  is  at 
home  in  his  lonely  chamber  in  the  cottage  at  Bethsaida,  or  the 
lodging  at  Capernaum,  watching,  not  sleeping,  waiting  for  the 
return  of  Him  in  whose  presence  he  found  life;  postponing  till 
then  the  simple  meal  with  which  the  day  habitually  closed.  And 
then,  as  he  watches,  there  is  the  distant  sound  of  footfall ;  and 
then  He,  the  expected  Friend,  stands  at  the  door  and  knocks; 
and  then  the  voice,  so  familiar  in  its  gentle  sweetness,  tells  him 
who  it  is;  and  then  he  rises,  and  the  door  is  opened,  and  the 
Friend  enters:  the  Son  of  man,  who  had  not  where  to  lay  his 
head,  finds  shelter  under  his  disciple's  roof.  He  comes  first  as  a 
guest,  and  sits  down  to  sup  with  the  disciple — who  thus,  as  a 
host,  receives  him.  But  soon  the  places  are  changed,  and  he 
takes,  as  it  were,  the  place  that  of  right  belongs  to  him.  He 
blesses  and  breaks  the  bread  and  gives  thanks  over  the  cup  of 
wine.  He  is  now  guest  no  longer,  but  host:  the  disciple  sups 
with  him."  All  is  most  graphic  in  this  passage,  all  is  blissful 
in  the  associations,  and  all  is  deeply  significant:  "The  door  is  no 
sooner  open,  but  Christ  comes  in  and  sups  with  the  sinner.  His 
coming  in  denotes  our  union  to  him;  his  supping,  our  communion 
with  him — imperfect  on  earth,  complete  in  heaven.  There  is  a 
mutual,  sweet,  and  intimate  communion  with  Christ  and  believers 
here  on  earth.  There  will  be  a  perfect,  complete,  and  uninterrupted 
communion  wath  him  in  heaven,  when  they  shall  ever  be  with  the 
Lord." 

This  whole  message  is  such  an  exhibition  of  the  long-suffering 
of  our  blessed  Lord  as  is  hardly  to  be  found  in  any  other  portion 
of  Scripture.    His  pardoning  mercy  is  so  full  and  perfect  that  we 


4G0       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

can  hardly  conceive  liow  any/thing  could  go  beyond  it.  The  un- 
speakable compassion  and  forbearance  of  our  gracious  Lord  is 
the  heavenly  thread  which  runs  through  and  binds  together  every, 
element  of  this  precious  message  from  the  throne  of  God.  Oh, 
what  shall  be  thought  or  said  to  awaken  our  deeper  attention  to 
that  which  is  the  very  life  and  soul  of  the  message !  In  one  com- 
prehensive view  let  us  survey  the  whole,  and  so  strive  for  a  more 
adequate  impression  of  that  gracious  Lord  witli  wliom  we  have 
to  do.  Behold  we,  then,  that  fallen  church  as  the  wretched  one, 
disgustingly  indifferent,  loathsome  in  God's  sight,  and  so  odious 
that  a  doom  of  utter  reprobation  hangs  over  it:  the  tender  heart 
of  the  exalted  Redeemer  yearning  over  it  with  divine  compassion, 
lingering,  counseling,  arguing,  pleading  to  be  admitted  to  its  con- 
fidence, promising  to  spare  it,  if  only  he  would  be  permitted  to 
do  so;  and  then  describing  the  fullness  of  the  pardon  he  would 
grant,  the  joy  of  the  fellowship  that  would  follow,  and  the  feast 
of  immortal  blessedness  they  would  then  enjoy,  even  with  him- 
self as  Friend  and  Guest.  More  than  this  could  not  be  said  or 
done. 

14.   GENERAL   PROMISE. 

"To  him  that  overcometh  will  I  grant  to  sit  with  me  in  my 
throne,  even  as  I  also  overcame,  and  am  set  down  with  my  Father 
in  his  throne."  This  is  the  final  and  grandest  promise  of  the  seven. 
Its  words  are  weighty  and  suggestive.  It  is  the  last  of  the  seven 
general  promises ;  and  as  the  apocalypse  of  celestial  things  draws  to 
a  close  its  words  grow  more  and  more  solemn.  Not  only  is  it  the 
last  of  the  seven  promises,  but  it  is  also  so  constructed  as  to  embody 
in  itself  the  substance  of  all  the  rest.  In  it  the  climax  of  God's 
engagements  to  his  Church,  had  in  view  from  the  first,  is  reached 
in  a  sublimity  the  elements  of  which  are  gatliered  from  them  all. 
"Step  by  step  the  promises  have  advanced  until  a  height  is  reached 
than  which  no  higher  can  be  conceived."  Higher  than  this  the 
imagination  of  man  cannot  soar.  Says  Tristram :  "  We  have  here 
the  crowning  triumph  beyond  which  there  can  be  nothing  further 
of  dignity  or  of  blessing,  for  the  sunmiit  has  been  reached — the 
very  presence  of  Plim  who  sits  upon  the  throne;  not  only  within 
reach  of  him  at  all  times,  but  as  it  were,  leaning  on  his  breast." 
"To  him  that  overcometh  will  I  grant  to  !iit  with  me  in  my 
throne." 

Marvelous  indeed  it  is  that  this  highest  and  most  sublime 
promise  is  made  to  the  worst  church  of  the  seven.  It  was  the 
most  worthless  and    ignoble  of  them  all.      It  was  contemptible 


THE  WRETCHED  ONE.  461 

as  compared  with  all  that  was  pure  and  exalted.  In  God's  eyes 
it  was  absolutely  loathsome— so  that,  as  it  then  was,  it  could  no 
longer  be  tolerated.  Yet  this  degraded  and  contemptible  church 
was  the  one  to  whicli  the  most  exalted  i^romise  was  solemnly 
engaged. 

To  maintain  an  earnest  Christian  life  in  the  midst  of  such  a 
blighting  atmosphere  as  that  of  lukewarm  Laodicea  must  have 
been  a  praiseworthy  thing  in  the  sight  of  a  loving  God.  To 
have  heeded  the  summons  of  the  ascended  Redeemer,  acknow- 
ledged the  obligations  to  divine  grace,  and  broken  away  from 
the  pestiferous  influences  of  this  abode  of  spiritual  indifference 
was  to  manifest  a  state  of  soul  which,  we  may  easily  understand, 
would  bring  down  the  divine  blessing.  Hence  the  pre-eminently 
rich  promise  was  made  to  the  spiritual  heroes  of  Laodicea.  More- 
over, we  can  easily  see  how  such  sublime  engagements  to  a  people 
who  had  fallen  so  low  must  have  magnified  the  grace  of  Him  from 
whom  they  came.  From  none  but  the  God  of  pardons  could  such 
peerless  mercy  have  issued. 

To  such  believing  and  penitent  souls  of  the  lukewarm  church 
as  would  thus  listen  to  the  heavenly  call  would  the  Lord  of  the 
kingdom  ynmt  to  sit  down  with  him  in  his  throne.  The  word 
grant— or  gr/re,  rather — is  not  used  here  simply  because  it  happens  to 
be  a  convenient  one,  but  because  there  is  profound  significance 
in  its  use,  as  there  is  in  every  other  word  in  the  connection.  He 
would  not  enrich  them  with  this  surpassingly  great  blessing  as 
a  reward  for  their  obedience  and  sacrifices.  He  would  bestow 
it  on  them  as  a  free  gift.  The  blessings  promised  were  of  such 
infinite  value  that  no  creature,  nor  all  creatures  put  together,  had 
any  price  that  was  sufficient  to  pay  for  them.  Nothing  that 
creatures  could  give  or  do  would  enrich  God.  No  price,  merits, 
or  penances  could  be  received  by  him  as  equivalents.  It  is  blas- 
phemous as  well  as  absurd  to  suppose  that  we  can  do  anything  to 
make  the  Lord  of  all  worlds  our  debtor.  This  highest  of  all 
blessings  will  our  liOrd  give  to  the  beloved  objects  of  his  grace,  as 
the  best  conceivable  way  of  making  known  the  infinite  value  of 
the  sufferings  he  endured  in  our  stead. 

^^  Sit  with  Me  in  my  throne."  Every  word  here  is  golden, 
and  we  can  touch  but  the  outward  borders  of. the  infinite  glory 
that  is  involved.  We  may  conceive  of  the  rapture  of  that  mo- 
ment when  the  saint — all  sinning,  suffering,  trials  and  doubts 
being  over — shall  enter  into  the  realization  of  the  bliss  of  the 
place  which  our  Lord  has  prepared  for  all  of  his  followers.    He 


462       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

shall  sit— no  longer  in  the  posture  of  waiting  and  hoping,  but 
in  the  full  recognization  that  he  is  at  home  in  heaven.  He  is 
in  heaven,  to  go  out  no  more,  but  "sits  down"  in  his  home 
for  the  everlasting  ages.  He  is  permitted  to  sit  down  as  a  trophy 
of  his  Lord's  redeeming  work,  while  millions  upon  millions 
even  of  the  holy  ones  stand  around  the  celestial  King.  With 
no  doubting  or  shamefaced ness  does  he  take  up  his  abode  there; 
for  his  right  thereto  is  by  inheritance  secured  through  his  all- 
worthy  and  all-prevalent  Friend  and  Redeemer. 

We  cannot  but  feel  amazed  and  staggered  at  appropriating  to 
ourselves  the  divine  words,  "Sit  down  ivith  Me,  in  mfj  throne." 
What  sublime  mystery  is  there  in  these  words  ?  It  is  the  Son 
of  man  who  speaks— and  says,  "my  throne!"  Sit  down  on  his 
throne!  become  sharers  of  his  own  peculiar  glory!  The  saints 
"are,  in  some  sense  which  we  cannot  as  yet  fathom,  made 
'partakers  of  the  divine  nature,'  sharers  in  the  holiness,  the 
wisdom,  and  the  love,  and  therefore  in  the  glory  and  the  majesty 
which  have  been  from  everlasting."  Amazing  is  the  thought ! 
Take  a  seat  on  his  throne — the  centre  of  celestial  glory;  exalted 
to  the  place  of  supreme  honor,  and  glory,  and  dominion — with 
him — as  monuments  to  be  seen  by  every  celestial  eye!  We 
dare  not  attempt  to  fatlioni  the  transcendent  mystery  of  that 
"with  Me,  in  my  throne,"  and  that  the  more  as  we  reflect  on 
the  unfathomable  depths  of  his  mediatorial  glory  depicted  by 
the  inspired  pen— "which  he  (the  Father)  wrought  in  Christ, 
when  he  raised  him  from  the  dead,  and  set  him  at  his  own 
right  hand  in  the  heavenly  places,  far  above  all  principality, 
and  power,  and  might,  and  dominion,  and  every  name  that  is 
named,  not  only  in  this  world,  but  also  in  that  which  is  to 
come;  and  hath  put  all  things  under  his  feet,  and  gave  him 
to  be  Head  over  all  things  to  the  Church."  Such  is  the  supreme 
throne  to  a  place  in  which,  in  this  promise,  he  engages  to  raise 
his  faithful  followers  and  share  with  them. 

That  supreme  throne,  of  which  our  Lord  speaks  here  as  else- 
where: where  is  it?  and  what  is  it?  Concerning  this,  at  most 
we  receive  but  hints  and  far-away  glances.  Perhaps  we  could 
not  understand,  if  more  were  revealed.  What  especially  does 
he  here  mean  when  he  fli'st  speaks  of  his  own,  and  then  of  his 
Fatlier's  throne?  Are  they  different,  or  are  they  the  same,  only 
covered  with  special  lustre  as  the  reward  of  his  mediatorial 
achievement?  Is  this  one,  first  promised,  liis  medUdorial  throne  f 
We  can  only  wonder,  adore,  and  wait.    What  we  do  know  with 


THE  WRETCHED  ONE.  463 

certainty  is  that  his  tlirone  is  the  centre  and  symbol  of  his  majesty, 
his  glory,  his  power,  and  his  dominion,  and  of  his  eternal  felicity. 
That  throne  is  his  by  purchase,  by  covenant,  and  by  everlasting 
decree  of  the  adorable  Godhead.  It  is  the  centre  of  his  glory, 
the  home  of  the  unfallen  as  well  as  of  the  ransomed  myriads  who 
for  ever  and  for  ever  bow  before  him.  This  we  know  distinctly ; 
but  all  else  is  so  much  enveloped  in  the  glory  which  no  eye 
can  penetrate,  that  it  would  be  presumption  for  us  to  attempt 
to  dfaw  any  nearer. 

There  is,  however,  one  mystery  covering  this  Messianic  throne, 
upon  which  it  is  our  privilege  to  gaze.  It  is  the  mystery  alluded 
to  in  this  connection:  "even  as  I  also  overcame,  and  am  set  down 
with  my  Father  in  his  throne."  In  some  sublime  way  this  Mes- 
sianic throne  of  the  Son  of  God  is  the  result,  or  reward,  of  Ids 
conquest  over  sin  and  death  and  the  jDrince  of  the  powers  of 
this  world.  How  or  why  this  was,  we  would  not  ask ;  but  the 
fact  we  receive,  and  would  allow  it  to  lead  us  into  the  contem- 
plation of  new  mysteries.  It  was  a  most  important  and  sublime 
event  amid  the  divine  counsels,  inasmuch  as  our  Lord  very  often, 
as  here,  alludes  to  it.  It  was  to  be  the  great  comfort  of  the  Church  ; 
for  our  Lord,  amid  his  parting  words  to  his  followers,  cheers  them 
with  it:  "In  the  world  ye  shall  have  tribulation;  but  be  of  good 
cheer;  I  have  overcome  the  world." 

That  throne  is  evermore  exalted  before  the  universe  as  the  great 
reward  to  Christ  given  to  him  in  recompense  for  the  humiliation 
of  Calvary.  First  that  humiliation  is  depicted  in  the  passage  end- 
ing: "and  being  found  in  fashion  as  a  man,  he  humbled  himself, 
and  become  obedient  unto  death,  even  the  death  of  the  cross," 
Then  follows  the  sublimity  of  his  recompense :  "  Wherefore  God 
also  hath  highly  exalted  him,  and  given  him  a  name  which  is 
above  every  name:  that  at  the  name  of  Jesus  every  knee  should 
bow,  of  things  in  heaven,  and  things  in  earth,  and  things  under 
the  earth ;  and  that  every  tongue  should  confess  that  Jesus  Christ 
is  Lord,  to  the  glory  of  God  the  Father."  From  this  we  see  that 
Christ,  after  his  sublime  achievement  of  triumphing  over  all  evil, 
and  rescuing  the  lost  race  of  mankind,  was  exalted,  in  consequence 
thereof,  to  a  seat  of  supreme  glory  on  the  Father's  throne.  This 
was  the  throne  of  the  Godhead  from  eternity.  We  may  not  at- 
tempt to  distinguish  or  describe  these  thrones;  but  we  gather  up 
glimpses  caught  here  and  there  in  other  portions  of  the  divine 
Word. 

From  these  we  see    in  this  majestic  object,  the    Great  White 


4G4       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

Throne— the  very  name  of  which  has  a  heavenly  charm— the 
seat  of  tlie  Deity,  around  which  all  the  potentates  of  glory  as- 
semble and  bow  in  adoring  reverence;  the  centre  of  the  high- 
est majesty,  created  or  uncreated;  the  core  of  the  brightest  man^ 
ifestations  of  the  Godhead ;  the  gathering-place  of  all  the  trophies 
of  redemption  from  every  land  and  age;  the  scene  of  the  sub- 
limest  worship  of  angels  and  archangels,  of  cherubim  and  sera- 
phim, and  at  the  radiant  footstool  of  which  kneel  the  messengers 
who  soar  afar  through  the  universe,  bearing  the  mandates  o^'the 
Supreme  Ruler.  It  is  the  centre  of  all  glory,  and  power,  and 
dominion,  and  life  celestial.  Astronomy  tells  us  of  one  central 
star  in  the  midst  of  the  celestial  firmament,  around  which  roll 
in  sublime  orbits  all  the  myriads  of  the  heavenly  bodies,  some 
of  them  requiring  centuries  to  complete  their  circuits.  How  flit 
an  illustration  is  this  of  God's  central  throne! — and  who  can 
tell  but  this  central  one  of  the  starry  worlds  is  of  a  truth  the 
seat  of  that  awful  glory  ? 

To  a  place  on  that  throne  the  Son  of  man  tells  us  he  was 
exalted  after  his  stupendous  achievement  on  earth ;  and  that 
according  to  his  gracious  purpose  he  will  in  like  manner  exalt 
the  faithful  in  trials  to  his  own  Messianic  throne.  We  wonder 
what  this  indescribable  glory  is  to  be.  As  we  are  now,  we  shall 
never  be  able  to  tell  fully.  Still,  this  much  we  do  know:  that 
as  his  sorely  tried  but  faithful  followers  were  identified  with  him 
in  conflict  and  suffering,  so  also  will  they  be  in  triumph— that  as 
his  exaltation  was  the  more  sublime  because  of  previous  trials, 
so  also  shall  theirs  be — that  he  intends  them  to  be  one  with  him 
both  in  humiliation  and  glory — that  the  ransomed  conquerors  shall 
have  no  blush  of  shame  over  the  past  as  they  take  an  honored  place 
on  the  thnjne — that  they  also  shall  wear  a  crown  of  victory  like  that 
which  shall  be  on  his  head — and  that  in  all  things  they  shall  be  like 
their  adorable  Lord. 

This  whole  most  wonderful  promise  having  passed  in  review 
before  us,  we  may  now  take  a  glance  at  it  as  a  whole  in  order 
that  we  may  obtain  a.  deeper  impression  of  its  marvelously  com- 
prehensive character,  as  well  as  its  unsearchable  riches.  We  have 
said  that  not  one  word,  or  shade  of  thought,  in  it  should  be  passed 
over  carelessly:  we  can  now  see  what  this  means.  In  this  single 
verse,  and  that  on  its  very  surface,  there  are  seven  distinct  items, 
on  each  of  which  a  whole  volume  might  be  written.  As  a  mat- 
ter of  deep  and  curious  interest  we  may  run  these  over  in  review. 
(1)  This  richest  of  Bible  promises  as  to  the  future  glory  is  to  be 


THE  WRETCHED  ONE.  465 

conferred  by  our  exalted  Lord  as  a  gratuity,  not  as  a  reward  or 
pay  for  services — "I  will  grant  [give  in  the  original]  to  sit  with 
me  in  my  throne."  (2)  It  will  be  bestowed  only  on  those  who 
overcome  in  the  earthly  conflict:  "To  him  that  overcometh." 
(3)  The  conquerors  will  "sit  down"  in  glory  after  the  fatigues 
of  the  strife,  and  to  stay  there  for  evermore.  (4)  The  place  of 
this  blessed  reward  will  be  in  (not  o?i)  the  Messianic  throne— in 
the  midst  of  it,  as  partakers  of  the  glory,  and  power,  and  domin- 
ion. (5)  This  supreme  and  everlasting  exaltation  will  be  on  a  throne, 
emblematic  of  majesty,  and  glory,  and  dominion.  (G)  This  throne 
will  be  Christ's  own  special.  Messianic  throne,  enriched  as  the  in- 
finite reward  of  his  humiliation  on  earth:  "  J/y  throne."  (7)  All 
this  will  be  after  the  pattern  and  in  consequence  of  Christ's  own 
conquest  and  session  on  the  Father's  everlasting  throne  of  glory: 
"as  I  also  overcame,  and  am  set  down  with  my  Father  in  his 
throne."  ^ 

Contemplate  with  adoring  rapture  the  blissful  future  which  this 
promise  opens  up  to  us  after  the  present  struggles  with  indifference 
and  all  other  evils  shall  be  over.  All  these  things,  now  received  on 
God's  covenant  engagement,  are  soon  to  be  sublime  realities.  These 
words  were  uttered  by  the  lips  of  our  loving  Lord  of  infinite  truth. 
In  the  whole  universe,  what  can  be  more  firmly  reliable  than  is  this 
engagement  to  us  of  our  dear  Redeemer?  After  all  that  we  have 
said,  or  read,  or  imagined,  or  can  imagine,  the  reality  will  go 
infinitely  beyond.  It  is  said:  "Eye  hath  not  seen,  nor  ear  heard, 
neither  have  entered  into  the  heart  of  man  to  conceive,  the 
things  which  God  hath  prepared  for  them  that  love  him."  What 
is  revealed  to  us  is  transporting  in  the  very  thought;  but  even 
all  that  is  only  the  radiance  of  the  glory  the  substance  of  w4iich  we 
ca*inot  see  as  yet.  Truthfully  may  we  rejoice  in  the  language . 
of  one  of  the  most  devout  of  modern  commentators:  "  Only  in  such 
a  loving  heart  as  that  of  God  could  such  a  promise  originate, 
and  an  eternity  will  be  required  to  comprehend  by  slow  degrees  its 
full  import.  Then  open  the  door  wide,  so  that  nothing  may  bar 
entrance  witliin.  And  '  overcome.'  The  crown  is  a  thousand-fold 
worthy  of  the  struggle,  and  he  who  holds  it  forth  stands  with  us." 

15.   THE    CITY    NOW. 

In  attempting  to  describe  this  old  city  and  church  as  they  are  at 

the  i)resent  time  there  is  very  little  to  be  said,  because  the  one  sad 

characteristic  of  utter  ruin  and  desolation  absorbs  all  else.    Ruins, 

and  the  ruined  Turkish  name,  Ladik,  are  all  that  are  found  to  iden- 

30 


466       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

tify  it  with  the  old  city.  Ladik,  part  of  the  old  word  Laodicea,  is 
the  name  given  by  the  Turks;  but  Eski-Hissar,  or  the  "  Old  Castle" 
(probably  from  some  old  Moslem  or  Roman  fortification)  is  the 
name  which  is  generally  applied  to  it.  It  is  not  now  a  town 
or  even  a  smallest  hamlet,  but  a  mere  wilderness  of  desola- 
tion ;  wliile  about  four  miles  from  it  there  is  a  large  village 
called  Denizli.  The  region  around  is  still  an  important  wool-grow- 
ing centre ;  and  there  are,  even  yet,  noted  warm  baths  in  the 
neighborliood  which  attract  visitors.  These  are  all  that  give 
any  modern  importance  to  that  wide  waste  of  ruins  lying  up  in 
the  heart  of  the  head-waters  of  the  Meander. 

These  ruins,  however,  are  what  chiefly  interest  us  in  tracing 
the  history  of  the  place.  Though  they  are  spread  over  six  or 
seven  little  hills  for  miles  in  every  direction  and  cover  acres 
of  ground,  there  is  not  one  Christian  inhabitant  to  be  found 
there;  most  deeply  significant,  there  is  not  one  human  being 
of  any  kind  who  resides  in  the  desolate  spot.  Wandering  gypsies 
occasionally  pitch  their  tents  amid  the  desolations;  a  traveler 
sometimes  visits  it,  and  stone-cutters  pass  their  days  there  at  their 
work;  but  not  one  resident  lives  there.  Eagles  soar  over  it,  foxes, 
wolves  and  jackals  sneak  through  its  hiding-places,  snakes  crawl 
amid  its  ruins,  but  no  other  living  things  make  it  their  home. 
Stone-cutters  work  there  through  the  day,  but  at  night  they  return 
to  their  homes  in  the  village  of  Denizli ;  for  some  strange  supersti- 
tion broods  over  the  place  which  banishes  them  when  the  darkness 
settles  down.  Like  the  jackals  they  are  instruments  of  destruction, 
for  their  business  is  to  cut  up  and  smash  the  blocks  of  splendid 
marble  fragments  that  still  remain,  to  shape  them  into  grave- 
stones, or  search  them  for  supposed  enclosed  treasure,  or  even  turn 
them  into  lime. 

The  characteristic  which  pre-eminently  marks  the  whole  site 
where  the  city  once  stood  is  that  of  a  wild  confusion  of  ruins  and 
debris.  Among  these  it  is  not  difficult  to  distinguish  the  remains 
of  at  least  three  vast  theatres,  of  an  immense  amphitheatre  capable 
of  seating  twenty-five  thousand  spectators,  of  odeons,  gymnasiums, 
of  a  circus,  and  of  other  vast  buildings.  One  class  of  ruins  is  the 
most  conspicuous  of  all,  namely,  the  vast  lines  of  aqueducts,  with 
arches  sometimes  whole  and  sometimes  broken,  which  conveyed  a 
water-supply  from  the  surrounding  mountains.  These  stupendous 
remains  are  the  more  noticeable  from  the  fact  that  the  local  springs 
are  impregnated  with  sulphur,  and  consequently  pure  water  must 
have  been  brought  to  the  city  from  a  considerable  distance. 


THE  WRETCHED  ONE.  467 

It  is  easy  for  us  to  picture  to  ourselves  the  scene  which  so  many 
intelligent  and  trustworthy  travelers  have  described.  We  look 
around  and  behold  a  wilderness  of  ruins.  On  every  side  of  us 
there  is  a  dreary  region  of  shapeless  remains.  Here  are  immense 
fragments  of  broken  columns;  here  vast  masses  of  beautiful 
cornices;  here  huge  pieces  of  splendid  capitals;  and  here  enor- 
mous blocks  of  elegantly  carved  friezes— all  of  pure  marble  and 
all  scattered  in  formless  confusion.  Says  Dr.  Hamilton:  "The 
whole  area  of  the  ancient  city  is  covei;ed  with  ruined  build- 
ings." Says  Emerson:  "Interspersed  with  these  are  the  ves- 
tiges of  ruined  walls,  arches,  inscribed  slabs  of  stone,  fallen  col- 
umns, and  sarcophagi,  but  not  one  perfect  or  very  striking 
object  meets  the  eye;  all  is  alike  desolate  and  decayed."  Yon- 
der you  see  the  crumbling  walls  of  a  vast  theatre  or  gym- 
nasium ;  yonder  the  strong  seats,  almost  perfect,  of  a  demol- 
ished amphitheatre  rising  up  row  above  row ;  and  yonder,  most 
massive  of  all,  the  stupendous  arches  of  an  aqueduct  stretch- 
ing far  away  to  the  mountain  streams.  On  every  hand  can  be 
traced  the  low  hills,  with  the  intervening  valleys,  on  which  the 
city  was  located ;  beyond  them  the  depressed  lines  of  the  little 
rivers  that  formed  its  boundaries— the  Lycus  on  the  north,  the 
Asopus  on  the  east  and  south,  and  the  Carpus  on  the  west;  and, 
beyond  these  again,  the  lofty  mountain  peaks  that  on  all  sides 
tower  to  the  clouds  and  close  up  the  horizon.  It  is  itself  a  vast 
amphitheatre  in  the  mountains  including  a  stupendous  labyrinth 
of  ruins. 

All  travelers  agree  in  describing  the  shocking  melancholy  which 
prevails  over  the  whole  scene.  They  tell  us  that  the  stillness  is 
awful— as  if  death  itself  reigned  over  the  mournful  desolations; 
that  the  place  is  repulsive  beyond  descrii)tion.  Xo  motion  is 
witnessed  save  sometimes  a  soaring  eagle,  a  stealthy  fox,  or 
the  effects  of  the  sweeping  wind.  Everything  tends  to  depress 
the  spirits  and  to  produce  a  mournful  sadness.  Nothing  attracts, 
but  all  is  lonely  and  repulsive;  and  no  man  wants  to  stay  there. 
The  night,  with  its  silence,  its  solitude  and  dreariness,  and  with 
the  pall  of  superstition  which  then  settles  down,  becomes  utterly 
unbearable.  No  native  of  the  region  could  possibly  be  persuaded 
to  spend  it  there;  even  travelers,  as  the  gloom,  begins  to  settle, 
hasten  away  to  Denizli.  In  fact,  it  would  almost  seem,  while 
we  read  their  impressions,  as  if  travelers  vied  with  each  other 
who  could  give  the  most  doleful  description  of  the  forlorn  place. 
Dr.   Hamilton   writes:    "Nothing  can  exceed  the  desolation  and 


468  INAUGDRAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

melancholy  appearance  of  the  site  of  Laodicea;  no  picturesque 
features  in  the  nature  of  the  ground  on  which  it  stands  relieve 
the  dull  uniformity  of  its  undulating  and  barren  hills.  From  the 
I)en  of  Prof.  Tristram  we  have:  "Such  is  Laodicea  to-day — re- 
jected and  desolate,  unvisited  save  by  the  riflers  of  .tombs  or  the 
wandering  gj'psy.  Its  gray  and  scattered  ruins  present  nothing 
to  attract.  We  see  it  now  shunned  of  man,  and  its  crumbling 
heaps  inhabited  only  by  deadly  serpents,  the  dread  of  the  stranger 
who  ventures  to  ramble  among  its  ruins."  They  all  agree  that  in 
the  wretched  place  there  is  nothing  to  attract,  but  that  all  is  deeply 
repulsive  and  melancholy,  as  if  the  doomed  spot  were  utterly  de- 
serted of  both  God  and  man. 

AVithout  a  question  the  ruin  and  desolation  of  this  city  of  Lao- 
dicea are  more  complete  and  impressive  than  those  of  any  other 
of  the  cities  to  which  these  messages  were  sent.  Smyrna  is  still 
a  large  city,  Pergamos  and  Thyatira  and  Philadelphia  have  each 
of  them  thousands  of  inhabitants,  Ephesus  has  a  few  scattered 
hamlets,  and  Sardis  has  at  least  three  or  four  residents,  with  its 
old  mill;  but  Laodicea  alone  has  not  a  single  human  being  living 
amid  its  horrid  solitude.  And  there  is  no  physical  or  local  cause 
for  this.  Its  advantages  for  attracting  at  least  a  few  inhabitants 
are  greater  than  those  of  either  Thyatira  or  Philadelphia,  which  are 
still  important  towns.  It  has  most  of  the  physical  attractions  which 
it  ever  had,  and  there  are  even  now  large  villages,  such  as  Denizli, 
in  its  near  neighborhood;  but  it  alone  is  a  mere  desolation. 

Why  is  this?  Why  is  the  site  of  this  church  alone  desolate, 
shunned,  abhorred  by  all  men?  Can  we  help  associating  our 
answer  with  the  warning  words  of  the  message:  "I  will  spue 
thee  out  of  my  mouth  "  ?  Can  we  conceive  of  a  more  perfect, 
a  more  exact  fulfillment  than  is  presented  by  that  forlorn  spot 
where  the  city  once  stood?  Had  it  been  the  one  special  purpose 
to  leave  a  standing  witness  for  all  time  of  that  doom  and  of  its 
fulfillment,  can  we  conceive  of  any  method  by  which  it  could 
have  been  more  awfully  accomplished  ?  Of  course  no  real  fol- 
lower of  Chri-!t  is  foolish  enough  to  argue  that  the  curse  of  God 
would  bo  simply  im})ressed  upon  broken  slabs  of  marble  and 
<*rumbliug  walls.  But  is  there  no  divine  Providence  that  could, 
and  likely  woiild,  make  them  his  instruments?  Is  there  no 
omnipotent  power  and  undying  watchfulness  that  could  ever- 
more continue  to  guard  what  infinite  wisdom  had  written?  Could 
not  our  sovereign  Ijord  set  up  such  monuments  to  be  peen  bj'  both 
the  Church  and  the  world  so  long  as  time  shall  last? 


THE  WRETCHED  ONE.  469 

16.   PLACE  IN  THE   BEACON. 

It  is  to  be  expected  that  the  last,  highest,  and  most  impressive 
warning  of  the  great  Beacon  of  the  ages  which  God  has  erected 
for  the  Church  and  the  world  would  be  a  warning  of  what 
would  ever  be  their  greatest  danger.  From  this,  very  probably, 
if  there  was  nothing  else,  we  would  infer  that  the  cause  of  the 
ruin  of  the  strong  church  of  Laodicea  was  the  chief  evil  against 
which  all  other  churches,  in  all  other  places  and  times,  siiould 
most  earnestly  strive.  That  evil  of  evils,  warns  our  Beacon,  let 
all  churches  the  world  over  see,  is  lukewarmness,  .or  religious 
indifference.  It  is  also  worthy  of  most  earnest  attention  that 
this  evil  which  God  has  stigmatized  as  the  most  dangerous  of 
all  evils  to  tlie  cause  of  Christ,  is  looked  upon  by  most  professed 
Christians  as  scarcely  any  evil  at  all.  This  is  the  insidious  fact 
which  renders  it  so  much  to  be  dreaded.  It  is  not  the  rock 
which  towers  up  above  the  highest  tide  and  so  can  be  seen  from 
afar  that  is  the  most  fatal  to  seamen,  but  it  is  the  reef  hidden 
beneath  the  surface  of  the  water,  and  the  unseen  quicksands  that 
engulf  the  heedless  mariners  with  their  priceless  cargoes.  We 
are  jjrone  to  consider  that  apjiarent  and  worldly  prosperity  in 
churches,  is  that  which  is  most  satisfactory ;  but  we  are  here 
warned  that  these  may  be  in  fact  the  indication  of  the  very 
worst  condition.  Satan  lays  his  malign  plans  too  deeply ;  and 
God,  seeing  beneath  all  delusions,  admonishes  only  of  the  dangers 
which  thz-eaten  the  soul. 

Contemplating  this  final  element  in  the  great  Beacon  in  this 
light,  we  can  see  three  important  practical  points  of  which  it 
woukl  warn  the  whole  Christian  world— namely,  that  freedom 
from  spiritual  enemies  and  opposition  is  not  good  for  the  Church  ; 
that  pride,  especially  the  pride  of  wealth,  is  most  dangerous  to 
the  true  interests  of  religion;  and  that  lukewarm  indifference 
is  the  greatest  possible  spiritual  evil  in  a  community. 

(1)  It  is  not  a  thing  to  be  desired  that  there  should  be  no 
spiritual  enemies  or  opposition  with  which  we  shall  be  called  to 
contend.  The  two  worst  churches  of  the  seven  were  those  of 
8ardis  and  Laodicea— the  one  having  a  name  to  live,  but  being 
in  fact  dead,  and  the  other  being  neither  hot  nor  cold.  Yet  these 
two  churches  were  the  only  ones  to  which  there  were  no  enemies 
or  opposition  from  without  with  which  they  were  called  to  con- 
tend, so  far  as  we  are  informed.  This  cannot  but  attract  our 
attention,  inasmuch  as  it  is  the  very  opposite  to  what  we  would 


470       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

have  expected.  Nevertheless  we  can  understand  the  reasons  why 
it  is  so.  Our  interest  in  religion  not  being  kept  alive  by  efforts 
to  defend  it,  we  are  in  danger  of  lapsing  into  the  opposite 
extreme  of  indifference.  Not  having  any  exertions  to  put  forth 
in  its  defense,  or  sacrifices  or  self-denials  to  make  for  it,  we  are 
liable  to  lose  our  appreciation  of  its  value.  Through  great  tribu- 
lation we  are  to  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  and  when 
the  tril)ulation  is  not  required,  the  progress  upward  is  not  likely 
to  be  very  zealous.  All  experience  confirms  the  deplorable  fact 
of  this  tendency.  It  was  the  man  who  had  nothing  more  to 
contend  or  «xert  himself  for  who  flattered  himself:  "Soul,  thou 
hast  much  goods  laid  up  for  many  years:  take  thine  ease,  eat, 
drink,  and  be  merry."  It  is  in  highest  love  to  his  people  and 
in  care  over  them  that  our  gracious  Lord  has  established  the  rule 
that—"  As  an  eagle  stirreth  up  her  nest,  fluttereth  over  her 
young,  spreadeth  abroad  her  wings,  taketh  them  on  her  wings," 
so  he  disturbs  the  rest  of  his  people  to  train  them  for  higher 
.soarings.  The  periods  of  the  Church's  most  rapid  growth  have 
generally  been  periods  of  persecution.  Worldly  prosperity  is 
dangerous  to  the  soul. 

(2)  Pride,  especially  the  pride  of  wealth,  is  most  perilous  to 
the  highest  interests  of  the  soul  by  producing  a  loathsome  in- 
difference to  religion.  The  whole  texture  of  this  message  makes 
this  sadly  emphatic.  The  connection  of  self-conceited  egotism 
and  wretched  lukewarmness  could  not  be  made  more  evident. 
Worldly  prosperity  made  the  church  proud,  pride  made  it  feel 
independent,  felt  independence  made  it  indifferent  to  the  claims 
of  God  and  the  soul.  Christ's  solemn  warning,  "How  hardly 
shall  they  that  have  riches  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven," 
is  worthy  of  far  deeper  attention  than  it  has  ever  yet  received. 
Beside  it,  there  is  another  of  his  most  faithful  warnings:  "He 
that  exalteth  himself  shall  be  abased."  Then,  to  such  warning 
words  there  are  here  added  warning  acts.  Most  deeply  signifi- 
cant it  was  that  Sardis  and  Laodicea,  the  churches  of  the  two 
richest  cities,  were  those  which  were  the  poorest  in  God's  esteem 
and  that  incurred  the  heaviest  doom.  The  very  heaviest  hand 
of  judgment  was  laid  upon  this  church  which  was  the  richest 
and  proudest  of  the  seven. 

(8)  Lukewarmness  was  the  awful  evil  that  was  here  warned 
against;  and  from  its  own  character,  as  well  as  from  its  position 
at  the  close,  this  element  of  the  Beacon  was  intended  to  be  the 
most  admonitory  of  all.    How  much  else  in  the  warnings  of  the 


THE   WRETCHED  ONE.  471 

divine  Word  there  is  of  the  same  nature!  How  alarming  the 
admonitions  from  heaven  against  the  sin  of  indifference!  The 
Lord's  utter  disgust  with  it  w^as  strongly  expressed  in  these 
w^ords:  "As  for  you,  O  house  of  Israel,  thus  saitli  the  Lord 
God:  Go  ye,  serve  ye  every  one  his  idols,  and  hereafter  also,  if 
ye  will  not  hearken  unto  me;  but  pollute  ye  my  holy  name  no 
more  with  your  gifts,  and  with  your  idols."  Can  any  thoughtful 
mind  contemplate  the  state  of  the  church  at  large  at  the  present 
day  without  an  alarming  conviction  that  its  great  sin  and  danger 
are  just  such  lukewarmness?  Is  not  the  prevalence  of  this  evil 
at  all  times  the  reason  of  its  having  the  sad  pre-eminence  of 
being  the  last  and  most  solemn  of  all  these  warnings  from 
heaven  ?  Behold  the  awful  desolations  of  that  doomed  city,  and 
remember  that  they  are  the  consequence  of  indifference!  When 
such  indifference  prevails,  what  can  be  done?  What  can  be 
done  for  such  a  church?  What  more  can  be  said  than  that  God 
loaths  such  lukewarmness?  Men  will  not  be  in  earnest  about 
God  and  their  souls:  what  can  be  done  for  them? 


CHAPTER    XV. 
KING  OF    KINGS   AND  LORD  OF    LORDS. 

We  have  now  reached  the  third  and  last  general  department 
of  our  work— namely,  that  in  which  we  are  to  gather  up  into 
a  comprehensive  form,  and  set  forth  distinctly,  the  great  prac- 
tical truths  of  instruction,  guidance,  encouragement,  and  warn- 
ing which  the  great  Head  of  the  Church  intended  to  convey 
to  his  people  through  these  messages.  These  are  what  give  the 
messages  their  practical  value  to  the  whole  Church  of  God  on 
earth.  The  form  in  which  they  are  conveyed  is  calculated  to 
impress  them  very  deeply.  We  would  attempt  to  present  them 
in  their  own  essential  character,  analyze  and  classify  them, 
indicate  their  relations  to  each  other  and  to  the  general  subject, 
examine  their  full  scope  as  covering  the  whole  field  of  practical 
truth  and  duty,  and  strive  to  hold  them  up.  so  conspicuously 
that  tliey  may  accomplish  their  appointed  design  of  serving  as 
a  beacon  for  all  the  churches  so  long  as  time  shall  endure. 

Hitherto  we  have  traced  the  character  of  each  one  of  the 
churches  separately.  Now,  however,  we  would  adopt  an  alto- 
gether diffei-ent  classification.  We  have  seen  that  in  each  sepa- 
rate message,  with  two  slight  exceptions,  there  are  seven  dis- 
tinct points  or  elements  presented.  There  are  in  each  some  title 
of  the  Son  of  man  different  from  all  the  rest ;  an  assertion  of 
God's  minute  observation  of  their  course  and  character;  some 
defect  in  each  (with  two  exceptions)  which  receives  the  divine 
censure;  something  in  each  (with  one  exception)  which  is 
specially  approved ;  some  heavenly  counsel  given ;  some  threat- 
ening uttered  in  case  of  unfaithfulness,  and  some  promise  made 
to  those  who  would  overcome  these  jieculiar  trials.  Our  aim 
now  will  be  to  classify  the  messages  according  to  these  seven 
elements  in  each— that  is,  to  take  each  one  of  them  in  succession, 
and  trace  it  through  all  the  messages.  We  shall  devote  a 
chapter  to  each  of  them  as  it  is  brought  before  us  in  its 
various  aspects  or  shades  of  interpretation,  through  the  whole 
body  of  the  communications  which  the  Lord  has  here  made  to 
the  churches. 
472 


KING  OF  KINGS  AND  LORD  OF   LORDS.  473 

Following  out  this  arrangement,  we  are  first  to  collect,  classify, 
and  analyze  the  various  titles  which  are  given  to  the  Son  of  God 
in  the  respective  messages.  These  titles,  or  names,  are  all  different 
from  each  other ;  each  of  them  is  adapted  to  the  peculiar  circum- 
stances of  the  church  with  which  it  stands  associated,  and,  as  a 
body,  they  contain  every  essential  element  of  the  attributes  of  our 
exalted  Lord.  To  trace  these  attributes  as  they  are  introduced  into 
the  messages  is  a  work  of  great  interest  and  importance. 

This  passage  will  not  be  rightfully  comprehended,  until  we 
come  to  the  distinct  conception  that  it  was  uttered  by  our  risen 
Lord  just  as  he  was  taking  the  throne  of  his  mediatorial  king- 
dom. He  had  been  on  the  battlefield  with  Satan  and  sin  and 
death,  and  had  conquered  and  rescued  man  from  the  power  of 
the  prijice  of  darkness.  He  had  returned  to  his  heavenly  glory, 
not  to  abandon  the  ransomed  world,  or  leave  unfinished  the 
work  which  he  had  so  triumphantly  begun,  but  to  complete  it 
in  a  higher  sphere.  That  work  he  was  henceforward  to  carry 
on  from  the  celestial  throne.  This  fact  he  asserts  in  the  pro- 
clamation to  his  church:  "I  am  he  that  liveth,  and  was  dead, 
and,  behold,  I  am  alive  for  evermore,  amen ;  and  have  the 
keys  of  hell  and  of  death."  Just  as  he  receives  those  keys, 
and  is  crowned  with  the  mediatorial  diadem,  he  issues  his 
proclamation  to  those  over  whom  he  was  about  to  reign  gloriously. 

He  begins  with  an  announcement  of  the  office  he  was  assum- 
ing, of  his  right  thereto,  his  ordination  to  it,  his  authority  and  his 
qualifications,  and  of  the  principles  according  to  which  he  would 
rule,  and  of  the  everlasting  results  of  his  administration.  For 
this  reason  it  is  that  the  messages  are  introduced  by  reciting 
the  various  titles  or  attributes  of  the  divine  Ruler.  Not  only 
is  thei-e  a  list  of  such  attributes,  but  each  one  named  has  refer- 
ence to  that  supreme  kingl^^  dominion  upon  which  he  was 
then  entering.  This  fact  furnishes  the  key  by  which  we  are  to 
interpret  the  various  titles. 

It  is  of  prime  necessity  that  we  place  these  titles  as  found  in 
the  messages  together,  that  they  may  be  weighed  and  compared. 
Taking  them  in  the  order  of  the  messages,  we  have— in  that  to 
Ephesus:  "He  that  holdeth  the  seven  stars  in  his  right  hand, 
who  walketh  in  the  midst  of  the  seven  golden  candlesticks."  To 
Smyrna:  "The  first  and  the  last,  which  was  dead,  and  is  alive." 
To  Pergamos:  "He  which  hath  the  sharp  sword  with  two  edges." 
To  Thyatira:  "The  Son  of  God,  who  hath  his  eyes  like  unto  a 
flame  of  fire,  and  his  feet  are  like  fine  brass."    To  Sardis:  "He 


474       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

that  hath  the  Seven  Spirits  of  God,  and  the  seven  stars."  To 
Philadelphia:  "He  that  is  holy,  he  that  is  true,  he  that  hath 
the  key  of  David,  he  that  o[)enetli  and  no  man  shutteth,  and 
shutteth  and  no  man  openeth."  To  Laodicea:  "The  Amen,  the 
faithful  and  true  witness,  the  beginning  of  the  creation  of  God." 
Each  of  these  is  very  brief  and  very  significant,  and  when  all 
are  put  together  they  display  the  glories  of  Christ  the  King  with 
a  marvelous  fullness  and  show  forth  in  a  wonderful  manner  the 
extent  and  majesty  of  his  power. 

Let  it  be  observed  that  these  various  emblems  of  Christ  are 
not  intended  to  depict  the  general  glories  of  Christ,  but  those 
attributes  which  qualify  him  to  conquer  all  enemies  and  to  reign 
supreme  in  Zion.  They  are  not  a  mere  collection  of  his  divine 
perfections  taken  promiscuously,  through  which  to  describe  his 
infinite  glory;  but  such  an  array  of  his  attributes  as  justifies  him 
in  assunjing  the  mediatorial  authority,  enables  him  to  secure  it, 
and  qualifies  him  for  its  administration.  Not  one  of  these  titles 
but  has  a  bearing  on  that  subject,  and,  most  wonderful,  not  one 
of  his  attributes  of  which  we  have  been  instructed  here  but  has  a 
place  in  this  list.  This  gives  to  their  study  a  marvelous  interest 
and  significance.  The  most  cursory  review  of  them  reveals  his  en- 
tering upon  his  mediatorial  throne  ;  his  authority  therefor  as  having 
been  granted  by  council  of  the  Godhead;  his  right  to  it  as  having 
come  down  from  the  everlasting  ages ;  his  chosen  agents  both  for 
conquest  and  conducting  the  affairs  of  administration;  the  effica- 
cious mode  in  which  he  will  govern  ;  the  omnipotence,  omniscience, 
and  omnipresence  through  which  he  will  subdue  all  enemies  and 
rule  over  all  friends;  the  exalted  principles  on  which  his  admin- 
istration shall  be  conducted ;  the  stability  of  his  dominion ;— and 
the  infallible  certainty  that  all  this  shall  be  carried  out  according 
to  the  plan  and  promise  of  Him  who  was  then  about  to  be  crowned 
the  Kings  of  kings  and  Lords  of  lords.  Such  is  the  picture  of  our 
Lord's  entrance  upon  his  mediatorial  dominion  which  is  brought 
out  to  us  by  gathering  into  one  view  and  properly  classifying 
his  various  titles  as  contained  in  the  messages;  and  that,  too, 
whilst  each  one  of  them  has  its  own  special  adaptation  to  the 
church  with  which  it  stands  connected.  We  may  have  expected 
simply  some  appellation  by  which  the  glories  of  our  exalted  Lord 
would  be  impressively  set  forth ;  but  besides  that  we  have  found 
a  marvelous,  appropriate,  comprehensive,  and  even  exhaustive 
index  of  his  attributes  as  supreme  Lord  of  the  Church  and  the 
world.    By  examining  all  these  in  detail,  we  shall  become  con- 


KING   OF   KINGS   AND   LORD  OF   LORDS.  475 

vinced  of  the  reality  and  of  the  significance  of  tliis  element  of 
the  messages. 

In  entering  upon  the  study  of  these  titles  in  detail,  and  also 
taking  them  in  their  totality,  we  are  first  led  to  glance  at  the 
occasion  which  called  them  forth,  and  the  purpose,  so  far  as  we 
can  gather  it,  which  our  Lord  had  in  view  in  presenting  them 
in  such  extraordinary  array.  AVhy  were  they  all  proclaimed? 
and  why  at  this  special  point?  The  correct  answer  undoubtedly 
is  that  Christ  was  here  entering  upon  his  mediatorial  dominion, 
and  it  was  of  vital  importance  that  the  world  should  know  who 
he  was,  and  how  he  would  reign  over  that  peculiar  kingdom,  then 
set  up,  and  to  endure  for  ever.  There  is  an  intimation  of  this 
in  the  message  in  which  he  is  spoken  of  as  he  "  which  was  dead, 
and  is  alive"— dead  for  the  redemption  of  men,  but  alive  to  apply 
that  redemption.  More  fully  was  this  announced  by  our  exalted 
Lord  wlien  first  recognized  by  the  rapt  seer:  "I  am  he  that  liveth, 
and  was  dead ;  and,  behold,  I  am  alive  for  evermore,  amen ;  and 
have  the  keys  of  hell  and  of  death."  He  had  come  up  from  earth 
and  the  grave  to  take  the  throne  of  that  everlasting  kingdom 
which  he  had  in  view  at  every  step  of  his  humiliation.  All  that 
he  had  previously  done  on  his  mission  to  earth  was  to  prepare 
the  way  for  that  kingdom,  purchase  it  by  his  sufferings  unto 
death,  break  away  every  barrier  that  could  obstruct,  open  every 
door,  and  rescue  from  the  dominion  of  Satan  all  those  who  were 
to  become  his  subjects.  This  was  now  all  over;  and  we  read 
nothing  of  his  earthly  life  and  suflTerings  and  death,  because  all 
were  past — the  victory  won,  the  enemy  subdued,  and  the  new 
kingdom  ready  to  be  established.  He  stood  at  the  centre  of  in- 
finite power  and  authority  for  that  purpose.  He  was  taking  the 
sceptre  over  the  empire  of  the  ransomed.  Having  upon  earth 
purchased  and  prepared  the  kingdom,  he  was  now  shaping  its 
glorious  form,  and  taking  its  supreme  throne.  Hence  this  bril- 
liant array  of  his  titles  was  the  inaugural  by  which  he  assumed 
his  authority  and  outlined  the  principles  according  to  which  he 
would  reign  for  evermore.  The  words  were  few;  but  they  were 
comprehensive,  almost  exhaustive,  of  all  that  the  Church  needs 
to  know,  or  as  yet  possibly  can  know%  Such  was  the  design  of 
the  titles  of  Christ  introducing  each  of  the  messages:  let  us  now 
see  how  fully  they  covered  every  point. 

(1)  His  right  to  the  throne  of  the  mediatorial  kingdom,  and  his 
appointment  thereto.  This  is  a  point  which  was  considered  of 
so  much  importance  that  four  of  the  fifteen  titles  in  the  messages 


476       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

were  devoted  to  it— namely,  to  Laodicea,  "  The  beginning  of  the 
creation  of  God;"  to  Smyrna,  "The  first  and  the  last;"  to 
Thyatira,  "The  Son  of  God,"  to  Philadelphia,  "He  that  hath 
the  key  of  David."  It  is  appropriate  that  his  divine  right  to 
that  throne,  and  his  ordination  thereto,  should  have  the  first 
place  in  our  Lord's  great  proclamation  to  the  world.  The 
claiming  of  this  right  and  of  this  appointment  is  exceedingly 
significant  in  him  who  had  no  need  to  justify  anything  that  he 
did  before  his  creatures.  By  the  exertion  of  his  omnipotence 
simply  he  might  have  taken  possession  of  the  throne,  and  every 
mouth  would  have  been  closed.  In  condescension  to  us,  however, 
he  graciously  stoops  to  justify  what  he  does.  He  lays  very  great 
stress  on  this  by  adducing  so  many  of  his  titles  which  bear  on 
it.  How  can  we  sufficiently  admire  his  so  doing!  How  clearly 
he  manifests  thereby  that  "He  knoweth  our  frame;  he  remember- 
eth  that  we  are  dust!" 

In  taking  the  throne  of  the  mediatorial  kingdom,  he  would 
not  appear  as  a  usurper,  but  stoops  to  show  his  credentials 
before  men  and  angels.  The  first  of  these  titles  which  we 
wx)uld  consider  is  in  the  words:  '■'■The  Beginning  of  the  Creatiou 
of  Gody  He  is  the  beginning,  the  principal,  the  head  of  all 
creatures;  all  creation  is  under  him:  "Of  him,  and  through 
him,  and  to  him  are  all  things."  All  creatures  are  lying  at 
his  disposal,  and  he  has  the  absolute  right  to  exercise  the 
fullest  dominion  over  them  for  the  welftire  of  his  Church,  as 
well  as  for  the  promotion  of  his  own  glory.  As  the  principal 
of  all  creatures,  it  was  his  to  rule  over  them  as  their  supreme 
Lord. 

"  The  First  and  the  Lanf''  was  another  title  of  somewhat  similar 
import,  which  also  gave  him  a  right  to  claim  supreme  authority 
over  all  the  creatures  which  had  been  formed  by  the  divine 
hands.  This  claim  to  dominion  over  his  ransomed  Church  was 
from  the  first,  from  everlasting,  and  would  run  on  to  everlasting. 
From  the  first  to  the  last  is  his  dominion.  Before  man  was 
formed,  before  angel  flew  on  heavenly  message,  before  any 
creature  existed,  he  dwelt  in  his  ineffable  glory.  All  other  beings 
were  created  by  him  and  for  him.  For  his  glory  they  were 
brought  into  existence,  and  by  his  omnipotent  hand  they  have 
evermore  been  upheld.  Then  who  but  he  should  reign — who 
but  he  has  right  and  power  to  reign — over  them?  Who  but  he 
shall  hold  the  sceptre  over  any  kingdom  from  among  them  which 
he  might  choose  to  aj^point?    All  this  is  implied  in  that  marvelous 


KING   OF  KINGS  AND  LOED  OF   LORDS.  477 

title  which  he  claims  for  himself  and  which  no  other  being  dares 
to  claim— the  First  and  the  Last.  First  in  time,  first  in  power, 
first  in  dignity,  who  but  he  should  reign?  First  and  last,  all  is 
comprehended  in  him,  and  he  must  rule  over  all  for  the  accom- 
plishment of  his  immutable  purposes  formed  in  the  depths  of  the 
ages  part. 

"27/6  ^Son.  of  GocV^  is  the  third  of  his  titles  which  our  Lord 
advances  as  proof  of  his  right  to  rule  over  this  glorious  kingdom. 
The  appropriateness  thereof  is  most  evident.  The  infinite  Jehovah, 
self-existent,  supreme,  the  highest  and  most  glorious  of  all  beings, 
is  Father.  The  whole  universe  is  his,  for  it  is  all  the  work  of 
his  creative  power,  it  is  ujjheld  and  guided  by  his  all-embracing 
providence,  and  his  glory  is  that  for  which  it  all  exists.  Then 
of  Christ,  the  destined  king  of  Zion,  it  is  affirmed  that  he  is 
God's  Son ;  his  Son  only-begotten  and  well-beloved.  He  is  the 
Son  of  God  in  a  sense  inconceivably  glorious,  and  which  also 
constitutes  him  co-equal  with  the  Father.  Then  is  he  also  heir 
of  the  kingdom,  and  that  by  right  the  mystery  of  which  we 
cannot  penetrate.  The  throne  is  his  by  everlasting  inheritance, 
and  when  he  took  it  he  took  but  what  was  his  own.  Being 
himself  the  true  God,  he  has  every  perfection  for  ruling  supremely 
and  without  defect. 

Further  still,  the  titles  show  not  only  that  he  has  a  right  to 
this  mediatorial  kingdom,  but  also  that  he  has  actually  been  in- 
vested with  that  doi/iinion,  and  of  a  truth  ordained  thereto  in 
the  councils  of  the  Godhead.  The  words  expressing  such  title 
are:  "J/e  Ihaf  hatJi  the  key  of  David,  he  that  openeth,  and  no  man 
shutteth;  and  shiitteth,  and  no  man  openethy  The  established 
emblem  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ  was,  in  the  Old  Testament, 
Zion ;  and  in  the  New  Testament,  the  Church.  But  David,  reign- 
ing in  Zion  in  the  days  of  its  greatest  glory,  was  the  chosen  type 
of  Zion's  King.  Then  the  key  of  that  kingdom  was  the  expres- 
sion used  to  denote  the  highest  power  of  the  kingly  throne.  To 
have  the  keys  was  to  have  the  right  or  authority  of  reigning 
supreme.  The  "key  of  David"  was  the  typical  formula  of  head- 
ship in  that  kingdom.  Moreover,  the  authority  thus  conferred 
was  absolute  and  final ;  for  it  is  added  of  him  who  had  the  key : 
"He  that  openeth,  and  no  man  shutteth;  and  shutteth,  and  no 
man  openeth."  Such  is  the  title  here  applied  to  our  exalted 
Lord.  It  is  only  another  form  of  the  eternal  decree  ordaining 
him  to  the  supreme  authority  over  the  Church  of  the  ransomed ; 
as,  for  instance,  in  the  Second  Psalm,  where  we  have  the  change- 


478       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHEONED  KING. 

less  purpose:  "I  will  declare  the  decree"...."!  have  set  my 
king  upon  my  holy  hill  of  Zion "...."  Ask  of  me,  and  I  shall 
give  thee  the  heathen  for  thine  inheritance,  and  tlie  uttermost 
parts  of  the  earth  for  thy  possession."  By  the  everlasting  decree 
of  the  Godhead  was  he  ordained  to  that  mediatorial  throne.  The 
fact  is  also  revealed  that  he  was  thus  crowned  as  the  reward  of 
his  humiliation  and  deatli  for  men.  He  had  purchased  the  right 
to  that  throne  by  an  awful  price.  In  consequence  of  his  death 
upon  the  cross  it  is  written,  "  Wherefore  God  also  hath  highly 
exalted  him,  and  given  him  a  name  which  is  above  every  name; 
that  at  the  name  of  Jesus  every  knee  should  bow,  of  things  in 
heaven,  and  things  in  earth,  and  things  under  the  earth;  and 
that  every  tongue  should  confess  that  Jesus  Christ  is  Lord,  to 
the  glory  of  God  the  Father."  Thus,  therefore,  is  Christ's  right 
to  the  kingdom  clearly  attested  by  the  four  titles  we  have  re- 
viewed—namely, "The  First  and  the  Last"— "The  Son  of  God" 
—"He  that  hath  the  key  of  David"— "The  Beginning  of  the 
Creation  of  God." 

(2)  The  forces  through  which  he  is  able  to  subdue  the  enemies  and 
conduct  the  administration  of  the  kingdom.  He  has  a  right  to  tlie 
throne  and  was  ordained  to  it  in  the  eternal  decrees  of  the 
Church's  divine  Head ;  but  through  what  instrumentality  will  he 
conquer  and  reign?  Two  of  the  titles  in  the  messages  were 
doubtless  intended  to  answer  that  question.  "He  that  holdeth 
the  stars  in  his  right  hand"  is  one  of  them;  "He  who  walketh 
in  the  midst  of  the  golden  candlesticks"  is  the  other.  These 
titles  had  other  points  of  significance,  no  doubt,  but  it  is  in  the 
array  of  the  attributes  of  our  Lord  as  the  ordained  King  in  Zion 
that  they  had  their  chief  meaning  and  importance  here. 

Without  question,  the  almighty  Head  of  the  Church  might 
have  conquered  every  enemy  and  establislipd  liis  kingdom 
through  the  simple  exertion  of  his  omnipotence;  but,  as  in  every 
other  department  of  his  government  of  the  world,  he  has  seen  fit 
to  caj-ry  on  that  woi*k  tlirough  created  instruments.  Then  the 
language  used  to  describe  his  o[)erations  is  adapted  to  our  power 
of  comprehension.  Accordingly  human  agents  were  needed  to 
subdue  opposition  and  to  conduct  the  affairs  of  the  kingdom  after 
it  had  been  set  up.  An  army  was  recjuisite  to  con(juer  the 
enemies  of  Christ,  and  to  guard  the  peace  and  order  of  the 
empire ;  and  so,  as  his  redeemed  army,  God  established  the 
Church,  with  the  multitudes  of  its  members  and  the  resources  of 
its    powers.      In  the   magnificence   of  its    organization,    and    the 


KING   OF  KINGS  AND  LORD  OF  LOEDS.  479 

diversity  of  its  branches,  throughout  tlie  messages  it  is  named 
"the  golden  candlesticks."  In  the  midst  of  these,  as  if  in  the 
heart  of  their  light,  and  life,  and  love,  he  is  said  to  walk,  and 
through  theni  he  is  represented  as  exerting  his  omnipotence.  He 
walks  among  them,  as  there  putting  forth  his  constant  activity; 
as  exerting  a  sleepless  oversight  of  each  soldier  of  the  Cross  and 
every  movement  of  the  forces:  as  conducting  every  effort  to 
build  up  the  sacred  cause;  and  as  the  very  life  which  pulsates 
out  from  him,  and  operates  his  own  infinite  energy.  He  walks 
in  the  midst  of  the  churches  in  the  aggregate  of  their  hosts  and 
agencies,  in  order  to  animate  all,  and  protect  them  by  his 
almighty  power.  By  him  each  individual  is  cared  for,  and  kept 
ready  to  hasten  at  any  moment  to  the  allotted  post  of  duty. 
Every  true  soldier  of  the  kingdom  to  be  set  up  was  under  his 
eye,  was  trained  by  him  for  coming  battles,  had  a  post  of  duty 
ready  for  him  to  occupy,  and  was  awaiting  the  word  of  com- 
mand from  the  great  Captain  in  the  enterprise  that  was  to  rescue 
from  8atan  the  empire  of  earth,  and  place  upon  its  throne  the 
Lord  of  glory.  He  walked  in  the  midst  of  the  ransomed  through 
whom,  as  his  army,  he  was  both  to  subdue  and  to  reign  for  ever- 
more. 

There  were  also  under  him  officers  appointed  to  lead  the  con- 
quering armies,  and  to  rule  in  the  coming  kingdom.  Their 
character  afhl  titles  we  know  from  the  sacred  record :  "  For  God 
hath  set  some  in  the  Church,  first  apostles,  secondarily  prophets, 
thirdly  teachers;  after  that  miracles,  then  gifts  of  healings,  helps, 
governments,  diversities  of  tongues."  Concerning  these,  our  mes- 
sage asserts  the  fact:  ^^  And  he  had  in  his  right  hand  seven  stars^ 
They  are  represented  as  in  his  right  hand,  because  they  are  very 
dear  to  him ;  dear  to  him  as  the  apple  of  his  eye — so  dear  that 
he  says  of  them :  "  Touch  not  mine  anointed,  and  do  my 
prophets  no  harm."  These  were  the  stars  in  the  right  hand  of 
the  Glorious  One  who  walked  in  the  midst  of  the  golden  candle- 
sticks. There  they  were  Ivept,  as  most  precious  in  his  sight;  as 
those  whom  his  omnipotence  would  guard  from  everything  that 
could  possibly  do  them  any  real  harm  ;  in  his  hand,  all  ready  to 
spring  to  any  duty  which  the  emergencies  of  the  noblest  of  enter- 
prises might  demand  ;  in  his  hand,  to  be  trained  for  activity  in 
that  struggle  that  was  to  rescue  the  lost  race  of  mankind ;  in  his 
right  hand,  as  evidence  of  the  honor  he  would  put  on  them  above 
all  others  of  the  sons  of  men.  These  stars  held  safely  in  his  own 
right  hand,  and  these  golden  candlesticks,  in  the  midst  of  which 


480  INAUGURAL   OF   THE   ENTHRONED   KING. 

he  ever  moved  in  glorious  majesty,  were  the  forces  i)repared  hy 
the  ascended  King  for  final  conquest,  and  for  righteous  adminis- 
tration. 

(8)  His  qualifications  for  reigning  siqweme  in  the  ransomed  king- 
dom of  his  Church.  These  are  distinctly  made  known  by  three 
of  the  titles  in  the  messages — namely,  "He  which  hath  the  sharp 
sword  with  the  two  edges;"  "who  hath  eyes  like  unto  a  flame 
of  fire;"  "and  his  feet  are  like  fine  brass."  Such  are  the  estab- 
lished emblems  in  Scripture  of  God's  omnipotence  as  exerted 
against  all  his  enemies.  His  voice  sounding  out  loud  as  the 
sound  of  many  waters,  and  sweeping  down  all  before  it  as  a 
two-edged  sword,  is  but  the  outgoing  of  the  infinite  power  which 
lies  behind  it,  and  of  which,  to  all  creatures  it  is  the  awe-inspir- 
ing revelation.  He  speaks — his  words  are  his  will ;  in  an  in- 
stant that  will  is  accomplished  by  means  of  his  irresistible  might. 
As  witli  a  two-edged  sword  his  counsels  cut  into  the  heart,  and 
must  be  obeyed.  Sounding  out  through  the  world,  they  become 
its  law.  Creatures  dare  not  resist  what  he  decrees.  All  opposi- 
tion is  swept  away  by  a  word  from  his  mouth.  He  is  omnipo- 
tent, and  must  subdue.  The  most  mighty  enemies  rage  against 
him,  earth's  most  potent  kings  assemble  to  plot  against  his  author- 
ity, and  to  contrive  deep-laid  schemes:  what  can  all  accomplish? 
"  He  that  sitteth  in  the  heavens  shall  laugh ;  the  Lord  shall  have 
them  in  derision."  He  holds  them  in  contempt;  biif  that  is  not 
all;  he  unsheaths  the  sword:  "Then  shall  he  speak  unto  them 
in  his  wrath,  and  vex  them  in  his  sore  displeasure."  Such  is 
the  omnipotence  of  Him  who  in  the  messages  is  seen  to  take 
the  throne. 

A  second  of  his  qualifications  is  expressed  in  the  title,  "  His 
eyes  were  as  a  flame  of  fire,''''  A  knowledge  from  which  nothing 
can  lie  hidden,  and  an  infinite  wisdom  to  lay  the  foundations 
of  the  government,  are  implied  in  this.  His  is  a  flaming  eye 
that  can  sweei)  over  all  worlds  and  behold  every  creature  and 
every  action  in  an  instant  of  time.  In  the  deepest  recesses  of 
hearts  there  are  neither  feelings  nor  purposes  that  can  be  hidden 
from  him.  The  plots  of  enemies  and  the  motives  that  stimulate 
friends  are  all  alike  open  before  him.  All  human  thoughts  and 
undertakings  and  results  lie  clearly  in  his  sight.  Every  spot  of 
the  whole  battlefield  of  the  world,  with  sin  and  evil  on  the  one 
side,  and  truth  and  righteousness  on  the  other,  is  as  clearly  seen 
by  him  as  if  he  were  present  there  in  all  the  fullness  of  his  glory. 
He  has  infinite  skill  to  lay  such  profound  plans  as  will  thwart  all 


KING  OF   KINGS  AND  LOED  OF  LORDS.  481 

opposition  and  give  success  to  every  eflfort  for  the  upbuilding  of 
the  kingdom.  His  wisdom  for  framing  laws  and  ordering  gov- 
ernment is  such  that  it  never  errs.  To  him  tliere  can  be  no  sur- 
prises from  enemies,  and  by  liim  no  mistalces  can  be  made.  Every 
quality  needed  for  the  leading  of  armies,  or  for  franiing  the  com- 
plicated machinery  of  government,  is  his  in  absolute  perfection. 

A  third  qualification  for  the  throne  he  was  henceforth  to  fill 
is  implied  in  the  title:  ^^  A?id  his  feet  are  like  fine  brass.^'  Trans- 
lated into  our  ordinary  power  of  comprehension,  the  word  that 
will  best  serve  us  here  is  celerity — celerity  of  purpose  and  of 
action,  a  celerity  that  is  in  fact  omnipresence.  This  is  an  attri- 
bute of  our  glorified  Lord  as  the  ordained  sovereign  of  his  Church 
and  kingdom.  Not  only  can  he  behold  every  point  at  which 
\he  work  of  that  kingdom  goes  on,  but  with  a  rapidity  quicker 
than  tlie  light  can  he  be  there  in  special  presence.  Swifter  than 
the  lightning  does  he  fly  throughout  the  universe.  Instantly  can 
he  be  at  every  point  of  the  vast  battlefield  for  the  kingdom,  With 
feet  as  bright  as  molten  brass  does  he  tread  out  all  opposition 
wherever  it  may  appear.  Promptly  does  he  break  his  enemies 
and  shiver  their  weapons  of  war  as  does  the  potter  a  vessel  of 
brittle  clay.  He  can  be  present  with  all  his  people,  in  every 
one  of  their  struggles — "  a  very  present  help  in  trouble."  Wher- 
ever dangers  threaten,  wherever  difficulties  are  to  be  overcome, 
wherever  his  church  is  to  be  built  up,  wherever  his  help  is 
needed — there  can  he  be  with  a  look  of  cheer  and  a  hand  of 
might.  All  these  may  be  figurative  expressions:  but  they  are 
all  in  condescension  to  our  imperfection  of  understanding.  They 
are  graphic  and  tell  impressively  of  the  perfections  of  our  Lord 
for  that  divine  government  to  which  he  lias  been  appointed. 

(4)  Nature  of  the  Kingdom.  Concerning  this  it  is  highly  im- 
portant that  our  views  be  in  accordance  with  the  divine  mind. 
Accordingly,  the  comprehensive  and  significant  titles  leave  us 
no  uncertainty  on  the  subject.  '■'■He  that  hath  the  Seven.  Spirits 
of  God,''''  is  the  one  description  which  in  this  case  covers  all.  He 
hath  the  Seven  Spirits  of  God— the  Holy  Ghost  in  all  his  fullness. 
Thus  he  reigns.  His  rule  is  spiritual;  his  kingdom  is  a  spiritual 
one.  Such,  in  this  message,  is  Christ's  name,  and  such  the  domin- 
ion upon  which  he  was  entering.  The  titles,  already  reviewed, 
inform  us  of  our  Lord's  right  to  the  kingdom,  of  the  agents 
through  whom  he  would  conduct  its  affairs,  and  of  his  own  quali- 
fications therefor— it  is  meet  that  we  should  now  consider  pre- 
cisely what  it  is  in  its  own  character. 

31 


482       INAUGUKAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

This  title  implies  that  it  is  spiritual  in  its  nature.  Akin  to 
this  was  the  old  prophetic  description  of  many  centuries  previous : 
"  This  is  the  word  of  the  Lord  unto  Zerubbabel,  saying,  Not  by 
might,  nor  by  power,  but  by  my  Spirit,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts." 
The  kingdom  over  which  our  glorified  Lord  was  to  be  crowned 
was  one  that  would  not  be  administered  by  force  of  arms,  or 
by  earthly  power  of  any  description,  as  were  the  empires  of 
earth.  It  would  be  entirely  spiritual  in  its  nature  and  agencies. 
The  method  through  which  it  would  exert  its  power  would  be 
that  vitality  it  would  awaken  in  the  hearts  of  men  through  the 
Holy  Ghost.  Such  would  it  be,  in  the  conquests  it  would  achieve 
over  all  opposing  forces,  in  the  niethods  it  would  use  in  conduct- 
ing its  administration,  and  in  the  various  services  it  w-ould  require 
from  all  its  subjects.  They  would  render  their  obedience  because 
it  would  be  the  glad  desire  of  their  hearts  so  to  do.  The  spiritual 
King  would  make  his  conquests  through  the  spontaneous  agency 
of  his  people.  Their  hearts  would  be  made  willing;  and  so  would 
the  administration  be  conducted  in  truth  and  righteousness,  and  not 
as  "  every  battle  of  the  warrior,  with  confused  noise,  and  garments 
rolled  in  blood."  Men  would  be  brought  into  allegiance  to  Jesus, 
and  kept  under  his  peaceful  sw^ay,  through  the  influence  of  the 
Spirit  on  their  hearts,  which  would  make  them  willing  as  well 
as  loyal  subjects  of  the  heavenly  king.  This  was  a  power  which 
all  the  forces  of  earth  could  not  resist  or  even  injure.  It  would  be 
absolutely  infinite,  because  its  source  would  be  the  "Seven  Spirits" 
possessed  by  the  Son  of  man. 

(5)  The  character  that  ivould  prevail  in  the  Kingdom.  We  have 
glanced  at  our  Lord's  right  to  the  mediatorial  throne,  at  his  forces, 
at  his  ability  to  reign,  and  at  the  nature  of  his  dominion ;  we 
are  now  to  contemplate  the  characteristics  of  his  government. 
"^e  that  is  hotf/,  he  that  is  true''''  is  the  title  which  gives  us  the 
clear  descrli)tion  of  this.  Purity  and  truth  M^ould  be  the  grand 
characteristics  of  the  administration,  service,  and  subjects  under 
him.  Righteousness  of  life  would  be  as  ijrevalent  in  this  kingdom 
of  Christ  as  are  selfishness  and  resulting  corrui)tion  in  the  govern- 
ments of  earth.  Absolute  righteousness,  i)urity  on  which  there 
will  be  no  taint  of  corruption,  and  truth  from  which  there  can 
be  no  swerving,  will  mark  every  \\ox(\  and  act  of  th.e  glorious 
King.  Wisdom  and  justice  and  goodness  will  prevail  in  the 
whole  administration  of  that  celestial  empire.  When  its  jiower 
shall  be  fully  established,  then  sincerity  and  truthfulness,  and 
unselfish  intercourse  with  each  other,  and  perfect  obedience  to  their 


KING  OF  KINGS  AND  LORD  OF  LORDS.  483 

heavenly  Lord,  shall  characterize  the  lives  of  all  who  shall  dwell 
beneath  its  sway.  Holiness  and  truth  and  love,  each  perfectly 
exemplified  in  the  supreme  Lord,  and  flowing  down  from  him 
upon  all  the  subjects,  shall  bring  forth  their  blessed  fruits,  in 
the  righteousness  and  peace  and  happiness  which  shall  prevail 
throughout  the  whole  empire  of  the  redeemed. 

(6)  Destiny  of  the  Kingdom.  Having  seen,  by  means  of  the 
titles,  Christ's  right  and  ordination  to  the  kingdom,  his  forces 
for  controlling  it,  his  qualifications,  the  nature  of  his  dominion, 
and  the  character  of  his  administration,  the  question  then  follows, 
What  is  to  be  the  destiny  of  that  kingdom?  Again  do  the  titles 
give  the  answer,  and  here  in  a  single  word:  "^wifw."  It  is  not 
easy  to  give  a  clear  and  exhaustive  definition  of  this  remarkable  title 
of  our  Lord,  Probably  no  one  expression  or  similitude  will  describe 
it,  or  the  characteristic  of  the  kingdom  which  it  implies.  Substan- 
tialness  as  opposed  to  all  mere  sham  or  show,  reality  as  opposed 
to  mere  pretense,  and  stability  as  opposed  to  that  which  is  temporary 
and  evanescent  are  its  essential  thought.  Such  is  eminently  the 
nature  of  the  Son  of  man,  the  King,  and  such  will  be  the  character 
and  destiny  of  his  divine  kingdom.  Substantial,  real,  and  ever- 
abiding,  as  he  is,  so  also  will  his  dominion  be.  As  with  the  oath 
of  God  have  its  foundations  been  laid,  and  the  decree  been 
established  that  the  very  gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail  against 
it.  In  all  its  aims,  movements,  and  results,  there  is  nothing  which 
is  merely  temporary.  All  is  to  be  substantial  and  enduring,  lasting 
for  evermore.  It  cannot  come  to  an  end,  or  be  perverted  from  the 
sublime  purpose  to  which  it  has  been  decreed  by  Him  who  is  the 
Amen. 

(7)  Assurance  that  all  this  concerning  King  and  Kingdom  is 
certainly  true.  In  our  studies  of  the  passage  thus  far  we  have 
feeen  our  risen  Lord's  right  to  the  kingdom,  his  forces  prepared 
for  conquering  and  ruling,  his  qualifications  for  that  highest 
kingly  office,  the  spiritual  nature  of  the  government  to  be 
established,  the  character  and  spirit  that  would  prevail  within 
it,  and  the  immovable  stability  of  the  empire  so  set  up;  we 
would  now  have  the  assurance  given  us  that  all  these  were, 
are,  and  for  ever  will  be  so.  Do  we  find  such  assurance  from 
the  titles?  We  must  have  certainly.  For  this  also  there  is 
provision  made  in  the  titles.  The  list  closes  with  one  that 
leaves  us  without  a  doubt  or  question.  It  completes  the  de- 
scription of  our  Lord  as  the  ordained  Sovereign  Ruler.  "  The 
Faithful  and  True    Witness  ^^  are  its  decisive  words.     He  is  true 


484      INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

—yea,  the  Truth  itself.  He  is  faithful  iu  communicating  to  us 
the  momentous  facts  just  as  they  were  and  are.  He  has  been 
an  eyewitness  of  all  the  things  which  he  relates.  He  cannot  be 
mistaken  and  could  not  be  deceived. 

As  a  witness  from  God  to  man,  he  is  worthy  of  perfect  cre- 
dence. As  a  witness  from  man  to  God,  he  is  himself  the  pledge 
that  could  not  be  violated.  Everything— promises,  purposes, 
laws,  assertions,  warnings,  hopes,  counsels,  revelations— all,  past 
present,  and  to  come,  are,  or  will  be,  just  as  he  declares  them, 
though  heaven  and  earth,  and  the  whole  universe,  should  pass 
away.  All  are  certainly  and  eternally  real,  for  he  is  "the  faith- 
ful and  true  witness"— the  trustworthy  One  into  whose  hands  we 
may  commit  our  souls  and  bodies  and  destinies  for  time  and 
eternity. 

Glance  we  now,  in  review,  over  the  whole  catalogue  of  these 
divine  titles;  and  is  there  one  thing  we  can  conceive  of  as  want- 
ing to  complete  the  list  of  attributes  in  our  risen  Lord,  needed 
by  him  for  taking  the  throne  and  reigning  supreme  and  for 
ever?  Forming  them  all  into  one  connected  description,  we 
cannot  but  be  filled  with  amazement  at  his  perfect  suitableness 
for  the  office  upon  which  he  was  entering  as  supreme  Lord  of  the 
mediatorial  kingdom.  Having  conquered  Satan  and  ransomed 
the  Church  by  his  own  most  precious  blood,  he  was  now  ascend- 
ing to  that  throne  which  had  been  promised  of  old:  "There 
was  given  him  dominion,  and  glory,  and  a  kingdom,  that  all 
people,  nations,  and  languages  should  serve  him ;  his  dominion 
is  an  everlasting  dominion,  which  shall  not  pass  away,  and  his 
kingdom  that  which  shall  not  be  destroyed."  His  divine  titles 
as  tliey  are  found  in  the  various  messages  are  such  as  show  his 
right  and  fitness  for  that  dominion,  as  well  as  the  manner  in 
which  ho  would  exercise  his  authority,  and  the  certainty  that  he 
would  hold  the  throne  for  evermore.  These  titles  declare  of  him 
that  he  was  "the  first  and  the  last,  which  was  dead  and  is 
alive;"  "the  Son  of  God;"  "hath  the  key  of  David;"  "the 
beginning  of  the  creation  of  God,"  and  so  has  an  everlasting 
right  to  that  supreme  dominion;  that  he  "holdeth  the  seven 
stars  in  his  right  hand,  who  walketh  in  the  midst  of  the  seven 
golden  candlesticks,"  and  so  had  his  forces  ready  to  conquer  and 
rule;  that  he  was  the  One  "out  of  whose  mouth  went  the  sharp 
sword  with  two  edges,"  "  hath  his  eyes  like  unto  a  flame  of  fir6, 
and  Ids  feet  are  like  unto  fine  brass,"  and  so  has  the  perfect  quali- 
fications of  omnipotence,  omniscience,  and  omnipresence;  that  he 


KING  OF  KINGS  AND  LORD  OF  LOEDS.  485 

"  hath  the  Seven  Spirits  of  God,"  and  hence  his  liingdom  would 
be  spiritual  in  its  nature;  that  "He  is  the  holy,  he  is  the  true," 
and  will  therefore  reign  in  perfect  truth  and  righteousness,  as  the 
character  of  both  people  and  ruler;  that  he  is  "the  Amen,"  and 
so  his  kingdom  will  be  substantial  and  for  ever;  that  "He  is  the 
faithful  and  true  witness,"  and  so  he  gave  the  whole  world 
assurance  that  all  these  things  will  certainly  come  to  pass  under 
his  sway.  When  the  titles  are  all  thus  put  together,  we  see  that 
they  leave  nothing  wanting  in  the  description  of  Christ  as  the 
Mediatorial  King ;  and  there  is  nothing  superfluous.  All  is  com- 
plete and  perfect  as  is  He  who  is  both  the  Founder  of  Zion  and 
the  Kevealer  of  its  nature  and  destiny. 


CHAPTER   XVI. 
THE    CELESTIAL    WATCHER. 

The  next  element  in  each  of  the  messages  which  demands  our 
special  attention  is  the  remarkable  fact  that  in  them  all  we  find 
the  expression  "  I  know  thy  works."  As  a  celestial  Watcher  our 
exalted  Lord  looks  down  from  his  throne  and  beholds  the  con- 
dition of  each  of  his  churches,  and  the  conduct  of  every  one  of 
his  spiritual  soldiers.  This  feature  of  his  administration  is,  in 
his  estimation,  of  so  much  importance  that  he  makes  special 
reference  to  it  in  each  of  these  messages  whose  words  are  so  few 
and  so  weighty. 

In  two  other  instances — namely,  in  the  expressions,  "  Him  that 
overcometh,"  and  "  He  that  hath  an  ear,  let  him  hear  what  the 
Spirit  saith  unto  the  churches,"  we  have  the  same  phrases  in  each 
of  the  messages,  and  in  them  a  communication  of  deepest  import- 
ance was  intended ;  analogy  leads  us  to  infer  that  in  this  case  also 
there  is  something  which  calls  for  earnest  attention. 

It  is  evident  that  there  is  something  of  more  than  ordinary 
significance  in  the  emphatic  "  I  know  thy  works,"  which  is  seven 
times  repeated  in  these  communications  from  our  ascended  and 
enthroned  Lord.  In  the  words,  as  we  hear  them  in  his  most 
earnest  voice,  as  we  see  them  on  the  sacred  page,  and  as  we  be- 
hold his  finger  jiointing  to  them,  there  is  something  which  claims 
our  earnest  attention.  It  is  as  if  we  heard  him  charging  us  to 
notice  them,  read  them,  ponder  them,  and  make  them  our  guide 
in  all  our  relations  to  his  supreme  government,  to  the  Church,  and 
to  the  world.  Certainly  this  emphatic  "I  know  thy  works"  is 
not  a  mere  assertion  of  his  omniscience  in  his  relation  to  those 
churches.  It  is  something  else  of  vast  moment,  something  specially 
connected  with  the  great  object  of  the  messages,  something  which 
the  church  and  the  world  greatly  needed  clearly  to  understand.  By 
repeating  it  so  often,  and  in  such  striking  words,  he  would  intimate 
its  surpassing  importance.  He  gave  it  this  mark  of  his  divine  esti- 
mation, and  then  left  the  renewed  heart  to  discover  more  and  more 
clearly  its  deep  significance. 

We  must  next  give  special  attention  to  the  fact  that  with  the 

486 


THE  CELESTIAL  WATCHER.  487" 

"I  know  "  is  always  connected  "  thy  works.''''  "  I  know  thy  works  " 
is  the  invarial)le  formula.  Most  significant  is  it  that  each  of  the 
churches  is  notified  that  its  divine  Head  has  his  eye  fixed  upon 
all  its  works.  It  is  not  their  faith,  though  that  is  the  first  step 
and  the  root  of  every  other  grace,  which  he  names  as  claiming  his 
special  attention,  and  as  kept  in  remembrance  before  him.  It  is 
not  the  humility  and  perseverance,  as  of  the  church  of  Pliiladel- 
phia;  nor  the  patience,  as  of  Smyrna;  nor  the  few  faithful  names, 
as  of  Sardis;— not  these  things,  but  their  works,  that  he  mentions. 
He  does  not  recite  their  professions,  or  their  desires,  or  their  reso- 
lutions, but  their  works  actually  done  for  him  and  his  cause.  Tlie 
design  of  this  it  is  not  difficult  to  discern.  By  the  term  works 
here  he  doubtless  refers  to  their  whole  church  life  and  activity — 
and  that  not  only  to  their  positive  acts,  but  also  to  their  efforts 
and  feelings  and  purposes.  It  was  a  very  comprehensive  terni, 
which  included  their  actions,  virtues,  graces,  and  their  examples 
^in  a  word,  the  whole  tone  and  character  of  their  lives. 

There  must  have  been  an  important  reason  for  this,  as  in  other 
scriptures  where  the  works  of  believers,  rather  than  their  faith  or 
love  or  other  graces  are  made  the  ground  and  measure  of  the  divine 
approval.  It  might  appear  sufficient  to  explain  that  their  "works" 
is  a  general,  comprehensive  exj)ression  intended  to  include  faith, 
love,  patience,  and  all  the  other  Christian  graces.  That  is  no  doubt 
the  fact,  and  it  can  be  easily  comprehended ;  but  there  was  prob- 
ably a  more  important  reason  for  its  use — a  reason  that  aimed  at 
presenting  the  pre-eminent  value  of  good  works  as  a  manifesta- 
tion of  Christian  character.  This  point  is  so  important  that  we 
would  impress  it  by  means  of  the  following  distinct  propositions: 
(1)  Good  works  are  a  clear  indication  of  the  inlying  faith,  and 
love,  and  zeal,  and  other  graces  of  the  heart  from  which  they 
spring— for  "Out  of  the  abundance  of  the  heart,  the  mouth  speak- 
eth."  (2)  The  works  are  what  give  tone  and  character  to  the  whole 
life— are,  in  fiict,  the  inner  life  made  manifest;  so  that  the  Holy 
Spirit  could  direct  it  to  be  written  of  those  who  die  in  the  Lord, 
"Their  works  do  follow  them."  (3)  The  works  of  the  life  are 
what  the  world  can  see  and  understand  of  the  believer,  and  that 
fi-om  which  men  are  led  to  form  their  opinion  of  religion.  (4) 
The  separate  and  united  works  of  the  people  of  God  are  the 
grand  instrumentality  divinely  appointed  through  which  the  in- 
terests of  tlie  kingdom  are  to  be  promoted,  and  the  cause  of  Christ 
built  up  in  the  world.  (5)  Good  works  furnish  one  of  the  most  im- 
portant methods  by  which  we  may  become  assimilated  to  the  image 


488  INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

of  Him  of  whom  it  was  recorded  to  his  glory  that  "  He  went  about 
doing  good."  From  all  this  it  is  abundantly  evident  why  "  thy 
works"  was  a  term  used  to  denote  the  whole  character  and  life 
of  the  true  followers  of  Christ. 

The  repeated  use  of  the  expression  as  that  which  God  especially 
saw  and  noted,  is  the  divine  stamp,  clear  and  deep,  set  upon 
good  works.  We  should  not  be  so  reluctant  to  use  the  expres- 
sion as  some  seem  to  be ;  for  it  is  the  first  thing  in  the  people 
of  God  that  is  noticed  in  this  communication  from  the  medi- 
atorial throne.  "  Church  icork^^  is  no  new  "fruit  of  the  Spirit" 
as  seen  in  those  who  have  been  redeemed  by  the  blood  of 
Christ.  It  is  the  first,  the  oldest,  and  the  most  imj^ortant  bond 
which  connects  them  with  the  salvation  of  the  world  on  which 
the  heart  of  our  Lord  is  set.  Well  may  we  constantly  insist  on 
the  importance  of  "church  work" — work  for  the  upbuilding  of 
the  Church  of  our  Lord — work  for  Christ,  for  souls,  work  for 
the  salvation  of  all  the  lost  sons  of  men. 

We  have  not  forgotten  that  "thy  works,"  which  our  Lord 
here  so  often  proclaims  himself  as  watching,  include  the  evil 
works  in  some  of  the  churches  as  well  as  the  good  works  in 
others.  These  also  lie  clearly  before  him,  and  he  very  solemnly 
warns  against  them.  We,  however,  make  this  allusion  only  to 
them  here,  in  order  that  our  undivided  and  earnest  attention 
may  be  fixed  upon  those  which  are  specially  characteristic  of 
the  true  followers  of  our  Lord. 

A  second  point  in  this  divine  superintendence  of  the  king- 
dom as  revealed  to  us  by  the  repeated  and  emphatic  assurance 
of  God's  observance  of  every  point  in  the  character  and  life  of 
its  subjects,  is  that  he  not  only  knows  but  also  exercises  a  pro- 
vidential influence  over  all  the  movements  of  its  history.  It  is 
the  clearest  evidence  we  could  possibly  have  that  he  is  conducting 
all  the  interests  of  the  kingdom  so  as  to  promote  the  work  of 
saving  the  lost  world  of  mankind.  His  attention  to  it  all  is 
so  minute  that  at  each  point  it  can  be  graciously  said,  "I  know 
thy  works."  He  knows  them  all  so  perfectly,  because  every  item 
of  the  history  is  but  the  working  out  of  his  own  providential 
plans  for  saving  the  world.  He  repeats  again  and  again  that 
he  knows  the  works  of  his  people,  because  he  is  not  simply  a 
watcher  of  the  events,  but  exercises  effective  knowledge,  knowledge 
that  is  active,  knowledge  of  his  all-pervading  providence,  whereby 
are  wrought  out  his  own  infinitely  wise  and  gracious  plans  in 
his  kingdom  and  in  the  world.    This  repeated  and  emphatic  "I 


THE  CELESTIAL  WATCHER.  489 

know  thy  works,"  uttered  here  at  the  beginning  of  the  revelation 
of  the  things  which  were  "seen,  and  the  things  which  are,  and 
the  things  which  shall  be  hereafter,"  intimated  in  the  most 
significant  manner  that,  unknown  to  the  actors,  he  would  retain 
not  only  the  oversight,  but  also  the  minute  direction,  of  all  the 
coming  events  of  the  kingdom.  Launching  the  mediatorial 
kingdom  amid  the  empires  of  earth  and  the  ages  of  time,  he 
fullj^  indentifies  himself  with  it,  and  pledges  his  own  care  over 
all  its  interests.  AVhatever  might  befall  that  cause,  in  all  its 
vicissitudes,  througli  darkness  and  light,  through  storms  and 
calms,  through  alarms  and  peace,  all  its  interests  would  be  under 
his  own  eyes  and  in  his  own  hands. 

That  the  Lord  of  the  kingdom  would,  through  all  ages,  exercise 
such  minute  providential  oversight  over  every  point  of  its  interests 
is  made  certain  and  impressive  by  this  expression  in  the  messages, 
as  it  is  also  by  many  other  declarations  of  Scripture.  Among 
such  assurances  we  have,  in  the  New  Testament,  "  Lo,  I  am 
with  you  alway,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world:  amen;"  and 
in  the  Old  Testament,  the  strong  assurance  which  the  Holy  Ghost 
prompted  :  "  I  blessed  the  Most  High,  and  praised  and  honoured 
him  that  liveth  for  ever,  whose  dominion  is  an  everlasting  domin- 
ion, and  his  kingdom  is  from  generation  to  generation ;  and  all 
the  inhabitants  of  the  earth  are  reputed  as  nothing:  and  he  doeth 
according  to  his  will  in  the  army  of  heaven,  and  among  the 
inhabitants  of  the  earth :  and  none  can  stay  his  hand,  or  say 
unto  him,  What  doest  thou?"  Upon  this  universal  control  and 
knowledge  of  all  things,  past,  present,  and  to  come,  it  is  that 
all  proj)hecy  and  all  certainty  as  to  future  events  are  founded. 
According  to  it  has  our  almighty  King  laid  out  all  his  plans 
of  the  celestial  empire.  Hence  it  is  made  certain,  both  by  Scrip- 
ture and  by  the  facts  of  the  case,  that  when  we  hear  from  the 
lips  of  our  Lord  "I  know  thy  works,"  it  is  because  his  pro- 
vidential hand  is  guiding  all  things  to  the  accomplishment  of 
his  own  gracious  purposes. 

The  marvel  is  that  this  can  be  done,  and  still  the  responsibil- 
ity rest  ui)on  the  actors  themselves  who  are  working  out  the 
divine  will.  The  almighty  King  touches  the  springs,  and  the 
needed  activity  is  awakened.  He  guides  the  currents  of  energy, 
and  the  intended  results  are  accomplished.  The  depraved  works 
of  evil  men  are  restrained  or  overruled,  and  they  are  j^unished ; 
the  right  aims  of  the  faithful  are  blessed  and  aided,  and  their 
fidelity  rewarded:   and  by  both,  as  by  every  other  purpose  and 


490       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

act  of  men,  the  sovereign  designs  of  the  glorious  kingdom  are 
wrought  out.  All  this  is  because  the  supreme  Lord  identifies 
himself  vvitli  even  the  minute  interests  of  the  cause,  making  it 
his  own,  and  directing  it  to  the  fulfillment  of  his  sovereign  will, 
allowing  men  to  be  the  actors,  but  himself  guiding  and  moving 
forward  his  own  gracious  plans. 

It  thus  comes  to  pass  that  the  seven  times  repeated  "  I  know 
thy  works "  is,  to  all  its  loyal  subjects,  a  comforting  revelation 
concerning  the  mediatorial  kingdom.  Its  destinies  are  not  en- 
trusted to  the  cai)rice  of  human  agents,  but  are  simply  the  work- 
ing out  of  the  plans  of  the  infinitely  wise  and  omnipotent 
Jehovah.  His  kingdom  will  fail  by  no  unforeseen  catastrophe, 
for  he  witnesses  and  overrules  all.  It  cannot  fail  of  its  infinitely 
gracious  purpose :  for  the  direction  of  all  its  future  is  with  him. 
By  the  eye  of  faith  we  behold  the  Church  which  Christ  pur- 
chased with  his  own  blood,  moving  on  through  the  ages  of  the 
world,  though  dangers  of  every  kind  beset  it;  for  his  infallible 
wisdom  is  directing  every  change,  and  his  impenetrable  shield 
is  over  all. 

The  oft-repeated  and  deeply  significant  "I  know  thy  works" 
is  a  pledge  to  all  the  people  of  God  that  the  divine  kingdom  will 
not  be  left  to  the  uncertainties  of  chance,  and  that  wreck  and 
destruction  will  never  be  permitted  to  overtake  it.  Launched, 
as  it  then  was,  upon  such  a  stormy  sea  and  with  such  formidable 
dangers  awaiting  it  at  every  turn,  what  could  possibly  preserve  it 
from  ruin?  Such  vigilant  and  mighty  enemies  as  Satan  and  his 
legions  would  assail  it,  and  what  could  save  it?  It  would  have 
to  encounter  obstacles  and  opposition  without  cessation,  and  how 
could  it  escape?  The  human  agents  set  for  its  defense  would  be 
subject  to  many  infirmities,  would  be  weak  and  sinful  and  make 
mistakes  that  might  be  disastrous.  Fallible  and  inexperienced, 
they  could  not  be  relied  upon  in  times  of  danger.  The  time 
would  be  so  long,  the  events  so  many  and  complicated,  and  the 
work  so  wearying,  that  if  the  cause  were  left  to  itself,  disaster 
and  ruin  would  inevitably  befall  it.  The  mistakes  of  the  past, 
with  all  its  calainities,  are  calculated  to  make  the  sense  of  these 
dangers  the  more  ai)palling.  Did  we  not  have  confidence  in  our 
Lord's  watchful  care  there  would  be  scarce  a  ray  of  hope  for  us 
in  all  the  future.  Without  this  there  could  be  no  fixed  plans  for 
the  future  of  the  kingdom,  no  predictions  to  comfort,  no  happy 
results  to  be  anticipated.  What  certainty  could  there  then  be 
that   all   the   glorious   things   foretold    concerning   the    kingdom 


THE  CELESTIAL  WATCHER.  491 

would  ever  be  accomplished?  And  yet  these  are  things  about 
which  the  utmost  certainty  is  needed — needed  for  the  faith  of 
believers,  needed  for  the  comfort  of  the  Church,  needed  as  a 
bulwark  against  the  attacks  of  the  enemies. 

In  the  light  of  these  facts,  we  can  see  plainly  the  intention  of, 
and  appreciate  more  fidly,  the  emphatic  and  repeated  "  I  know 
thy  works."  It  is  a  peculiar  and  impressive  manner  of  asserting 
our  Lord's  unflagging  oversight  of  every  point  and  every  interest 
of  the  divine  kingdom.  He  would  not  leave  to  themselves,  or  to 
mere  chance,  events  so  many,  so  far  separated,  and  so  slow  in 
their  development;  but  would  carefully  watch  them  all,  and  him- 
self control  their  progress.  His  eye  would  be  constantly  fixed 
upon  all  the  vicissitudes  of  the  divine  kingdom.  That  eye 
which  never  sleeps  would  follow  every  movement  in  all  their 
boundless  scope,  and  in  all  the  successive  ages.  His  infinite 
wisdom  and  power  would  touch  the  springs  of  every  change. 
He  would  evermore  be  on  the  watchtower.  All  the  complica- 
tions of  the  kingdom's  future  history  would  be  kept  in  his  hand. 
From  this  it  would  follow  that  its  decline  or  overthrow  would  be 
impossible.  The  utmost  confidence  may  be  placed  in  its  safety 
and  final  triumph.  The  gates  of  hell  could  not,  would  not  be 
permitted  to  prevail  against  it. 

Moreover,  that  he  would  retain  a  minute  oversight  of  all  the 
fortunes  of  the  divine  kingdom  during  all  the  ages  to  come,  and 
that  his  providential  hand  would  be  in  them  all,  is  not  all  the 
tru,th  that  is  intimated  in  the  oft-repeated  "  I  know  thy  works." 
It  is  not  all,  nor  is  it  the  best  of  this  communication  fi'om  the 
throne.  Not  obscurely  does  it  also  imply  that  in  all  the  future 
events  of  the  mediatorial  kingdom  God  has  a  plan  of  grace,  and 
that  he  watches  and  directs  every  point  in  its  history  to  the  ful- 
fillment thereof.  That  plan  is  sketched  out  in  the  Apocalypse 
for  the  instruction  of  his  people,  and  the  reiterated  "I  know  thy 
works"  at  the  beginning,  is  his  pledge  that  his  infinite  wisdom 
and  power  would  direct  all,  with  unerring  certainty,  to  its  glori- 
ous consummation.  The  scheme  of  events  that  would  lead  to 
this  magnificent  climax  was  definite,  the  divine  perfections  en- 
gaged would  make  it  certain,  and  its  pi-ophetic  outline  was  this 
closing  book  of  the  sacred  volume.  The  fact  is  a  most  glorious 
one  that,  with  the  whole  field  of  this  grandest  enterprise  of  earth 
spread  out  before  him,  the  almighty  King  declares  to  all  its 
agents,  of  the  past,  present,  and  future,  "I  know  thy  works." 

This  assurance  is  calculated  to  give  peculiar  satisfaction  to  all 


492       INAUGUKAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

who  are  interested  ia  the  divine  enterprise.  All  appears  as  a 
glorious  reality,  fixed,  certain,  immovable  as  the  throne  of  God. 
If  the  whole  ordering  of  the  fortunes  of  the  mediatorial  king- 
dom were  not  seen  to  be  in  God's  hand,  there  could  be  no  reli- 
able expectations  as  to  the  future  of  our  race.  If  the  movements 
of  the  kingdom  were  dependent  oh  created  agents  there  could 
be  no  certainty  as  to  anything  that  is  coming.  All  the  work  of 
the  divine  kingdom  is  stupendously  great  and  complicated ;  how 
could  finite  wisdom  and  power  direct  it?  It  covers  the  whole 
range  of  the  universe,  and  sweeps  on  throughout  all  the  ages 
to  come :  how  could  mortal  arm  reach  it  all,  or  mortal  wisdom 
direct  its  movements?  This  seven  times  repeated  "I  know  thy 
works"  intimates,  in  a  manner  that  amounts  to  absolute  assur- 
ance, that  there  is  such  a  distinct  purpose,  and  plan  for  accom- 
plishing it,  in  all  God's  management  of  the  affairs  of  his  Church. 
His  looking  down  along  all  the  ages  and  affirming  at  every  point 
"I  know  thy  works"  proves  that  all  events  are  plainly  before 
him,  that  he  is  deeply  interested  in  them,  that  they  are  fixed 
as  coming  realities;  and  that  they  are  so  established  is  undoubted 
evidence  that  they  are  parts  of  some  sublime  scheme  which  the 
Lord  is  working  out.  It  intimates  the  same  glorious  fact  as  "Lo, 
I  am  with  you  alway,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world:  amen." 
The  words  thus  become  wondrously  significant,  as,  in  substance, 
they  declare:  "I  know  that  you  are,  and  how  you  are,  working 
out  my  great  plan  formed  from  the  everlasting  ages."  There  can 
thus  be  no  possible  failure  in  the  ultimate  completion  of  that 
magnificent  scheme  in  the  kingdom  which  depends  not  upon 
fallible  human  agents,  but  upon  the  perfections  of  the  almighty 
Jehovah. 

What  we  can  see  and  comprehend  in  the  develoi^ments  of 
human  history,  and  what  we  can  read  in  the  pages  of  the  Apoc- 
alypse, are  but  the  outline  of  this  divine  scheme.  The  vicissi- 
tudes of  the  [present  day,  the  events  which  are  sometimes  light 
and  sometimes  dark,  are  simply  the  advancing  evolutions  of  the 
battlefield  of  the  kingdom.  All  the  movements  of  the  divine 
kingdom,  whether  in  the  ages  that  are  past,  or  at  the  present 
hour,  or  in  the  unknown  years  yet  to  come,  are  but  the  carry- 
ing out  of  the  everlasting  purposes  of  the  heavenly  King.  This 
is  true  as  to  all  times  and  all  the  interests  of  the  Church.  They 
are  not  shaped  by  the  whims  of  creatures,  nor  are  they  the  re- 
sults of  chance,  or  the  developments  of  human  progress,  but 
the  orderings  of  God's  all-perfect    will.     They  aa-e  but  the  out- 


THE  CELESTIAL  AYATCHER.  493 

working  of  his  eternal  plan.  His  great  ultimate  design  is  never 
lost  sight  of,  and  never  bent  out  of  the  course  which  his  iutinite 
wisdom  had  designed.  Onward  moves  the  glorious  scheme  whose 
ultimate  aim  is  the  destruction  of  Satan,  the  redemption  of  our 
lost  race,  and  the  establishment  over  all  the  world  of  the  ever- 
lasting kingdom  of  truth  and  righteousness  and  bliss.  His  plan 
for  this  grand  consummation  takes  in  the  scope  of  the  centuries. 
He  watches  and  overrules  every  movement.  As  some  renowned 
commander  who  leads  a  vast  army  in  a  battle  on  whose  issue 
depends  the  fate  of  nations,  stationed  on  some  elevated  spot  where 
the  whole  battlefield  lies  before  him,  watches  every  movement 
until  victory  is  achieved,  so  is  it  with  the  Captain  of  our  salva- 
tion: having  been  made  perfect  through  suffering,  he  stands  on 
the  heavenly  heights,  beholding  every  change  in  the  conflict 
with  Satan,  and  ordering  every  action  until  the  conquest  shall 
be  complete  and  final. 

That  decisive  victory  will  surely  come.  The  eye  that  is  fixed 
on  the  battlefield  cannot  be  eluded,  the  wisdom  that  orders  each 
evolution  cannot  be  out-generaled,  the  omnipotence  that  holds 
the  foi'ces  in  his  hands  cannot  be  defeated.  Enemies  may  plot, 
but  "  He  that  sitteth  in  the  heavens  shall  laugh ;"  friends  may 
mistake,  but  unerring  wisdom  shall  repair  all;  adversity  may 
darken,  but  a  brighter  light  shall  follow.  Not  a  stratagem  shall 
be  opposed,  not  a  squadron  shall  move,  but  the  cheering  sound 
shall  be  heard,  "I  know  thy  works."  By  a  word  the  supreme 
leader  might  bring  on  the  crisis  at  any  moment,  but  by  long 
waiting  the  victory  shall  be  rendered  the  more  transcendently 
glorious. 

Such  are  some  of  the  general  results  which  are  involved  in 
the  seven  times  repeated  "  I  know  thy  works ; "  but  the  subject 
comes  nearer  home  and  conveys  more  practical  information 
when  we  consider  it  in  its  application  to  individuals  and  to 
single  churches.  The  Lord  of  the  kingdom  declares  his  intimate 
and  all-comprehending  knot\'ledge  of  the  condition  of  his  churches, 
and  that  in  the  whole  world.  Both  as  a  summary  thereof  and 
a  sample  of  that  minute  acquaintance  with  them,  the  general 
state  of  these  seven  churches  is  described.  The  very  solemn 
announcement  is  "I  know" — of  Ephesus,  "thy  labor  and  thy 
patience;"  of  Smyrna,  "tribulation  and  poverty;"  of  Pergamos, 
"where  thou  dwellest,  even  where  Satan's  seat  is;"  of  Thyatira, 
"thy  charity,  and  service,  and  faith,  and  thy  patience;"  of  Sardis, 
"that  thou  hast  a  name  that  thou  livest  and  art  dead;"  of  Phila- 


494       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

delphia,  "I  have  set  before  thee  an  open  door;"  of  Laodicea, 
"tliat  thou  art  neither  cold  nor  hot."  These  were  the  leading 
things  that  the  all-seeing  King  did  especially  note  concerning 
the  various  cliurches.  Not  one  of  them  lay  hidden  from  his 
all-seeing  eye.  He  also  saw  distinctly  all  the  causes  which  pro- 
duced such  spiritual  states,  as  well  as  all  the  results  that  would 
flow  from  them,  and  that  in  every  case.  All  the  evils  that  could 
prevail,  and  all  the  defects  that  could  mar,  were  known  to  him. 
All  the  fidelity  that  could  distinguish  and  adorn  received  his 
approving  notice.  It  was  so  then,  and  it  is  so  still — as  was  so 
finely  portrayed  by  the  Rev.  Robert  Hall  of  England:  "'I 
know  thy  works ' "  is  a  declaration  with  which  He  jjrefaces  his 
admonitory  epistles.  Nothing  in  the  behavior  of  Christian 
churches  escapes  his  notice  whose  '  eyes  are  as  a  flame  of  fire.' 
He  remarks  the  attention  or  inattention  with  which  his  mes- 
sages are  received;  he  notices  who  are  formal  and  lukewarm, 
and  who  fervent  and  sincere  in  their  worship;  who  are  diligent 
in  their  attendance  on  the  means  of  grace,  and  who  are  glad 
to  avail  themselves  of  trivial  excuses  for  neglecting  them.  He 
notices  all  the  different  degrees  of  seriousness  which  professing 
Christians  bring  into  the  divine  service.  There  is  not  a  sigh 
from  the  contrite,  nor  a  tear  of  penitential  sorrow,  or  of  tender 
joy,  that  escapes  his  notice.  '  He  looks  not  at  outward  appear- 
ances, but  at  the  heart.'  He  perceives  the  difference  betwixt 
those  churches  which  have  'left  their  first  l«ve,'  and  those  who 
are  diligently  pressing  on  to  perfection;  betwixt  those  who  are 
indifferent  to  the  extension  of  his  kingdom,  and  those  who  are 
incessantly  laboring  and  praying  for  its  enlargement;  those 
who  decline  to  the  paths  of  error  and  '  hold  the  doctrine  which 
he  hates,'  and  those  who  '  hold  fast  the  form  of  sound  \\'ords.' " 
We  may  depend  on  it  as  a  stupendous  reality,  terrible  to  the 
unfaithful,  but  most  encouraging  to  those  who  are  loj-al  to 
Christ  and  his  church,  that  our  whole  spiritual  condition,  as 
churches  or  as  individuals,  lies  clearly  revealed  before  that 
omniscient  Lord  with  whom  we  have  to  do. 

Place  in  the  Beacon.  We  are  now  prepared  to  contemplate  and  to 
adore  the  loving  care  of  our  gracious  Lord  in  having  thus  placed  in 
the  Beacon  intended  for  the  warning  of  the  people  of  God  in  all  time, 
this  notice  of  his  sleepless  attention  to  them  and  to  all  the  affairs  of 
his  kingdom  throughout  the  whole  world.  How  blessed  the  divine 
assurance  that  he  would  never  overlook  one  individual,  or  one 
interest  of  the  Church.    What  deep  emphasis  did  our  compassionate 


THE  CELESTIAL  WATCHER.  495 

Redeemer,  in  another  connection,  lay  upon  the  blessed  truth: 
"Are  not  two  sj^arrows  sold  for  a  fartliing?  and  one  of  them 
shall  not  fall  on  the  ground  without  your  Father.  But  the  very 
hairs  of  your  head  are  all  numbered."  Not  a  sparrow  can  fall, 
not  a  child  of  God  can  fall  asleep  in  death,  not  an  en.emy  can 
raise  his  hand  against  the  Church  of  our  Lord,  not  one  obstacle 
can  stand  in  the  way  to  obstruct  the  progress  of  the  truth,  but 
all  passes  under  the  penetrating  eye  of  Him  with  whom  we 
have  to  do.  All  is  distinctly  before  him  :  "  A  book  of  remembrance 
was  written  before  him,  for  them  that  feared  the  Lord  and 
that  thought  upon  his  name."  In  all  our  changeful  life  there 
is  no  spot  where  Jesus  sees  us  not.  Alike  in  the  bright  sunshine, 
and  in  the  darkness  of  the  winter's  tempest,  his  eye  is  over  his 
people  in  the  tenderest  care.  When  the  hill  is  steep,  and  thorns 
and  briars  cover  it,  he  is  watching  his  weary  flock,  he  pities  them 
and  helps  them.  Through  the  soft  green  meadows,  and  beside 
the  still  waters,  he  guards  and  guides  them  tenderly.  He  knows 
the  works  of  all  his  followers.  He  knows  their  desires  as  well  as 
their  motives.  Men  judge  by  the  results,  he  by  the  secret  springs 
in  the  heart.  AVJien  our  spirit  grows  weary,  we  can  lean  on  him 
who  is  ever  by  our  side.  "When  fainting  in  prayer  and  almost  ready 
to  give  up,  we  can  take  encouragement  from  the  certainty  that  he 
who  seeth  in  secret  is  watching  and  helping.  LTpborne  by  the 
everlasting  arms,  and  looking  to  the  Author  and  Finisher  of  our 
faith,  we  are  nerved  to  j)ress  on  to  the  joy  that  is  set  before  us. 

That  our  Lord  does  exercise  this  minute  supervision  over 
every  creature  and  every  event,  and  that  on  behalf  of  the  in- 
terests of  his  Church,  is  at  once  a  sublime  fact  and  an  awful 
mystery.  We  are  made  sure  that  it  is  a  fact,  even  though  we 
are  not  able  fully  to  comprehend  it.  How  inscrutable  it  is  that, 
although  the  government  of  the  whole  universe  is  in  his  hands, 
he  is  not  too  busy  to  watch  over  us  and  care  for  all  our  interests! 
Sublime  beyond  imagination  it  is  that  He  before  whom  the 
angels  bow  and  the  archangels  veil  their  faces  with  their  wings, 
will  yet  condescend  to  behold  and  to  keep  guard  over  us  creatures 
— fallen  creatures  of  a  sinful  race !  AVe  become  lost  in  adoring 
wonder  as  we  reflect  that  the  Most  Lligh  God,  the  infinite  and 
eternal  Jehovah,  would  overlook  the  ocean  sublimely  raging,  the 
volcano  belching  out  its  floods  of  fire,  or  the  comet  dashing 
through  the  fields  of  space,  rather  than  the  welfare  of  one  humble 
soul  which  has  been  redeemed  by  the  blood  of  his  own  dear  Son. 
From  amidst  the  celestial  court,  whence  the  angels  fly  away  on 


496       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

many  an  errand  to  distant  worlds,  and  where  the  cherubim  await 
his  commands,  the  Ahnighty  looks  down  with  tender  care  upon 
his  lowliest  servant  on  earth  wlio  toils  for  him. 

Awful  would  it  be  for  us  were  it  not  so— were  not  our  ador- 
able Lord  exercising  this  ceaseless  oversight  of  us.  Dreadful 
would  be  our  prospects  were  we  alone  in  the  world.  What 
would  be  our  lot  were  there  not  such  a  heart  of  infinite  love, 
and  such  an  arm  of  almighty  power  to  guard  us!  But  we  are 
not  alone.  The  King  of  kings  and  Lord  of  lords  cares  for  us, 
and  has  his  all-seeing  eye  for  ever  fixed  upon  us.  He  watches 
over  all  our  welfare.  He  witnesses  even  our  thoughts,  our  feel- 
ings, and  our  purposes.  He  sees  the  dangers  which  threaten  us, 
and  guards  us  from  them.  He  sees  our  sins,  with  deep  repug- 
nance, and  yet  he  shows  that  he  is  willing  to  pardon.  Our 
sorrows  are  known  and  sympathized  in  by  Him  who  was  once 
the  "Man  of  sorrows;"  and  they  are  so  guided  as  to  work  out 
the  greater  purity  of  the  soul. 

All  the  good  which  we  are  enabled  to  do  is  carefully  marked. 
Not  one  such  act  is  ever  forgotten;  but  God's  eye  is  fixed  upon 
every  act,  his  ear  attent  to  every  word,  every  purpose  even  is 
noted,— and  all  is  kept  in  everlasting  remembrance.  Every  such 
act  and  purpose  calls  forth  his  divine  approval;  in  it  our  gracious 
Lord  sees  of  the  travail  of  his  soul,  and  is  satisfied  ;  a  new  joy 
thrills  the  heart  of  Jesus  our  Friend.  jSTothing  that  you  do, 
believer,  for  tlie  poor  and  suffering  of  j-our  fellow  men,  for  the 
honor  of  your  Lord,  and  for  the  triumph  of  his  kingdom  is  ever 
unnoticed  or  forgotten  by  our  blessed  Iledeemer.  When  you  are 
wrestling  strongly  with  some  liesetting  sin,  or  shedding  the  peni- 
tential tear  because  of  some  grievous  transgression,  or  longing  in 
your  inmost  soul  for  an  increase  of  spirituality  in  your  daily 
walk,  or,  perhaps  in  tlie  silent  night,  planning  some  scheme  by 
which  to  relieve  the  sufferings  of  an  afflicted  neighbor,  or  speak- 
ing words  of  kind  advice  to  a  friendless  child  or  beggar  in  tat- 
tered clothing,  or  giving  the  faithful  instruction  that  would  direct 
the  outcast  simier  to  the  reconciling  blood,  or  taking  some  wan- 
derer by  the  hand  and  leading  him  to  the  Cross,  or  only  pointing 
the  lost  victim  of  sin  and  wretchedness  to  Calvary  and  the 
celestial  gate  above  it:  depend  upon  it  that  in  all  these  things, 
which  are  nothing  in  the  eyes  of  the  world,  you  are  attentively 
regarded  by  Him  who  will  not  suffer  even  the  gift  of  a  cup  of 
water  to  go  without  a  reward ! 

Be  ye,  then,   cheered    and    filled  with    the   brightest   hope   at 


THE  CELESTIAL  WATCHEK.  497 

the  animating  thought  that  his  eye  is  upon  you  in  all  your 
works  and  trials  and  victories.  It  is  lovingly  fixed  upon  you  as 
you  bravely  stand  up  for  him  amidst  an  indifferent  or  infidel 
generation;  as  your  heart  often  sinks  at  sight  of  the  dreadful 
worldliness  prevailing  on  every  hand;  and  as  you  are  daily 
making  sacrifices  to  stay  that  sad  tide  of  indifference  to  God  and 
his  truth.  Sometimes  it  may  appear  to  you  to  be  very  hard  to 
be  stigmatized  as  odd  and  disagreeable,  to  be  misunderstood  or 
misrepresented  by  those  with  whom  you  would  stand  well;  to  be 
branded  as  self-righteous,  or  righteous  overnuich:  but  bear  all 
patiently— for  he  is  looking  upon  all  that  you  are  doing  or  sufler- 
ing;  he  is  watching  all  with  the  most  tender  affection.  You  are 
not  overlooked,  or  despised,  or  treated  as  an  insignificant  thing 
by  the  glorious  King.  Others  of  the  gay  and  worldly  multitude 
may  be  so  regarded  by  him,  but  assuredly  not  you  whose  hearts 
are  in  his  cause.  Think  of  the  surpassing  honor  and  blessedness 
it  is  to  have  the  special  regard  of  Jehovah ;  to  have  him  notice 
you,  to  have  him  smile  upon  you,  even  though  the  thoughtless 
world  may  turn  away  in  scorn ;  to  have  his  omnipotent  arm 
around  you,  no  matter  though  all  the  world  of  the  frivolous,  the 
thoughtless,  and  the  wicked  be  in  arms  against  you. 

Be  true,'  then,  to  your  Lord  and  Saviour.  Be  of  that  number, 
renowned  even  in  the  courts  of  heaven,  "who  have  not  defiled 
their  garments."  Be  thus  steadfast,  even  though  the  whole  bent 
and  fashion  of  the  world  be  otherwise.  Though  the  multitude 
may  sneer  at  you  with  the  most  bitter  scorn ;  though  by  your 
course  you  may  estrange  those  whom  you  would  prize  as  friends ; 
though,  for  the  cause  of  Christ,  you  may  have  to  make  sacrifices 
the  most  painful ;  though  you  may  behold  no  immediate  gain 
therefrom ;  though  what  is  required  of  you  may  be  repugnant 
to  your  feelings;  though  your  faltering  footsteps  may  sometimes 
have  to  be  taken  in  the  dark  and  amid  the  untried;  though  you 
may  have  to  wait  long  for  even  a  break  in  the  cloud;  though 
frequently  tired,  and  weak,  and  sore  from  the  journey; — not- 
withstanding all  these,  and  still  other  discouragements,  wait, 
trust — still  trust !  You  will  see  the  wisdom  of  so  doing  by  and 
by.  Listen  to  God's  assured  declaration,  "  I  know  thy  works." 
He  has  not  forgotten  you,  be  sure  of  that,  any  more  than  he 
had  forgotten  those  his  dear  followers  in  the  seven  churches  who 
stood  faithful  to  him  amid  all  kinds  of  opposition,  even  amid 
persecution  to  the  death.  Even  though  all  seems  dark,  and  you 
feel  not  his  presence,  yet,  all  the  time,  he  is  looking  down  benignly 

32 


498       INAUGUEAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

upon  you.  Through  the  gloom  and  the  night  and  the  storm,  liis 
eye  is  not  off  you  for  one  instant.  Through  those  very  trials  he 
is  plaiting  chords  that  will  vibrate  in  the  expression  of  joys 
that  will  be  immortal.  His  angels,  at  his  behest,  are  writing 
down  your  record  in  the  book  of  life.  By  and  by  yoii  will  hear 
his  welcome  voice  receiving  you  home,  and  it  will  transport  your 
soul  with  an  ecstasy  of  joy  that  will  never  lose  its  zest. 


CHAPTER    XVII. 
DARK  SPOTS. 

Obviously  the  leading  intention  of  this  Beacon  of  the  ages,  as 
of  all  similar  signals,  is  to  give  warning  of  dangers  by  indicating 
where  they  have  been  met  with  by  others.  To  accomplish  this 
end  it  must  be  pointed  out  clearly  what  such  dangers  are  and 
where  they  lie.  Examples  must  be  given  to  show  how  others  have 
sufft'red  from  such  lurking  perils.  In  these  communications  from 
the  throne  of  our  Lord  this  is  no  doubt  the  most  important  element. 
To  each  church  there  is  given  a  most  solemn  admonition  of  where 
it  has  failed— perhaps  fallen  into  irreparable  ruin.  These  several 
warnings  gathered  up  into  one  body,  compared,  analyzed,  and 
studied  in  their  relations,  and  influences  upon  each  other,  become 
a  Beacon  for  the  whole  Church,  more  valuable  than  the  most 
famous  lighthouse  ever  erected  to  warn  vessels  freighted  with 
the  most  precious  cargoes,  of  shoals  and  rocks  and  currents 
coming  in  contact  with  which  they  must  inevitably  perish. 

In  all  the  messages,  save  two,  there  are  rebukes  of  falls,  short- 
comings, faults  and  failures  and  errors  of  various  kinds  and 
degrees  of  culpability.  The  things  rebuked  are  so  many  and 
of  such  varied  character  as  to  extend  to  all  dangers  into  which 
any  people  are  liable  to  fall.  They  are  presented  in  their  various 
shades  of  turpitude.  Sometimes  but  one  is  laid  to  the  charge 
of  a  single  church,  and  that  because  it  is  the  leading  characteristic 
of  that  people;  sometimes  one  is  made  most  prominent,  while 
others  are  less  conspicuous ;  sometimes  the  same  charge  is  laid 
against  several  of  the  churches.  They  are  so  many  and  varied, 
and  imply  so  much,  as  to  extend  to  all  the  errors  and  sins  into 
which  churches  losing  their  loyalty  to  Christ  ordinarily  fall. 
They  are  of  priceless  importance  as  warnings  to  the  uhole 
Church. 

In  the  beginning  we  are  met  by  a  question  of  some  practical 
difficulty  as  to  how  we  can  classify  these  things  censured  in  the 
churches,  so  that  together  they  may  produce  the  impression  for 
which  they  were  intended.      It  would  be  too  tedious  a  task  to 


500       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

take  each  one  of  the  rebukes  in  the  messages,  and  dwell  upon 
it  sejiarately,  and  we  must  adopt  some  other  method.  We  shall 
therefore  endeavor  to  deduce  from  the  many  points  of  censure 
the  general  principles  involved ;  collect,  analyze,  and  combine 
these  principles  into  such  definite  forms  as  can  be  easily  com- 
prehended ;  and  then,  as  illustrations  of  these  principles,  present 
in  detail  the  leading  points  under  which  all  the  censures  may 
be  classed. 

We  first  investigate  the  evil  principles,  tendencies,  or  charac- 
teristics which  are  exposed  through  the  messages,  and  the  opera- 
tion of  which  has  caused  the  evils  which  have  ever  afflicted  the 
Church  of  God.  A  careful  analysis  and  classification  shows  that 
these  are  six  in  number,  and  that  they  comprehend  all  the  cor- 
rupt tendencies  that  are  ordinarily  found  in  the  Church  and  the 
world.  Their  reality  as  well  as  their  meaning  will  be  seen  as  we 
glance  at  all  the  things  here  censured,  and  then  locate  them  in 
their  proper  place. 

(1)  The  Devil  generaUy  carries  on  his  seductive  work  against  the 
divine  Kingdom  by  assuming  the  plans  and  the  appearance  of  God. 
Some  one  has  expressed  this,  perhaps  with  too  much  levity  but 
with  much  truthfulness  and  appropriateness:  "Satan  is  the  ape 
of  God."  The  messages  expose  this  fact  in  a  manner  that  is  start- 
ling. Our  Lord  had  his  apostles:  so,  in  Ephesus  we  see  Satan's 
apostles  with  their  lying  pretensions.  The  Church  of  God  had 
its  synagogues:  so,  in  Smyrna  and  in  Sardis,  we  read  of  the 
synagogue  of  Satan.  Our  Lord,  Jehovah,  appointed  his  true 
proi)hets :  so,  in  Thyatira,  we  hear  of  Jezebel  calling  herself  a 
prophetess.  Our  Lord  established  love  as  the  great  principle  that 
was  to  prevail  over  all  in  his  kingdom :  so,  in  Pergamos  and 
others  of  the  churches,  we  find  love  prevailing  still,  but  turned 
by  Satan  into  lust.  "Ye  are  not  under  the  law,  but  under  grace," 
saith  the  Spirit.  "  True,"  says  Satan,  but  carries  it  farther:  "ye  are 
therefore  over  the  law,"  and  so  goes  on  to  the  deadly  heresy  of 
antinouiianism  with  its  grossest  sensuality.  It  is  so  in  other  parts 
of  Scripture  where  the  devil  imitates  God  to  the  destruction  of 
untold  millions  of  souls.  In  Eden  his  seductive  words  were:  "Be 
as  gods,  knowing  good  and  evil."  This  seductive  device  of  the 
devil  is  very  significant,  and  very  real  and  dangerous  to  souls  that 
could  not  be  destroyed  by  any  open  attacks  Of  the  Evil  one,  but 
are  promptly  overcome  when  he  shows  himself  as  an  angel  of 
light. 

(2)  Errors  are  generally  distorted  truths.       Almost    all    heresies 


DAEK  SPOTS.  501 

that  have  ever  afflicted  the  Church  of  God  liave  been  exagger- 
ated or  perverted  truths.  Very  seldom  indeed  have  the  enemies 
of  God  and  truth  dared  to  promulgate  systems  fabricated  out  of 
pure  lies.  They  have  rather  taken  admitted  truths  of  religion 
and  distorted  them  so  as  to  make  them  the  grossest  of  falsehoods. 
In  this  way  they  have  gained  for  them  a  respectability  that  would 
otherwise  have  been  impossible.  The  whole  Church  has  been 
warned  of  this  danger  by  a  notable  example  in  these  messages. 
A  glorious  truth  of  the  gospel  as  impressively  set  forth  by  the 
apostle  Paul  is  that  believers  "are  not  under  the  law,  but  under 
grace" — meaning  obviously  that  our  salvation  is  not  dependent 
upon  our  own  works  of  the  law,  but  upon  the  free  grace  of  God 
who  bestows  it.  That  is  the  blessed  foundation  upon  which  all 
our  hopes  are  established.  But  the  enemy  takes  it,  exaggerates 
it,  and  distorts  it  into  the  most  abominable  falsehood.  It  is  per- 
verted into  the  soul-destroying  lie  that  if  not  under  the  law  we 
are  above  it;  we  have  nothing  to  do  with  it;  it  has  no  binding 
authority  over  us;  to  go  contrary  to  it  is  for  us  no  sin.  There- 
from comes  antinomianism  with  all  its  brood  of  doctrinal  and 
practical  corruptions.  It  opens  the  door  to  the  most  wretched 
self-indulgence.  The  abominations  of  Balaam,  the  gross  unclean- 
ness  of  the  Nicolaitans,  and  the  debaucheries  of  Jezebel  are  no 
sin!  Grosser  perversions  still — if  possible!  The  blessed  spirit  of 
the  gospel  breathes  in  the  words:  "Beloved,  let  us  love  one 
another;  for  love  is  of  God."  This  is  true  and  most  blessed;  but 
the  depraved  heart  distorts  that  love  of  the  Spirit  into  the  lust 
of  the  flesh — lust  gross,  abominable,  and  unrestrained.  The  most 
loathsome  corruption  became  a  religious  duty.  To  contend  earn- 
estly for  the  faith  is  an  important  command,  but  it  is  corrupted 
into  pharasaism  and  persecution.  The  Church  is  one  of  God's  rich- 
est gifts  to  mankind ;  but  it  is  perverted  into  Antichrist.  The 
Bible  is  more  precious  in  its  teachings  and  influence  upon  the 
destines  of  mankind  than  all  that  the  wisdom  of  the  ages  has 
to  bestow;  but  it  has  been  made  to  support  the  most  destructive 
heresies.  There  is  nothing  in  this  Beacon  from  the  throne  of  our 
ascended  Lord  against  which  the  people  of  God  are  warned  more 
solemnly  than  they  are  against  this  tendency  seen  in  the  first 
churches  to  pervert  the  purest  truth  into  the  most  wretched  false- 
hoods, 

(3)  Errors  in  doctrine  and  corruption  in  jjractice  cdwai/s  go 
hand  in  hand.  This  deplorable  tendency  pervades  the  whole  of 
the   rebukes   in  the   messages.      Just   as    these  churches  lost  the 


502       INAUGUEAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

purity  of  their  faith  did  they  sink  more  and  more  into  degrada- 
tion of  life.  The  doctrines  of  Balaam  and  the  Nicolaitans  and 
the  teachings  of  Jezebel  were  the  root  from  which  there  sprang  a 
moral  depravity  of  darkest  hue.  The  eating  of  meat  offered  to 
idols  and  the  practice  of  fornication  were  so  closely  linked 
together  that  they  received  an  equal  censure  by  the  first  council 
in  Jerusalem.  Falsehood  when  admitted  into  the  mind  corrupts 
the  whole  man.  There  never  was  more  dangerous  teaching  than 
that  which  asserts  that  it  is  no  matter  what  one  believes  if  only 
he  be  right  in  his  life.  The  thing  cannot  be.  Believe  a  lie,  and 
the  whole  life  becomes  a  lie.  Error  is  defiling  in  its  very  nature. 
The  whole  history  of  the  divine  kingdom,  from  the  time  when 
these  messages  were  delivered  to  the  prophet  in  Patmos  until  the 
present  hour,  proves  it  to  be  a  fact  that  departures  from  the  truth 
in  doctrine  are  invariably  followed  by  departures  from  the  right 
in  morals. 

(4)  The  great  danger  of  affiliation  with  sin,  sinful  courses,  and 
sinful  people.  Scarcely  any  warning  of  the  whole  Beacon  is  more 
needed  than  this.  In  different  forms  and  connections  it  is  re- 
peated no  less  than  five  times,  and  has  connected  with  it  the 
strongest  language  of  censure  that  could  be  framed.  To  the 
praise  of  the  church  of  Ephesus  it  was  recorded  that  they  could 
not 'endure  the  lewd  systein  of  the  Nicolaitans.  The  great  sin  of 
the  Pergaiiiese  was  that  they  harbored  the  abominable  doctrines 
of  Baalam  and  of  the  Nicolaitans.  The  church  of  Thyatira  was 
condemned  for  enduring  the  vile  teachings  exemplified  by 
Jezebel.  More  plain,  direct,  and  forcible  than  all  the  rest,  is  the 
declaration  that  God  hates  such  a  course;  yea,  hates  it — the  very 
word  used,  and  one  of  the  strongest  expressions  of  divine  aver- 
sion ever  uttered  by  our  compassionate  Lord.  Nor  may  we  stop 
even  with  this  condemnation  of  the  sin  of  affiliating  with  evil 
doctrines  and  evil  people.  Elsewhere  in  Scripture  the  language 
used  concerning  it  is  that  of  absolute  abomination — the  only  thing 
so  stigmatized  in  the  Word  of  God.  The  having  to  do  with  it 
in  any  form  is  like  handling  a  garment  contaminated  with  some 
deadly  plague.  Hence  the  earnest  caution  concerning  it:  "Pull- 
ing them  out  of  the  fire ;  hating  even  the  garment  spotted  by  the 
flesh." 

It  is  not  safe  for  any  one  to  have  anything  to  do  with  evil 
doctrines,  or  practice,  or  people.  To  tamper  with  sceptical 
methods  of  faith,  or  meddle  with  so-called  higher  criticisms,  or 
trifle  with  departed  spirits,  good  or  evil,  is  worse  than  waste  of 


DARK  SPOTS.  503 

time ;  it  is  not  safe  even  for  those  wlio  think  tliemselves  tlie 
most  firmly  established.  The  folly  of  so  doing  is  not  new.  By 
it  in  part,  at  least,  three  of  the  seven  churches  fell;  and  the 
Beaton  warns  that  so  it  will  be,  over  and  over  again,  whilst  such 
folly  is  indulged.  The  course  is  one  of  Satan's  common  devices. 
Men  will  not  plunge  into  such  corruptions  at  once;  but  they  can 
be  led  on  gradually,  and  that  by  constantly  associating  with  evil. 
The  usual  process  is  substantially  this:  affiliation  so  as  to  become 
familiar  with  the  evil  system ;  then  it  ceases  to  be  so  evil  as  it 
had  been  supposed ;  then  some  things  that  are  good  in  it ;  then 
opposition  to  it  is  but  narrow  prejudice ;  then  a  slight  participa- 
tion in  it,  but  only  for  once;  then  more  strongly  attracted  by  its 
charms;  then  the  whole  power  of  the  soul  given  up  to  it,  and 
that  at  the  awful  risk  of  both  soul  and  body  in  hell  for  ever. 
There  is,  in  solemn  fact,  no  safety  but  in  shunning  it  absolutely, 
and  keeping  aloof  from  its  contaminating  touch.  These  churches 
were  contaminated  to  their  utter  undoing,  and  so  would  be  ten 
thousand  others.  The  Bible  does  not  shun  the  language,  neither 
should  we:  we  should  hate  the  unholy  influence. 

(5)  It  is  not  good  for  a  church  to  be  without  any  ojoposition.  We 
have  dwelt  on  this  point  elsewhere  and  will  add  but  little  here. 
The  strange  yet  undoubted  fact  was  wrought  out  into  the  clearest 
proof  by  the  experience  of  these  first  churches,  that  the  real 
prosperity  of  any  Christian  people  is  not  promoted  by  the  entire 
absence  of  foes  to  the  cause.  This  may  at  first  appear  to  be  a 
startling  admission,  but  the  facts  contained  in  the  messages  leave 
it  with  scarce  a  question.  The  only  churches  of  the  seven  which 
had  no  adversaries  or  resistance  of  any  kind  were  those  of  Sardis 
and  Laodicea,  and  these  two  were  in  the  worst  condition  of  all — 
one  with  a  name  to  live  but  in  reality  dead,  and  the  other 
neither  hot  nor  cold,  and  on  the  verge  of  utter  rejection. 

Nor  was  this  all  in  the  messages  which  bore  on  the  same  point. 
The  two  churches  which  were  the  most  bitterly  opposed  and  per- 
secuted of  all  were  those  of  Smyrna  and  Philadelphia,  and  yet  they 
were  the  only  ones  against  which  there  was  not  a  syllable  of 
rebuke.  We  cannot,  then,  be  mistaken  in  the  conclusion  we  have 
drawn.  Opposition  from  enemies,  even  to  the  point  of  persecution, 
is  positively  conducive  to  a  church's  highest  welfare  in  the  end. 
The  faithful  are  kept  vigilant  and  active  thereby,  and  so  their 
Christian  graces  are  developed,  and  the  special  blessing  of  the 
Lord  of  the  Church,  bestowed  on  them,  so  rests  upon  them  as 
to  give  them  the  truest  prosi)erity ;  and  the  truth  which  has  to 


504       INAUGUKAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

be  contended  for  is  more  highly  prized  and  more  fully  improved. 
As  is  his  wont,  our  Lord  turns  the  curse  into  a  blessing. 

Well  may  we,  therefore,  look  upon  all  opposition  to  the  cause  of 
Chi'ist  in  a  very  different  light  from  what  we  ordinarily  do.t  In 
this,  as  in  all  things  else,  our  wonder-working  Lord  makes  the  wrath 
of  man  to  praise  him.  And  no  longer  is  the  divinely-ordained 
rule,  that  heaven  is  to  be  reached  through  much  tribulation,  a  cause 
for  lamentation.  We  should  not  lament,  but  so  improve  the  rule 
that  it  may  aid  in  the  great  work  to  which  we  are  appointed. 

(6)  Aims  in  GocTs  service  short  of  perfection  are  sinful.  This 
last  of  the  evil  principles  condemned  in  the  messages  demands 
our  earnest  attention.  The  impression  upon  the  minds  of  many 
even  true  believers  is  quite  different.  If  only  we  do  the  best 
we  can  in  both  doctrine  and  practice,  that  is  all  that  is  required 
of  us,  is  the  very  imperfect  view  of  most  people,  whether  they 
acknowledge  it  or  not.  But  God  decides  otherwise,  and  he 
has  put  his  decision  into  this  Beacon  of  the  ages,  to  be  seen 
clearly  by  all  those  w^ho  would  enter  his  kingdom.  He  has 
ordained  perfection  as  the  goal  for  which  all  his  people  are  con- 
tinually to  aim :  "  created  in  Christ  Jesus  unto  good  works." 
That  goal  or  standard  is  very  definite.  Its  essential  idea  is  full 
consecration  of  body  and  soul  to  Christ  and  his  redeeming  work. 
Perfection— though  the  word  has  been  most  grossly  misrepresented 
—is,  in  truth,  the  ordained  end  of  every  true  child  of  God.  This 
runs  through  all  the  teachings  of  Scripture  as  to  the  Christian's 
calling  in  Christ  Jesus.  In  one  place  we  hear:  "This  one  thing 
I  do;  forgetting  those  things  which  are  behind,  and  reaching 
forth  unto  those  things  which  are  before,  I  press  toward  the 
mark  for  the  prize  of  the  high  calling  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus." 
Not  yet  perfect,  but  pressing  on  toward  it  as  his  goal,  he  pursued 
his  blessed  calling.  Another  very  plain  intimation  of  the  same 
sublime  law  we  have  in  the  invoked  benediction :  "  And  the 
very  God  of  peace  sanctify  you  wholly:  and  I  pray  God  your 
whole  spirit  and  soul  and  body  be  preserved  blameless  unto  the 
coming  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  Another  intimation  is:  "I 
beseech  you  therefore,  brethren,  by  the  mercies  of  God,  that  ye 
present  your  bodies  a  living  sacrifice,  holy,  acceptable  to  God, 
which  is  your  reasonable  service."  No  doubt  is  left  when  we  read 
our  Lord's  own  earnest  charge:  "Be  ye  therefore  perfect,  even 
as  your  Father  which  is  in  heaven  is  perfect." 

It  is  exceedingly  significant  that  so  much  stress  is  laid  upon 
this  goal  of  perfection  after  which  we  are  commanded  to  strain 


DARK   SPOTS.  50o 

every  nerve.  Its  place  in  this  Beacon  erected  for  the  guidance 
of  the  whole  of  the  churches  in  all  time  makes  it  peculiarly  forcible 
here.  The  very  form  in  which  it  is  introduced  gives  it  special 
emphasis:  "For  I  have  not  found  thy  works  perfect  before  God." 
He  had  his  eye  fixed  upon  them,  he  had  examined,  he  had  weighed 
them,  as  a  matter  in  which  their  whole  character  and  standing 
were  involved.  He  had  investigated  and  found  tJiat  they  were 
not  perfect.  They  were  not  complete;  not  full  in  all  the  Christian 
virtues ;  not  ripe,  pure,  rich ;  not  up  to  the  standard  of  gospel 
perfection.  This  he  asserted  then,  that  every  follower  of  Christ 
throughout  all  future  times  might  keep  it  before  him  that  this  goal 
had  of  a  truth  been  erected.  He  rebukes  them  that  they  were  not 
perfect  according  to  their  ordained  calling.  To  aim  after  anything 
less,  or  to  stop  with  anything  short  of  that  standard,  was  sin.  Let 
the  whole  Church  hear  this !  Let  it  never,  never  be  forgotten ! 
The  goal  of  absolute  perfection  may  not  have  been  reached,  may 
possibly  never  be  reached  this  side  of  the  grave ;  but  still  it  is 
the  goal,  and  must  never  be  lost  sight  of  while  breatli  remains,  and 
until  the  soul  shall  be  swallowed  up  in  the  ocean  of  divine  perfection 
in  a  blissful  eternity. 

These  six  general  principles  or  tendencies  of  evil  are  so  com- 
prehensive that  everything  condemned  in  all  the  rebukes  of  the 
messages  may  be  classed  under  one  or  other  of  them.  They 
are  general  principles  which  array  all  before  us;  but  the  minute- 
ness of  detail  found  in  the  messages  requires  that  we  should  be 
more  specific.  We  must  get  nearer  to  the  things  condemned  in 
order  that  the  warnings  of  the  Beacon  may  have  their  intended 
impression.  AVe  must  take  them  in  classes  in  order  to  reach  all. 
We  need  hardly  add  that  we  are  not  called  upon  to  review  the 
general  sins  of  men,  but  only  those  which  are  associated  with 
ordinary  church  life.  The  rebukes  are  addressed  to  churches  and 
pertain  to  censurable  things  which  ordinarily  arise  in  the  inter- 
course of  professed  Christians.  All  such  things,  as  they  would 
arise  in  churches  in  all  times,  the  Beacon  holds  up  for  warning 
in  the  following  items  which  we  have  gathered  and  classified 
out  of  the  messages.  The  former  part  may  be  regarded  as  gen- 
eral principles;  this,  as  specific  cases  into  which  all  the  rebukes 
have  been  arranged. 

I.  The  loss  of  '•\first  lovey  First  in  the  order  of  the  messages,  as 
well  as  first  in  the  relation  the  rebukes  bear  to  each  other,  we 
find  the  sin  of  having  lost  the  first  love.  On  every  account  this 
is  peculiarly  significant.     It  will  always  be  found  that  the  first 


506       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

step  in  the  process  of  backsliding  is  in  tlie  neglect  of  the  private 
duties  of  the  soul.  It  is  doubtful  whether  any  case  can  be  found 
where  any  one  has  j)lunged  from  a  condition  of  warm  piety 
directly  into  one  of  gross  transgi*ession.  Neglect  of  the  Scrip- 
tures in  secret,  then  hurried  or  neglected  secret  prayer,  then 
watchfulness  abandoned,  then  coldness  of  heart ;  then  the  door 
opened  for  any  kind  of  inconsistency;  then  all  gone.  While  first 
love  continues,  there  is  a  guard  around  every  other  grace;  when 
that  is  gone,  there  is  no  safety  for  the  soul.  All  experience,  the 
testimony  of  Scripture  and  the  very  nature  of  the  case,  make  it 
positive  that  this  is  substantially  the  process  in  every  case  of 
spiritual  shipwreck.  Hence  our  enthroned  Lord  has  placed  as 
the  first  and  most  conspicuous  element  of  the  world's  warning 
Beacon:  "I  have  somewhat  against  thee,  because  thou  hast  left 
thy  first  love." 

The  progress  of  sin  is  always  doicnward.  First  love  having 
gone,  then  the  course  of  evil  is  steadily  downward.  The  rebukes 
in  the  messages  make  this  painfully  manifest.  Ephesus  loses  its 
first  love;  Pergamos  tampers  with  evil  jDrinciples  and  evil  asso- 
ciations; Thyatira  imbibes  the  evil  with  which  it  at  first  becomes 
familiar,  sinking  into  gross  sensuality;  Sardis  ftdls  into  miserable 
hypocrisy ;  and  last  and  lowest  of  all,  Laodicea  is  in  a  state  of 
self-conceited  indifference  which  nothing  short  of  divine  power 
can  penetrate.  All  these  are  typical  cases,  selected  as  such  to 
be  placed  in  the  Beacon  as  warnings  for  all  time.  Either  seen 
separately  or  studied  in  their  lower  degrees  of  departure  from 
Christ  and  his  cause,  they  ought  to  leave  the  deepest  impression. 

II.  Worldliness.  First  love  has  cooled,  zeal  is  gone,  the  gate 
to  every  form  of  backsliding  has  been  opened,  the  Church  has 
entered  upon  a  deplorably  retrograde  course,  and  worldliness  with 
all  its  dangers  has  taken  possession.  Nearly  all  the  rebukes  in 
the  messages  expose  it  in  some  of  its  soul-destroying  tendencies. 
Worldliness!  it  is  a  widespread,  varied,  and  formidable  agency 
by  which  Satan  is  ever  making  war  upon  the  divine  kingdom. 
Its  essential  features  are  always  the  same,  while  its  peculiar  modes 
of  attack  are  constantly  varying,  as  it  shapes  itself  according  to 
the  times,  and  places,  and  fashions  of  the  day.  It  has  a  power 
of  its  own  against  which  nothing  can  stand  save  the  strength  im- 
parted by  divine  grace.  Its  fascination  can  easily  overcome  all, 
and  that  even  when  all  declared  hostility  has  failed ;  it  beguiles 
and  enslaves  before  its  victims  become  aware  of  their  danger. 
It  is  made  so  prominent  in  the  Beacon  that  no  earnest  soul  can 


DARK  SPOTS.  507 

fail  of  recognizing  it  as  one  of  the  gr^test  dangers  to  vvhicli  tlie 
cause  of  Christ  would  evermore  be  exposed.  Alas !  at  the  present 
day  it  is  doing  a  most  deadly  work  among  the  churches. 

How  many  of  our  churches  deserve  the  rebuke  given  to 
Sardis:  "a  name  that  thou  livest,  and  art  dead"?  They  have  a 
name  to  live.  They  profess  the  religion  of  Christ;  not  for  the 
world  would  they  be  deprived  of  the  name  Christian.  But  they 
are  sadly  like  death;  how  nearly  they  bear  that  image!  They 
suffer  no  persecution ;  they  make  no  self-sacrifice.  This  worldly 
conformity  that  is  blighting  the  churches  may  be  but  too  plainly 
seen  in  the  lamentable  following  after  the  tastes,  fashions,  and 
habits  of  the  world ;  in  the  indulgence  of  frivolities  and  amuse- 
ments that  are  distinctly  worldly  and  regarded  as  such  by  all;  in 
spending  all  available  time  in  pursuits  which  are  admitted  to  be 
purely  of  the  world ;  in  allowing  the  world  to  lead  them  away 
into  things  which  neither  God,  nor  Scripture,  nor  conscience 
would  allow ;  in  suffering  the  world  to  crowd  out  and  banish 
what  both  God  and  religion  claim  a  place  for  in  the  heart;  in 
habitually  giving  the  things  of  the  world  preference  to  the  things 
of  God  and  the  soul ;  in  carrying  the  world  bodily  into  the  very 
heart  of  the  services  of  religion ;  and  in  what  would  almost  seem 
a  studied  and  persistent  effort  to  obliterate  all  distinctions  be- 
tween Christ  and  the  world.  Such,  at  the  present  time,  is  the 
deplorable  worldliness  in  the  Church — of  which  fact,  alas!  there 
is  no  possibility  of  our  being  mistaken. 

III.  Undue  love  of  riches.  Among  the  dangers  lying  in  the 
pathway  of  the  Church,  and  against  which  she  is  specially 
warned  by  the  Beacon,  there  are  two  which  occupy  a  place  of 
bad  pre-eminence — namely,  sensuality  and  undue  love  of  money. 
The  latter  is  a  form  of  worldliness  against  which  we  cannot  be 
too  earnestly  warned.  It  is  one  of  the  most  formidable  enemies 
to  the  interests  of  Christ's  kingdom.  As  a  general  evil  to  the 
souls  of  men  we  have  neither  thoughts  nor  words  by  which 
we  can  exaggerate  it.  The  way  in  which  our  Lord  speaks  of  it 
makes  its  danger  appear  positively  appalling.  In  one  i)lace  he 
describes  it  as  the  personification  of  the  world  in  opposition  to 
Christ  and  his  kingdom.  As  the  pagan  deity  of  riches  he  depicts 
it,  and  declares:  "Ye  cannot  serve  God  and.  Mammon."  One 
absolutely  trembles  as  he  hears  from  the  compassionate  lips  of 
Jesus :  "  How  hardly  shall  they  that  have  riches  enter  into  the 
kingdom  of  God !"  More  startling  is  his  affirmation :  "  It  is 
easier  for  a  camel  to  go  through  the  eye  of  a  needle  than  for  a 


508       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

rich  man  to  enter  into  th«  kingdom  of  God,"  The  meaning  in 
all  plainness  is  that,  humanly  speaking,  it  is  impossible  for  a 
rich  man  to  be  saved.  So  his  hearers  understood  him,  and  they 
were  shocked,  as  well  they  might  be.  And  he  did  not  correct 
them,  but  candidly  added:  "With  man  it  is  impossible,  but  not 
with  God."  With  man  it  could  not  be;  but  a  special  exertion  of 
divine  power  is  needed  to  save  those  who  have  to  contend  with 
the  usual  obstacles  which  wealth  interposes.  It  is  safest  for  us  to 
look  at  the  matter  just  as  God  has  placed  it. 

Evidently  such  inordinate  love  of  wealth  and  its  accumulation 
is  incompatible  with  that  supreme  love  to  God  and  our  fellow 
men  which  is  the  very  essence  of  practical  Christianity.  It  is 
only  another  name  for  supreme  selfishness;  and  we  must  consider 
the  train  of  wretched  characteristics  which  it  brings  after  it  as  its 
necessary  consequents.  Among  such  we  find  its  egotism,  which 
pompously  boasts:  "I  am  rich,  and  increased  with  goods,  and 
have  need  of  nothing;"  its  absorption  of  the  finer  and  subtler 
energies  of  the  soul ;  its  belittling  of  the  whole  man ;  its  strain- 
ing of  the  principles  of  integrity  towards  others;  its  withering 
up  of  the  best  sympathies  of  our  nature — in  a  word,  its  wretched 
concentration  of  all  that  is  generous  and  fair,  and  God-like,  or 
even  manly,  upon  self  and  selfish  aims.  It  is  declared  by  our 
blessed  Lord  himself  to  be  his  great  antagonist  in  the  elevation 
of  the  race.  It  lies  at  the  very  root  of  the  apostasy  which  leaves 
mankind  crushed  and  in  ruins. 

The  secret  of  its  destructive  power  is  easily  comprehended.  To 
say  nothing  of  its  ordinary  grosser  forms,  such  as  unholy  competi- 
tions, larger  or  smaller  dishonesties,  selfish  overreachings,  and 
kindred  sins,  how  can  we  exaggerate  its  power  of  evil  in  its  absorb- 
ing and  taking  away  all  the  strongest  and  finest  energies  of  the 
mind  from  the  Church  and  her  interests?  The  whole  history  of 
the  kingdom  has  proved  and  is  proving  still  that  covetousness 
is  one  of  the  greatest  practical  evils  with  which  the  cause  of  Christ 
has  to  contend.  Where  it  prevails  it  paralyzes  everything.  Every 
branch  of  the  work  of  the  kingdom  witliers  beneath  its  blighting 
influence.  Nothing  can  flourish  where  its  poisonous  sway  is  felt. 
Its  touch  is  deadly.  It  is  the  very  bane  of  the  Church  of  God,  as 
its  own  nature  teaches,  as  all  experience  proves,  and  as  these 
warnings  in  the  Beacon  make  impressive  to  all  who  heed  them. 

Let  there  be  no  misunderstanding,  however.  It  is  not  wealth 
in  itself  that  is  condemned.  We  have  been  careful  all  along  to 
use  the  expression  undue  love  of  riches.    Wealth  is  a  gift  of  God, 


DARK  sroTS.  509 

and  a  true  and  very  great  blessing.  Only  when  it  is  perverted 
and  abused  does  it  become  a  curse.  As  an  embodiment  of  power 
for  doing  good,  an  efficient  agency  through  which  every  one  may 
do  something  by  which  to  help  forward  the  cause,  and  a  method 
by  which  to  glorify  God,  we  can  scarcely  exaggerate  the  value  of 
riches.  One  may  not  be  able  to  go  out  to  the  highways  and  hedges 
to  gather  in  the  poor  to  the  gospel  feast,  or  to  go  to  the  lost  nations 
carrying  the  saving  story  of  the  Cross ;  but  here  is  a  method  which 
God  has  graciously  ordained  through  which  every  one,  no  matter 
how  humble,  can  lend  a  helping  hand  in  sending  others  upon  that 
blessed  mission.  We  can  scarcely  conceive  a  nobler  life  than  that 
of  one  who  lives  to  plan,  and  work,  and  save,  in  order  that  he 
may  have  the  means  of  doing  good  by  helping  forward  the  cause. 
Wealth  then  becomes  an  inestimable  blessing,  bestowed  by  Him 
who  is  the  Author  of  every  good  and  perfect  gift. 

How  marvelous  in  im[)ortance  is  this  one  element  of  the  Beacon! 
This  one  warning  alone  stamps  the  messages  as  a  gift  of  God  to 
the  churches  whose  value  cannot  be  fully  estimated.  Oh  that 
this  single  idea  could  be  enstamped  upon  every  soul :  Riches,  when 
unduly  coveted,  2V'oduce  a  character  ichieh  our  righteous  Lord  so 
greatly  loathes  that  he  will  spue  it  out  of  his  mouth;  but  wJien  used  for 
the  purpose  ivhich  he  intended,  tv ill  form  a  character  that  Christ  ivill 
place  beside  himself  in  his  Father^ s  throne. 

IV.  Pride.  This  is  one  of  the  grievous  evils  for  ever  menacing 
the  Church  upon  which  it  was  evidently  intended  to  stamp  the 
deepest  brand.  Its  position  and  surroundings  in  the  messages 
show  that  it  was  specially  offensive  in  the  sight  of  God.  "Thou 
sayest,  I  am  rich,  and  increased  with  goods,  and  have  need  of 
nothing."  What  scorn  is  implied  in  every  word!  It  is  one  of 
the  most  disgusting  forms  of  worldliness,  and  an  offshoot  from 
undue  love  of  money.  Pride  of  wealth  is  perhai)S  the  most 
common  form  of  that  evil ;  but  it  is  not  by  any  means  its  only 
form.  There  is  pride  of  talents,  pride  of  position,  pride  of  family, 
pride  of  personal  attractions,  and  many  other  kinds  of  pride,  but 
all  grossly  unbecoming  in  any  one- who  is  a  sinner  in  the  sight 
of  God. 

Such  self-conceit  as  is  rebuked  here,  both  in  itself  and  in  its 
effects  is  a  great  blemish  and  injury  to  the  Christian  character. 
The  contempt  with  which  it  is  treated  in  the  messages,  as  well  as 
the  laudatory  way  in  which  its  opposite,  the  virtue  of  humilitj'',  is 
always  spoken  of  in  Scripture,  prove  how  great  an  evil  it  is  in  God's 
sight.    "  Thou  sayest,  I  am  rich,  and  increased  with  goods,  and  have 


510       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

need  of  notliing."  AVliere  else  does  our  Lord  use  such  language  of 
irony  as  this?  As  an  evil  by  which  the  soul  loses  its  beauty  and 
most  attractive  charm,  the  arrogance  of  pride  has  not  been  regarded 
with  sufficient  horror.  It  was  pride  that  drove  oar  first  parents  out  of 
Eden  ;  it  was  pride  that  cast  down  Satan  from  the  companionship  of 
the  blessed. 

Pride,  as  a  thing  hateful  in  the  sight  of  both  God  and  man, 
as  a  blight  upon  all  that  is  noble  and  truly  exalting  in  the  soul, 
as  a  great  evil  at  the  time  when  these  messages  were  sent  and 
that  evermore  would  be  lamentably  connnon  as  a  formidable  foe 
to  the  cause  of  Christ,  received  a  deservedly  prominent  place  in 
these  warnings  of  the  Beacon.  As  vainglorious  in  its  pretensions, 
inflated  in  its  egotism,  and  only  preparing  for  God's  scornful  re- 
jection, it  could  not  be  too  severely  stigmatized.  Its  loathsome- 
ness was  such  that  it  was  even  treated  with  ridicule.  God  alone 
knows  its  emptiness,  and  how  little  it  had  of  which  to  boast, 
and  he  utters  the  withering  rebuke.  It  was  peculiarly  offensive 
to  his  omniscient  eye;  for  its  very  essence  consists  in  making  a 
god  of  self,  and  worshiping  that  idol,  and  so  it  is  the  most  ignoble 
of  all  idolatry.  It  sounds  strange  to  us  as  coming  from  the  lips 
of  God,  and  yet  it  is  a  truth  that  he  brands  the  self-conceited 
man  as  a  fool,  saying  to  him,  "Thou  fool,  this  night  thy  soul  shall 
be  required  of  thee"— or  rather,  more  correctly,  and  full  of  scorn, 
"  Fool,  this  night  thy  soul  shall  be  required  of  thee." 

We  can  see  from  such  things  as  these  that  pride  is  exceedingly 
repulsive  to  our  Lord ;  but  we  can  see  this  just  as  clearly  in  his  fre- 
quent praise  of  humility,  which  is  its  opposite.  "Blessed  are  the 
poor  in  spirit,  for  theirs  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven."  "  Yea,  all  of 
you  be  subject  one  to  another,  and  be  clothed  icith  humility ;  for  God 
resisteth  the  proud,  and  giveth  grace  to  the  humble:''  The  chosen 
one  in  the  sight  of  our  Lord  was  not  the  Pharisee  who  boasted, 
"  God,  I  thank  thee  that  I  am  not  as  other  men  are,  extortioners, 
unjust,  adulterers,  or  even  as  this  publican  :  I  fast  twice  in  the 
week,  I  give  tithes  of  all  I  possess."  Not  this  vain  boaster  did 
Christ  choose,  but  the  poor  publican  who  was  too  humble  even  to 
raise  his  head,  and  only  breathed  out,  "God  be  merciful  to  me 
a  sinner."  The  lordly  Naaman  must  humble  himself  before  the 
despised  prophet  of  God,  and  dip  in  the  .lordan  before  he  could 
be  healed.  What  Christ  was  and  what  he  loved  in  his  followers 
was  intimated  in  the  words,  "Learn  of  me;  for  I  am  meek  and 
lowly  of  heart."  The  humility  that  he  loved  he  did  himself  ex- 
emplify when  he  entered  into  Jerusalem,  as  its  Anointed  King, 


DARK  SPOTS.  511 

"sitting  on  an  ass's  colt."  More  impressive  still  was  the  exam- 
ple which  he  purposely  set  on  that  memorable  night  when  he 
girded  himself  with  a  towel  and  washed  his  disciples'  feet.  In 
the  grandest  description  that  is  given  of  his  glorious  character 
are  these  amazing  words :  "  But  made  himself  of  no  reputa- 
tion, and  took  upon  him  the  form  of  a  servant,  and  was  made 
in  the  likeness  of  men ;  and  being  found  in  fashion  as  a  man, 
he  humbled  himself,  and  became  obedient  unto  death."  Many 
other  similar  passages  in  Scripture  make  it  evident  that  humility 
and  self-sacriflce  are  the  characters  which  he  loves  most  of  all. 
Can  we  doubt  but  that  in  the  same  deep  degree  he  detests  pride 
and  vainglory? 

Not  only  do  w'e  find  in  Scripture  innumerable  expressions  of 
dislike  of  pride,  but  the  most  fearful  threatenings  that  it  will  be 
sorely  humbled.  What  could  be  more  dreadful  than  the  warning 
of  this  Beacon  against  those  whose  self-conceit  had  made  thein 
indifferent  to  every  solemn  motive:  "I  will  spue  thee  out  of 
my  mouth  "  ?  So  loathsome  and  so  frequent  is  this  offense  that  a 
special  penalty  against  it  is  put  on  record:  "Whosoever  exalteth 
himself  shall  be  abased."  A  law  as  permanent  as  the  nature  of 
man  himself  is:  "A  man's  pride  shall  bring  him  low;  but  honour 
shall  uphold  the  humble  in  spirit."  A  similar  doom  is  pronounced 
elsewhere  in  words  of  surpassing  terror:  "The  lofty  looks  of  man 
shall  be  humbled,  and  the  haughtiness  of  man  shall  be  bowed  down; 
and  the  Lord  alone  shall  be  exalted  in  that  day.  For  the  day  of 
the  Lord  shall  be  uj^on  every  one  that  is  proud  and  lofty;  and 
upon  every  one  that  is  lifted  up ;  and  he  shall  be  brought  low. 
....  And  the  loftiness  of  man  shall  be  bowed  down,  and  the 
haughtiness  of  men  shall  be  made  low.  .  .  .  And  they  shall  go 
into  the  holes  of  the  rocks,  and  into  the  caves  of  the  earth,  for 
fear  of  the  Lord,  and  for  the  glory  of  his  majesty,  when  he  arises 
to  shake  terribly  the  earth."  That  would  be  a  doom  -from  which 
there  would  be  no  possibility  of  escape,  no  matter  how  much  the 
fancied  greatness:  "Thy  terribleness  hath  deceived  thee,  and  the 
pride  of  thine  heart,  O  thou  that  dwellest  in  the  clefts  of  the  rocks, 
that  boldest  the  height  of  the  bill ;  though  thou  shouldest  make 
thy  nest  as  high  as  the  eagle,  I  will  bring  thee  down  from  thence, 
saith  the  Lord."  No  matter  what  or  who  the  people  might  be, 
the  principles  are  the  same  evermore.  The  Lord  hath  a  special 
controversy  with  pride,  and,  as  he  livetb,  it  will  be  terribly 
humbled. 

Pride  of  heart  and  pride  of  life  are  exhibited  in  this  Beacon 


512  IN  AUG  UK  AL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

for  the  ages  as  a  most  abominable  and  dangerous  thing.  Its 
pomijous  exhibition  of  itself  is:  "I  am  rich,  and  increased  with 
goods,  and  have  need  of  nothing."  Rich,  independent,  great, 
haughty,  in  its  own  sight;  but  in  God's,  "  wretched,  and  miserable,  j 
and  poor,  and  blind,  and  naked."  Is  such  self- worship  becoming 
in  one  whose  real  condition  is  thus  described:  "The  whole  head  is 
sick,  and  the  whole  heart  faint.  From  the  sole  of  the  foot  even 
unto  the  head,  there  is  no  soundness  in  it;  but  wounds,  and  bruises, 
and  putrefying  sores?"— one  of  whom  God  has  said :  "The  heart 
is  deceitful  above  all  things,  and  desperately  wicked"?  Is  vain- 
glorying  appropriate  in  one  who  stands  thus  in  God's  sight? 

Then  we  must  consider  the  effects  of  such  vanity.  Wealth 
and  pride  are  natural  companions,  and  their  ordinary  result  is 
the  indulgence  of  luxury;  and  indulged  luxury  leads  to  ruin- 
in  nations  almost  invariably  so.  Tyre,  with  its  lordly  merchant- 
men ;  Babj'lon,  with  its  pompous  egotism — "  Is  not  this  great 
Babylon  that  I  have  built  for  the  house  of  the  kingdom  by 
the  might  of  my  power,  and  for  the  honour  of  my  majesty?" 
Rome,  with  its  golden  halls  and  mile-stones;  and  France,  with 
pride  personified  in  its  "  Grand  Monarque,"  and  all  others  of 
earth's  greatest  nations,  fell  through  luxury.  The  Church  of  God, 
neglecting  this  solemn  warning  of  the  Beacon,  fell — miserably 
fell  through  pride  and  luxury  when  in  her  haughty  earthly  head 
she  realized  the  prophetic  description :  "That  man  of  sin  revealed, 
the  son  of  perdition,  who  opposeth  and  exalteth  himself  above 
all  that  is  called  God,  or  that  is  worshipped;  so  that  he,  as  God, 
sitteth  in  the  temple  of  God,  showing  himself  that  he  is  God." 
Such  has  it  always  been,  and  such  will  it  always  be,  to  individuals, 
churches,  and  nations,  unless  God  by  the  infinite  power  of  his 
grace  .shall  prevent.  For  ever  has  it  been  true,  and  for  evermore 
will  it  be  an  awful  reality,  that  "Pride  goeth  before  destruc- 
tion, and  an  haughty  spirit  before  a  fall."  What  earnest  and 
continued  prayer  should  go  up  from  every  pious  heart  that 
God  would  save  this  land  of  ours  from  a  doom  into  which  its 
increasing  pride  and  luxury  seem  to  be  hasting  it  faster  and 
faster ! 

We  have  given  so  much  space  to  this  point  in  the  messages 
because  we  believe  that  this  is  one  of  their  special  warnings 
intended  for  these  days  in  which  we  are  living.  If  ever  the 
Beacon  had  deep  significance  it  is  at  the  present  time,  and  in 
these  special  points.  The  various  warnings  had  their  various 
objects   and    ages    in    view ;    the    object   and    the   age   of    these 


DARK   SPOTS.  513 

elements  of  the  Beacon  were  the  points  now  before  us  and  the 
days  in  whicli  we  are  now  living.  Deep  and  all-pervading 
worldliness,  love  of  money,  pride  and  luxury,  are  the  ominous 
blight  upon  Church  and  world,  and  they  are  the  very  things 
which  were  aimed  at  by  these  points  of  the  Beacon ;  on  noth- 
ing, therefore,  ought  we  to  fix  our  attention  more  earnestly.  A 
very  excellent  v(jlume  on  the  messages  to  the  seven  churches 
of  Asia  has  recently  appeared  from  the  pen  of  that  earnest 
jireacher  the  late  Rev,  Howard  Crosby,  D.  D.,  whose  leading 
thought  is  that  this  portion  of  Scripture  was  aimed  chiefly  at 
the  sin  of  worldliness— an  index  of  the  light  in  which  it  is 
regarded  by  the  most  competent  of  witnesses.  Well  may  we 
give  to  it  a  large  portion  of  our  space.  We  cannot  but  be 
very  earnest  in  directing  attention  thereto.  We  cannot  but 
repeat  in  urgent  words:  Beware  of  worldliness,  of  undue  love 
of  riches,  of  pride,  and  of  the  increasing  voluptuousness  of  the 
present  time.  We  are  living  in  the  age  of  the  power  of  these 
foes  to  God  and  his  gospel.  There  is  danger  most  imminent 
lurking  in  every  quarter.  Our  Lord,  beholding,  in  one  view, 
our  depravity,  the  dangers  growing  more  and  more  portentous, 
the  desolations  of  the  past  and  the  prospects  of  the  future — 
seeing  all  this,  thus  raises  this  element  of  the  Beacon  into  the 
clearest  light,  and  calls  to  all  his  people.  Heed  it,  ye  voyagers 
to  the  eternal  shores,  for  it  is  God's  own  most  solemn  warning! 

V.  Sensualiti/.  It  will  probably  be  very  near  the  truth  if  we 
assert  that  what  worldliness  is  in  the  Church  at  the  present  time, 
that  was  its  sensuality  at  the  time  when  the  messages  were  sent. 
This  is  most  evident  from  the  rebukes  administered  by  our  Lord, 
for  it  is  the  leading  point  of  condemnation  in  nearly  half  the 
messages,  wherein  the  strong  language  is  thrice  repeated  that  God 
specially  hates  this  sin,  and  the  warning  is  given  that  lust  would 
be  followed  by  corresponding  punishment.  Add  to  this  the 
terrible  language  concerning  it  which  we  find  in  other  scriptures, 
such  as:    "But  these,  as  natural  brute  beasts,  made  to  be  taken 

and    destroyed shall    utterly  perish    in  their   own    corruiD- 

tion ;  and  shall  receive  the  reward  of  unrighteousness  ....  Spots 
are  they  and  blemishes  ....  Having  eyes  full  of  adultery,  and 
that  cannot  cease  from  sin  ;  beguiling  unstable  souls  ....  Cursed 
children."  Such  are  specimens  of  what  this  crime  is  in  the  eyes 
of  a  holy  God.  No  wonder  it  has  such  a  conspicuous  place  in 
the  Beacon.  Even  though  the  task  be  a  painful  one,  we  must 
give  it   a   corresponding    length    of  attention.      We   must    do  it 

33 


514  INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

plainly,   notwithstanding  the  repugnance  of  the  subject  and   the 
unpleasantness  of  exposing  a  blemish  so  impure. 

Without  question,  the  greatest  of  all  the  moral  evils  which  at 
that  time  afflicted  the  Church,  defaced  her  beauty,  and  brought 
down  upon  her  the  condemnation  of  her  Lord,  was  the  gross 
immorality  which  the  rebukes  so  faithfully  expose.  It  must 
receive  our  patient,  though  painful,  attention.  An  evil  so  pecu- 
liarly malignant,  so  deep,  so  widespread,  and  so  shocking  in  its 
effects,  must  have  had  some  special  cause  or  causes — causes  which 
must  be  explored  if  we  would  reach  the  full  significance  of  the 
place  they  hold  in  this  passage  of  Scripture.  What  were  these 
causes  ? 

(1)  There  was,  first,  the  old,  inveterate,  all-prevalent,  deprav- 
ing influence  of  the  flesh.  This  temptation  beset  these  seven 
churches  of  Asia  in  common  with  all  other  churches  and  com- 
munities. It  stands  at  the  very  head  of  all  the  evil  influences 
that  are  exerted  by  the  sinful  flesh.  The  Scripture  testimony  is: 
"Now  the  works  of  the  flesh  are  manifest,  which  are  these: 
adultery,  fornication,  uncleanness,  lasciviousness."  And  these 
are  common  to  all  men,  as  is  intimated  in  another  place: 
"  Among  whom  also  we  all  had  our  conversation  in  times  past 
in  the  lusts  of  our  flesh,  fulfilling  the  desires  of  the  flesh  and  of 
the  mind:  and  were  by  nature  the  children  of  wrath,  even  as 
others."  This  is  an  evil  which  is  specially  to  be  dreaded  because 
it  is  so  insidious  and  so  congenial  to  the  corrupt  heart.  It  is  one 
of  the  usual  attendants  on  a  state  of  luxury,  by  which  it  is 
increased,  and  therefore  to  be  especially  dreaded  in  cities  which 
have  become  voluptuous  through  wealth.  Of  itself  this  deprav- 
ing influence  of  the  flesh  was  a  great  foe  to  the  purity  of  the 
gospel  in  these  seven  churches;  but  accompanied  by  these  other 
depraving  tendencies  it  was  fearful  in  its  corrupting  effects. 

(2)  The  lascivious  infection  inherited  from  paganism  by  the 
people  of  these  churches,  who  had  either  been  themselves  pagans 
or  were  descended  from  pagan  parents,  and  dwelt  in  the  midst 
of  pagan  surroundings,  must  have  tainted  their  whole  moral 
character.  Paganism  was  all  dyed  in  lust.  "Fathomless  im- 
moralities" prevailed  wherever  the  people  had  given  themselves 
up  to  the  service  of  folse  gods.  Almost  all  the  popular  forms 
of  heathen  worship  were  largely  composed  of  the  grossent  sen- 
suality. The  hidden  rites  by  which  they  were  accompanied  were 
made  foul  by  lusts  that  dare  not  be  named.  Jezebel,  the  unclean 
priestess  of  Baal,  daughter  of  the  heathen  Zidonian  Ethbaal,  and 


DARK   SPOTS.  515 

seducer  of  Israel  into  apostasy  from  their  lioly  Jeliovah,  was  tlie 
recognized  type  and  leader  of  all  that  was  vile  in  the  worship 
of  idols.  Her  spirit  had  contaminated  the  people,  and  her  doom 
was  a  prediction,  according  to  the  messages,  of  what  theirs  would 
be.  The  members  of  the  seven  churches  had  just  come  out  from 
such  paganism,  and  its  contamination  was  still  in  some  measure 
clinging  to  them.  It  prevailed  all  around  them,  and  formed  the 
very  atmosphere  they  breathed.  They  could  go  nowhere,  make 
no  social  visits,  join  in  no  banquet,  partake  of  no  public  recrea- 
tion, but  pagan  uncleanness  was  before  their  eyes.  This  does  not 
justify,  but  it  explains,  in  part  at  least,  why  such  sensuality  pre- 
vailed in  these  earliest  churches — why  it  was  the  great,  prevailing 
sin. 

(3)  The  infamous  wickedness  of  Bcdaam  in  olden  times  had  given 
names  to  debaucheries  which  lingered  still  in  their  dei)raving  effects. 
It  is  probable  that  there  was  a  sect,  or  sects,  united  by  that  spirit 
which  propagated  his  baleful  doctrines.  According  to  the  opinions 
and  customs  of  the  times  in  which  he  lived,  Balaam  was  sum- 
moned by  Balak,  king  of  Moab,  to  utter  a  curse  upon  the  army  of 
Israel  which  would  soon  destroy  him  and  his  jieople  amid  their 
old  mountain  strongholds.  Gold  and  honors  and  other  gifts  with- 
out limit,  with  all  their  attractions  to  his  avaricious  mind,  were 
offered  him,  and  his  heart  was  set  upon  obtaining  the  tenii)ting 
prize.  But,  in  some  mysterious  way,  the  Spirit  of  God  restrained 
him  from  pronouncing  the  fatal  words.  He  yielded  himself  to 
his  royal  employer;  but  all  his  enchantments,  his  freshly-built 
altars,  his  offerings,  his  prayers,  his  ascents  to  lofty  and  still  more 
lofty  mountain  peaks,  proved  of  no  avail.  He  dare  not  utter  the 
curse.  The  people  of  God  were  safe  under  the  protection  of  the 
God  of  their  fathers.  To  the  king  of  the  Moabites  the  necromancer 
was  forced  to  acknowledge:  "How  shall  I  curse  whom  God  hath 
not  cursed?  or  how  shall  I  defy  whom  tlie  Lord  hath  not  defied?" 

Israel  was  under  the  special  favor  of  Jehovah,  and  could  not 
therefore  be  touched.  Still  Balaam,  in  his  covetous  soul,  could 
not  bear  to  lose  the  tempting  gold  and  silver;  and  he  contrived 
a  scheme  of  diabolic  wickedness.  The  divine  favor  shielded  Israel 
from  the  curse;  but  could  not  that  favor  be  turned  away  through 
the  seductions  of  lust?  Could  not  the  favored  people  be  inveigled 
into  sins  so  provoking  that  Jehovah  would  withdraw  his  protection 
and  become  their  enemy?  With  the  Moabitish  king  he  plotted 
that  the  young  men  of  Israel,  invited  to  a  banquet  of  Baal-Peor, 
the  idol  of  personified  impurity,  should  be  enticed  into  idolatry 


516  INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

and  gross  sensuality.  Thus  would  the  favor  of  their  God  be  for- 
feited, and  the  curse  could  be  pronounced  and  inflicted  on  the 
people  who  could  not  otherwise  be  resisted.  Such  was  the  in- 
famous plot  of  Balaam,  which  was  carried  out,  and  resulted  in 
the  death,  by  plague  and  by  the  sword,  of  twenty-five  thousand 
people,  among  them  the  unhappy  man  himself  as  well  as  five 
Midianitish  kings.  It  branded  the  name  of  Balaam  with  in- 
famy, and,  centuries  afterward,  placed  on  the  church  of  Pergamos 
the  stigma  of  harboring  "them  that  hold  the  doctrine  of  Balaam." 

(4)  Still  another  system  of  gross  immorality  prevailed  in  these 
cities,  which  was  known  both  as  the  '•''doctrine''^  and  '"'•the  deeds 
of  the  Mcolalfans."  If  possible  it  was  worse  even  than  that  of 
the  Balaamites.  Its  darkest  stain  was  that  it  assumed  the  name, 
and  put  on  the  garb  of  religion.  It  was  the  outgrowth  of  that 
antinomianism  which  perverted  the  gospel  truth,  "For  ye  are  not 
under  the  law,  but  under  grace."  The  wretched  addition  was 
made:  If  not  under  the  law,  then  over  it — independent  of  it — 
attained  to  a  region  of  higher  life,  from  which  it  could  be  com- 
templated  as  no  longer  binding.  This  was  the  malign  root  from 
which  sprang  the  whole  brood  of  antinomian  heresies.  To  such 
errorists  it  was  the  summit  of  faith  to  be  able  to  exhibit  and 
to  exult  in  freedom  from  the  restraints  of  the  law — even  the  law 
of  purity.  To  tamper  with  filthy  indulgences  was  no  sin  in  them, 
whatever  it  might  be  in  others.  In  others  it  might  be  deadly 
sin,  but  in  them  it  was  triumph — for  they  were  exalted  above 
the  law.  Such  was  the  creed  of  the  Nicolaitans  which  prevailed 
at  least  in  Ephesus  and  Pergamos,  and  which  must  have  given 
a  pernicious  impulse  to  the  already  strong  evil,  lust  of  the  flesh. 

(5)  We  name  but  one  more  form  of  seductive  influence  to  which 
these  first  churches  were  exposed.  It  w^as  probably  more  subtle, 
more  general,  and  more  destructive  than  any  of  the  others,  and 
must  have  come  directly  from  the  father  of  lies  himself.  Its 
origin  was  in  Satan's  scheme  of  turning  himself  into  an  angel 
of  light,  ])utting  on  the  livery  of  heaven,  and  counterfeiting  the 
princii)les  of  trutli  and  holiness. 

Practical  Christianity  had  as  its  very  core  and  central  })rinciple, 
the  love  of  the  members  towards  one  another.  "By  tliis  shall  all 
men  know  that  ye  are  my  disciples,  if  ye  love  one  another."  Love, 
or  cliarity,  was  its  everywhere-recognized  l)adge.  Its  essential  prin- 
ciples being  placed  together  in  comparison,  the  decision  was:  "  The 
greatest  of  these  is  charity."  Here  was  Satan's  opportunity.  What 
was  easier  or  more  characteristic  than  for  him  to  pervert  this  true 


DAEK  SPOTS.  517 

Christian  watchword,  and  make  it  the  most  destructive  instru- 
ment in  liis  vsiiole  armory?  Love  is  the  centre,  tlie  bond,  the 
ornament,  and  the  impulse  of  genuine  Christianity — admit  it  all, 
and  then  make  it  the  most  deadly  weapon  of  evil.  Pervert  love 
into  lust,  and  the  victims  are  sure— this  is  Satan's  snare.  Then  all 
the  ardent  affection,  all  the  confidence  and  all  the  trust,  of  the 
religion  of  our  Lord,  are  turned  into  the  instruments  of  spiritual 
death.  This  is  satanic  in  its  very  essence ;  and  thus  it  was,  that 
the  vilest  passions  had  such  destructive  power  in  the  early 
churches. 

From  these  causes,  either  distinctly  named  or  implied  in  the 
messages,  it  came  to  pass  that  such  sensuality  was  prevalent  in 
these  early  churches,  and  had  such  a  blighting  effect  upon  the 
followers  of  Christ.  For  this  it  was  that  the  Beacon  was  made  to 
flash  afar  such  signals  of  lurking  dangers;  that  such  deep,  dark 
brands  were  placed  upon  no  less  than  three  of  the  churches; 
that  such  fearful  denunciations  were  uttered  from  the  throne; 
that  such  doom  of  curse  and  death  was  threatened,  and  that 
terrors  which  might  well  appall  any  heart  were  depicted  in  the 
Beacon  from  the  skies.  Lewdness  was  the  crime  of  those  days, 
and  would  continue  to  prevail  at  all  times;  and  all  the  churches 
ought  to  understand  it,  and  be  warned  of  it,  as  the  devil's  most 
deadly  contrivance  for  warring  against  the  kingdom  of  Christ. 

VL  Antinomianism.  Of  antinomianism  as  a  most  corrupting 
and  dangerous  tendency  in  the  early  churches  we  have  so  often 
spoken  already  that  it  is  needful  here  to  add  but  a  very  few 
words.  It  was  not  so  much  an  heretical  sj-stem,  as  a  widely  pre- 
vailing tendency  in  both  doctrine  and  practice.  It  seems  to  have 
sprung  up  indigenously  almost  wherever  the  gospel  was  first 
preached,  and  to  have  cast  a  baleful  cloud  over  every  religious 
mo\ement. 

The  name,  antinomianism,  describes,  with  tolerable  accuracy, 
what  it  really  was.  It  made  war  upon  the  law  of  God,  even  as  a 
rule  of  practice,  or  as  a  matter  with  which  the  converts  to  Chris- 
tianity had  anything  to  do.  Because  of  the  natural  tendency  of 
men  to  cling  to  their  own  works,  or  deservings,  as  that  by  which 
they  M'ould  be  saved,  the  sacred  writers,  especially  Paul,  fre- 
quently reiterated  and  emphasized  the  gracious  truth  that  our 
salvation  comes  of  free  grace,  and  not  through  the  works  of  the 
law.  According  to  the  usual  policy  of  Satan,  this  was  grossly 
misrepresented,  and  the  law  was  ignored  as  having  any  binding 
obligation  upon  the   true    believer.     The  conscience  was  in  this 


518  INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

way  released  from  any  claim,  and  the  very  possibility  of  any 
true  child  of  God  sinning  was  denied.  Nothing  that  a  renewed 
man  could  do  icas  of  the  nature  of  sin.  The  fallacy  was  held  that 
because  men  are  not  justified  by  the  works  of  the  law,  therefore 
the  law  is  no  longer  to  be  regarded  as  a  rule  of  duty  or  evidence 
of  a  renewed  heart. 

This  destructive  heresy  was  the  first  resort  and  shield  of  the 
corrupt  heart,  and  had  a  lamentable  influence  among  the  early 
churches.  It  was,  in  fact,  the  leading  error  and  debauching 
I)rinciple.  It  opened  the  door  for  almost  every  conceivable  cor- 
ruption of  heart  and  life.  There  was  such  inbred  tendency 
towards  it,  that  it  sprang  up,  like  a  noxious  weed,  wherever  the 
seed  of  divine  trutli  was  cast  into  the  ground.  It  was  the  first, 
worst,  and  most  deadly  heresy  with  which  the  gospel  came  into 
contact.  The  cry  of  the  unrenewed  heart  has  always  been  :  No 
God!— no  eye  to  watch  us,  no  restraint  upon  our  lust,  no  judgment 
at  which  to  answer,  no  law  to  bind.  Such  is  antinomianism, 
no  matter  what  name  it  takes,  or  what  sanctimonious  professions 
it  makes.  It  opened  the  door  to  the  lust  of  Thyatira,  found  no 
fault  with  the  hypocrisy  of  Sardis,  and  endured  the  pompous 
indifference  of  Laodicea. 

From  that  day  to  this,  notwithstanding  reiterated  warnings 
from  heaven,  it  has  been  one  of  the  most  inveterate  enemies  to 
God  and  truth.  It  exists  still — not  under  that  name,  or  in  the 
form  of  a  distinct  sect,  but  according  to  its  old  i^olicy,  as  a  tend- 
ency, a  drift  of  the  restless  conscience,  a  poison  that  cannot  be 
ejected,  a  shield  under  which  thousands  cover  themselves  as  they 
go  steadily  forward  toward  a  doom  which  they  dare  not  openly 
face.  Its  terrible  danger  lies  in  the  fact  that,  while  never  avowedly 
opposing  the  law  of  God,  or  the  truth  of  God  in  any  of  its  recog- 
nized elements,  and  while  it  assumes  the  most  sanctimonious  pro- 
fessions, it  still  ignores  or  insidiously  attacks  the  great  unchang- 
ing principles  that  would  humble  pride,  keep  self  in  the  dust, 
and  follow  our  gracious  Lord  meekly  through  evil  report  as  well 
as  througli  good  report.  Its  essential  vileness  is  seen  in  that  it 
must  exalt  self,  keep  open  the  door  to  the  lust  of  the  flesli,  and 
support  a  standard  of  both  doctrine  and  practice  which  Christ, 
the  Church's  only  Head,  has  never  recognized.  It  talks  glibly 
about  faith,  but  forgets  that  real  faith  works  by  love;  it  harps 
upon  love,  but  ignores  the  solemn  fact  that  the  love  of  God  is 
founded  only  on  the  truth  of  God;  it  claims  to  have  attained  to  a 
perfection  which  makes   it  holier   tht^n  others,  but  does  not  re- 


DARK  SPOTS.  519 

member  that  a  most  conspicuous  example  oi'dained  for  our  in- 
struction honestly  confesses  of  himself  that  he  was  the  very  chief 
of  sinners.  Such  persons  arrogate  that  they  are  God's  elect,  who 
need  to  do  no  more  than  simply  rest,  in  comfort,  upon  the  hope 
to  which  they  are  (not  professedly,  it  may  be)  fated,  but  they  say 
nothing  concerning  the  scriptural  doctrine  that  the  predestina- 
tion of  the  believer  is  a  predestination  to  humility  and  other 
good  works — the  very  good  works  against  which  they  have  such 
a  jealous  eye.  Call  such  professions  what  men  may — give  them 
the  holiest  and  most  venerable  names  of  love,  or  faith,  or  perfec- 
tion, or  predestination,  or  higher  life,  or  what  else,  they  are  all 
but  the  old  enemy — antinomianism — antinomianism  which  would 
take  away  all  restraints,  puff  up  with  pride,  exalt  self  and  make 
sin  easy ;  boasting  loudly  of  all  save  the  mortifying  requirements 
of  the  Cross  which  teach  that  we  must  work  out  our  own  salva- 
tion with  fear  and  trembling.  Thus  the  divine  Author  of  the 
messages,  looking  down  through  all  the  coming  ages,  and  seeing 
that  the  antinomianism  of  the  seven  churches  would  be  a  great 
enemy  of  the  gospel,  for  evermore  aiming  to  mar  or  destroy, 
placed  it  high  up  in  the  Beacon  as  a  warning  that  ought  to  be 
always  heeded  by  all  who  love  the  kingdom. 

VII.  Hypocrisy.  We  introduce  this  great  sin  and  danger  here, 
simply  because  it  comes  in  the  list  of  the  evils  rebuked  in  the 
messages,  and  not  to  dwell  on  it  at  any  length.  We  have 
already  considered  it  so  fully  in  connection  with  the  church 
of  Sardis  that  it  would  only  be  reiteration  to  give  any  more 
space  to  it  at  this  point.  Enough  for  our  present  purpose  is  it 
to  say  that  hypocrisy  is  one  of  the  things  which  the  messages 
censure  distinctly  and  most  earnestly;  that  it  should  always  be 
regarded  as  one  of  the  evils  that  would  evermore  exist  in  the 
Church ;  that  if  resisted  would  require  a  most  earnest  struggle, 
but  if  yielded  to  would  entail  many  woes  on  its  victims,  and 
in  addition  would  bring  disgrace  and  injury  on  Christ's  cause  of 
truth  and  righteousness. 

VIII.  Lukewarm  indifference.  Substantially  the  same  may  we 
say  concerning  this  as  we  have  said  concerning  hypocrisy.  We 
have  treated  the  subject  so  fully  in  connection  with  the  church 
of  Laodicea,  that  scarce  any  space  need  be  devoted  to  it  here. 
It  is  in  many  respects  the  most  deserved  rebuke  pronounced  on 
these  sinning  churches.  Utter  indifference  to  Christ  and  his  cause, 
and  that  on  the  part  of  those  who  profess  to  believe  on  him, 
and  to  love  him   beyond  all  else!      What  could  be  worse?    In- 


520       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

difference,  cold-heartedness,  contempt,  scorn — all  are  involved, 
and  that  toward  the  great  Captain  of  our  salvation,  the  adorable 
King,  and  his  kingdom.  Who  can  measure  the  affront  to  heavenly 
majesty,  the  insult  to  Jehovah — the  wretched  selfishness  that 
lay  at  the  root  of  all?  Preferring  self,  the  creature;  the  world, 
with  its  deceptions  and  vanities,  and  corruptions — anything,  every- 
thing— to  the  Lord  God  Almighty !  What  wonder  that  the  worst 
doom  of  all  should  be  ijronounced  upon  such  a  people!  As  there 
are  fewer  appeals  that  can  be  made  to  such  a  people,  since  they 
are  indifferent  to  them  all,  as  there  is  so  little  that  is  noble 
and  lofty  and  honorable  in  their  character,  and  as  there  is 
special  guilt  in  such  cold-heartedness  toward  God  and  all  that 
is  true  and  holy,  so  their  condition  and  prospects  are  the  most 
hopeless  of  all  those  to  whom  the  gospel  ever  comes.  Their 
indifference  to  religion  and  the  soul  arises  from  their  self-con- 
ceited pride,  and  results  in  their  utter  rejection  by  God. 

Such  are  the  evils  in  the  churches  concerning  which  our  Lord 
has  expressed  his  righteous  i^bukes.  Every  minor  point  is  not, 
of  course,  named ;  but  these  are  so  classified  as  to  cover  all  that 
is  offensive  in  God's  sight  and  ruinous  to  souls.  These  dark 
spots,  which  we  so  analyze  as  to  comprehend  all,  are:  (1)  Leaving 
first  love;  the  downward  tendency  in  evil  bringing  (2)  Worldli- 
ness ;  (3)  Undue  love  of  riches ;  (4)  Pride ;  (5)  Sensuality ;  (6)  An- 
tinomianism ;  (7)  Hypocrisy ;  and  (8)  Indifference.  These  are  the 
elements  of  that  Beacon  which  should  warn  all  who  would  reach 
the  haven  of  rest  eternal. 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 
FRUITS  OF  THE  SPIRIT. 

It  is  worthy  of  remark  that  in  each  of  the  messages  our  gracious 
Lord  always  places  what  can  be  approved  before  what  must  be 
censured.  He  praises  before  he  blames.  Such  is  his  gracious 
character.  It  is  more  congenial  for  him  to  encourage  by  applause 
than  to  pain  by  rebuke.  In  this  he  sets  an  example  to  us  when 
fidelity  requires  of  us  that  we  reprimand  what  is  wrong,  or 
admonish  as  to  duty,  it  is  wise  and  Christ-like  first  to  notice 
whatever  can  be  approved,  and  to  encourage  by  praise  thereof. 

Tlie  object  of  the  present  chapter  is  to  select  out  of  the  various 
messages  the  elements  of  divine  approval,  one  or  more  of  which 
is  in  each  of  them,  to  bring  these  into  distinct  notice,  to  analyze 
and  so  present  them  in  one  view  that  they  may  make  their  proper 
impression.  Our  first  purpose  was  to  present  tliem  as  points 
receiving  the  divine  approval.  That  would  have  been  appropriate 
and  in  strict  accordance  with  the  facts;  we  prefer,  however,  to 
present  them  as  the  "Fruits  of  the  Spirit."  They  are,  in  the 
strictest  sense,  the  fruits,  or  results,  of  the  Spirit's  working  in 
these  tyi)ical  churches,  and  as  such  it  was  no  doubt  the  divine 
purpose  to  hold  them  up  in  the  Beacon  for  all  the  world  to 
contemplate.  In  the  Epistle  to  the  Galatians  we  have  a  catalogue 
of  the  fruits,  or  effects,  of  the  Spirit  in  the  individual  heart  of  the 
believer :  "  Love,  joy,  peace,  longsuffering,  gentleness,  goodness, 
faith,  meekness,  temperance."  In  these  jnessages  we  have  the 
same  Spirit's  work  as  it  is  seen  in  a  body  of  believers  or  in  the 
public  and  united  community  of  churches. 

The  wisdom  of  presenting  them  in  this  peculiar  form  may  be 
easily  seen.  The  practical  effect  of  the  truth  as  applied  by  the 
Holy  Spirit  is  manifested  in  its  own  peculiar  way.  The  gospel 
had  been  planted  in  that  region  for  more  than  half  a  century,  and 
it  had  been  rendered  effectual  by  the  Holy  Spirit  as  then  dwell- 
ing with  believers,  and  these  were  the  effects  upon  the  community. 
The  experiment  had  been  made  for  a  sufficient  length  of  time, 
the  nature  and  fruits  had  been  brought  forth  among  that  people, 

621 


522       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

and  in  those  things  which  received  the  divine  approval  we  have 
an  autlieutic  statement  of  what  those  fruits  were. 

Moreover,  to  make  them  as  distinct  and  as  impressive  as 
possible,  it  was  providentially  ordered  that  each  separate  church 
was  made  to  be  the  representative  of  some  particular  fruit  of 
the  Spirit,  some  virtue  chiefly  approved  and  consequently  to  be 
the  more  distinctly  seen  and  comprehended.  Tlie  characteristics 
of  tlie  fruits  of  the  Spirit  as  seen  in  the  churches  were— in  Ephesus, 
patient  struggling  and  endurance  for  Christ's  sake;  in  Smyrna, 
undergoing  suff'erings  and  poverty  for  the  truth ;  in  Pergamos, 
steadfastness  in  the  faith ;  in  Thyatira,  perseverance  in  charity 
and  toils;  in  Sardis,  brave  resistance  against  temptations;  in 
Philadelphia,  improving  its  little  strength.  To  Laodicea  alone 
there  was  not  one  word  of  approval.  These  fruits  of  the  Spirit 
were  exemplified  in  the  churches  as  such,  one  at  least  in  each; 
but,  drawn  out  into  fuller  particulars  and  taking  tlie  churches 
as  a  whole,  we  have  the  following  list  of  the  results  of  the 
Spirit's  influences,  on  whic^i  we  shall  dwell  separately:  (1)  Care- 
fulness of  first  love.  (2)  Appreciating  blessings  received.  (3)  Im- 
proving little  advantages.  (4)  Working  for  Christ.  (5)  Zeal  in  the 
cause.  (6)  Not  growing  weary.  (7)  Humility.  (8)  Patience.  (9)  In- 
tolerance of  evil.  (10)  Resistance  of  temptation.  (11)  Suffering 
for  Christ.  (12)  Brotherly  love.  (13)  Steadfastness  in  faith.  (14)  Shun- 
ning false  teachers.     (If))  Growth  in  grace.     (Itj)  Loyalty  to  Christ. 

We  may  strive  to  depict  one  who  was  fully  under  the  influence 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  one  who  was  a  perfect  man  in  Christ  Jesus,  as 
these  perfections  are  presented  in  these  messages.  Tlie  fruits  of 
the  Spirit  as  they  are  hei'e  embodied,  if  all  found  in  one  person, 
would  be  such  a  perfect  character.  He  would  be  watchful  to  retain 
the  glow  of  his  first  love;  alive  to  the  rich  privileges  of  which 
he  is  already  possessed;  careful  to  preserve  and  improve  the 
smallest  gift  of  God  which  could  be  made  to  help  forward  the 
cause  he  loves  so  dearly;  diligent  in  working  for  Christ  and 
for  the  salvation  of  men ;  zealous  in  promoting  all  the  interests 
of  the  kingdom  ;  watchful  against  weariness  in  well-doing;  clothed 
with  humility  ;  patient  under  opposition  ;  intolerant  of  evil  in  both 
doctrine  and  practice;  ready  to  suffer  persecution  for  Christ's  sake; 
an  example  of  brotherly  love;  steadfast  as  a  rock  in  the  faith  once 
delivered  to  the  saints;  careful  to  avoid  all  teachers  of  error  in  any 
form;  always  pressing  forward  and  upward  in  grace;  and  above 
all,  and  comprehensive  of  all,  at  all  times  loyal  and  true  to  Christ 
the  beloved  Lord. 


FRUITS  OF  THE  SPIRIT.  523 

Such  are  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit  as  providentially  exemplified 
in  the  first  churches,  and  held  up  in  the  Beacon  for  the  instruction 
and  excitation  of  all  believers  while  churches  shall  continue  to 
exist  in  this  militant  state.  There  are  others  also,  as  there  are 
various  shades  and  degrees  of  these ;  but  those  are  the  chief  things 
approved  of  God,  and  they  are  so  comprehensive  that  all  others 
may  be  classed  under  some  one  of  these.  To  dwell  on  them  in 
succession,  so  as  to  see  each  of  them  distinctly  in  its  nature  and 
tendency,  will  be  our  aim  in  the  rest  of  the  chapter. 

(1)  Carefulness  of  ^'■first  lovey  As  the  first  fruit  of  the  Spirit 
this  point  is  worthy  of  earnest  attention.  What  that  first  love 
was,  and  might  continue  to  be,  is  most  touchingly  described  in 
the  language  of  Oriental  poetry:  "I  remember  thee — the  kind- 
ness of  thy  youth,  the  love  of  thine  espousals."  "  And  she  shall 
sing  there,  as  in  the  days  of  her  youth,  and  as  in  the  day  when 
she  came  up  out  of  Egypt."  As  the  tender  aff"ection  of  bride- 
groom and  bride,  that  earliest  afi"ection  should  not  be  permitted 
to  lose  its  ardor.  It  would  be  a  living  motive  and  charm  which 
would  render  the  whole  Christian  life  a  delight.  All  other  duties 
and  efforts,  under  its  fascinating  impulse,  would  be  the  purity  and 
bliss  of  the  soul.  It  stands  first  of  the  Spirit's  fruits  because  of 
the  influence  it  would  have  upon  all  the  rest.  But  it  must  be 
carefully  guarded,  otherwise  it  will  grow  cooler  and  cooler.  Here 
is  the  aff"ectionate  caution  where  such  sad  process  has  commenced ; 
"Remember,  therefore,  from  whence  thou  art  fallen."  Here  is 
the  door  to  the  whole  after-life  of  the  Spirit  in  the  soul.  With 
first  love  carefully  nourished  all  else  will  be  easy  and  blissful; 
with  it  suffered  to  decay,  all  else  will  be  a  wretched  drudgery 
and  slavish  struggle.  So  saith  the  Beacon,  \\\i\\  an  emphasis, 
through  its  examples,   that  no  words  could  give. 

(2)  Appreciating  advantages  alreadij  enjoyed.  Simply  to  under- 
stand the  blessings  which  God  has  given  us,  to  api^reciate  them, 
to  cherish  them,  and  to  entertain  the  feelings  which  they  ought 
to  awaken,  is  a  point  of  much  importance.  As  if  to  keep  before 
the  minds  of  believers  what  jDrivileges  they  had  received,  they 
are  repeatedly  referred  to  in  the  messages,  some  of  them  in  very 
few  words.  Such  reminders  as  these  are  used:  "But  thou  art 
rich;"  "the  things  which  remain;"  "  how  thou  hast  received;" 
"thou  hast  a  few  names  even  in  Sardis."  Each  of  these  alludes 
to  some  advantages  which  God  had  bestowed  upon  them.  Some 
rich  in  the  treasures  of  divine  grace;  some  spirituality  still  re- 
maining ;    some  blessed   endowments  from  on  high ;    some  loyal 


524       INAUGUEAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

and  faithful  hearts,  even  amid  so  much  defection.  Tliese  were  gifts 
from  God  which  should  not  be  suffered  to  lie  unimproved  or  even 
unacknowledged.  They  contained  possibilities  of  usefulness  that 
could  not  easily  be  exhausted,  but  that,  if  faithfully  improved, 
might  give  an  important  impulse  to  the  Church.  Simj)ly  to  appre- 
ciate them  would  be  to  improve  them.  Not  one  of  them  but  inight 
be  so  esteemed  that  it  would  aid  in  the  general  prosperity  of  that 
kingdom  upon  whose  upbuilding  so  much  depended.  Not  one 
of  them  but  if  properly  valued  would  contribute  to  the  honor 
of  Him  from   whose  gracious  hand  they  had  all  been  received. 

Who  wShall  describe  the  injury  which  is  done  by  the  opposite 
spirit?  The  richest  benefits  are  received,  but  not  one  grateful 
thought  goes  out  towards  Him  to  whose  distinguishing  mercy  they 
are  all  due.  They  are  not  even  acknowledged.  They  are  not 
thought  of  with  one  emotion  of  gratitude.  Received  with  indiffer- 
ence, or  witli  complaint  that  they  are  not  richer  or  more  abundant, 
or  that  others  have  been  more  highly  favored — how  this  leads 
to  the  neglect  of  opportunities,  dishonors  God,  repels  men  from 
the  gospel  which  has  such  a  gloomy  influence,  renders  its  pos- 
sessor disagreeable  to  those  who  are  near  to  him,  and  makes  his 
own  soul  j)erpetually  unhappy.  The  spirit  of  malcontent  and 
fault-finding  is  paralyzing — paralyzing  to  all  that  is  good  and 
grateful  in  the  soul.  It  is  not  the  spirit  of  Christ ;  it  is  wretch- 
edly ungrateful ;  it  is  one  of  the  most  abominable  of  stumbling- 
blocks  in  the  way  of  those  who  would  build  up  the  kingdom 
of  Christ. 

For  such  reasons  it  is  that  the  proper  appreciation  of  our  mercies 
has  such  a  prominent  place  in  the  Beacon.  What  a  radical  change 
would  be  made  in  all  our  cluirch  life,  did  this  adinonitory  signal 
receive  the  attention  which  God  designed  that  it  should  liave! 

(3)  Improving  small  advantages.  An  abiding  characteristic  of 
the  Spirit's  work  is  the  perceiving  and  improving  of  opportunities 
which  the  world  would  regard  as  small  and  insignificant.  The  en- 
couraging fact  stands  out  here  in  tlie  clearest  light  that  the  small 
and  weak  and  humble  church  of  Philadeli)liia  is  the  one  before 
which  the  door  of  privileges  stands  open,  while  the  lordly  and 
independent  Laodicea  is  to  be  rejected  as  worthless.  This  is  in- 
dicated in  a  most  impressive  manner  as  God's  ordained  plan  with 
his  followers:  "Have  ye  never  read,  Out  of  the  mouth  of  babes 
and  sucklings  thou  hast  perfected  praise?"  To  the  same  purport 
he  asserts  :  "  For  my  strength  is  made  perfect  in  weakness."  This 
is   in  accordance  with   his   established  rule,   wherein  he   "  hides 


FRUITS  OF  THE  SPIRIT.  525 

pride  from  man."  "Inasmuch  as  God  hath  chosen  the  foolish 
things  of  the  world  to  confound  the  wise;  and  God  hath  chosen 
the  weak  things  of  the  world  to  confound  the  things  which  are 
mighty;  and  base  things  of  the  world,  and  things  which  are  de- 
spised, hath  God  chosen,  yea,  and  things  which  are  not,  to  bring 
to  naught  things  that  are."  This  principle  runs  through  his  ways 
of  providence  as  well  as  grace.  The  proud  champion  of  the  Philis- 
tines was  slain  by  the  sling-stone  of  the  stripling  shepherd  of  Israel. 
"  Riding  upon  an  ass's  colt "  did  He  himself  come  into  Jerusalem 
as  Zion's  ordained  King.  As  first  he  manifests  himself  it  is  said 
of  him :  "  He  shall  grow  up  before  Him  as  a  tender  plant,  and  as 
a  root  out  of  a  dry  ground:  he  hath  no  form  nor  comeliness;  and 
when  we  shall  see  him  there  is  no  beauty  that  we  should  desire 
him."  So  was  it  also  with  his  cause,  of  which  it  was  predicted: 
"There  shall  be  an  handful  of  corn  in  the  earth  upon  the  top  of 
the  mountains;  the  fruit  thereof  shall  shake  like  Lebanon;  and 
they  of  the  city  shall  flourish  like  the  grass  of  the  earth." 

In  the  messages  this  was  made  conspicuous  as  the  principle 
which  would  always  prevail.  Though  in  individual  churches 
there  might  come  times  when  zeal  would  be  almost  extinct,  love 
cold,  and  faith  weak,  yet  here  would  stand  the  signal  from  the 
throne:  "Not  by  might,  nor  by  power,  but  by  my  Spirit,  saith 
the  Lord."  There  would  still  be  some  love,  and  zeal,  and  faith; 
and  the  divine  method  would  be  to  take  the  weak  things,  and 
through  them  put  forth  the  Lord's  great  power.  There  was  a 
little  strength  in  Philadelphia,  and  that  was  noticed  and  blessed. 
There  will  always  be  a  few  faithful  ones  in  attendance,  and  a 
little  grace  in  hearts.  There  were  a  few  names  in  Sardis — there 
W'ill  be  two  or  three  at  the  smallest  meeting.  They  will  not  be 
too  few  for  the  divine  blessing.  We  can  think  of  no  special 
promise  engaged  to  a  crowd ;  but  we  have  many  to  encourage 
the  faithful  few.  God  is  not  dependent  on  a  multitude ;  much 
more  frequently  does  he  show  the  sufficiency  of  his  grace  to  the 
few  who  cast  themselves  on  his  grace  alone. 

(4)  Working  for  Christ,  There  is  no  fruit  of  the  Spirit  of  which 
there  is  such  frequent  and  such  emphatic  applause  as  this.  On 
no  point  is  there  laid  so  much  stress  as  on  the  faitlifulness  of  those 
who  work  for  the  promotion  of  the  interests  of  the  kingdom.  It 
is  noticed  in  the  message  to  each  of  the  churches.  Other  things 
may  be  passed  over,  but  this  is  not,  in  any  instance.  What  the 
faithful  had  done  in  striving  against  opposition,  extending  the 
truth,  and  toiling  to  build  up  the  cause  and  bring  men  to  the 


526       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

cross  of  Christ,  is  dwelt  on  in  them  all.  There  is  special  praise 
given  wherever  there  had  been  special  faithfulness.  "I  know 
thy  works,  and  thy  labour,  and  thy  patience;"  "and  for  my 
name's  sake  hast  laboured,  and  hast  not  fainted;"  "I  know  thy 
works,  and  charity,  and  service,  and  faith,  and  thy  patience,  and 
thy  works," — these  are  instances  of  God's  good  pleasure  towards 
those  who  labored  diligently  in  that  blessed  work  that  was  needed 
to  establish  the  kingdom  in  that  region.  To  oppose  idolatry,  bear 
witness  to  the  truth  of  Christ,  break  up  the  ignorance  of  many 
centuries,  arouse  the  stupid  and  depraved,  meet  the  obstacles  of 
a  hundred  enemies,  build  up  institutions,  solve  the  doubts  of 
tlie  weak  and  erring,  conduct  services  of  worship  which  were 
so  new  and  so  little  understood,  minister  to  the  poor,  the  suffer- 
ing, and  the  ignorant,  and  support  th(jse  who  had  been  beggared 
for  Christ's  sake, — to  do  all  this  required  an  earnest  perseverance 
in  toil  of  which  we  can  now  have  but  a  very  inadequate  con- 
ception. 

For  reasons  that  are  certainly  wise  and  good,  it  pleased  God 
to  make  it  a  rule  of  his  kingdom  that  the  work  of  gathering  in 
souls  and  building  up  his  Church  should  be  performed  by  those 
who  had  been  themselves  redeemed  from  spiritual  death.  This 
was  so  in  the  beginning,  and  it  is  so  still,  and  will  doubtless  con- 
tinue so  until  the  kingdoms  of  this  world  shall  have  become  the 
kingdoms  of  our  Lord  and  of  his  Christ.  But  sad  experience 
has  proved  that  it  always  languishes  when  left  to  the  mere  im- 
pulses of  human  motives.  When  there  is  nothing  but  the  urgency 
of  preachers,  the  arguments  of  men,  and  the  presentation  of 
worldly  motives  and  appeals,  all  either  stands  still  or  retrogrades. 
The  bearing  up  under  incessant  watchfulness  and  toil,  and  unrea- 
sonable opposition,  after  a  while  causes  the  weak  flesh  to  grow 
weary,  and  to  sink.  Then  are  we  forced  to  give  ear  to  the  fact 
published  from  heaven:  "Not  by  might,  nor  by  power,  but  by 
my  Spirit,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts."  And,  blessed  be  God!  the 
Spirit  stands  ready  to  give  the  needed  aid,  to  quicken  the  life, 
strengthened  the  motives,  and  give  the  longed-for  success. 

Then  the  effects  of  the  work  are  witnessed  as  accomplished  by 
the  fidelity  of  men,  but  in  reality  are  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit  of 
God.  We  may  jilead  as  earnestly  as  in  our  power  that  Chris- 
tians shall  be  faithful  in  the  needed  work  for  the  Church  and  for 
the  souls  of  men  ;  but  only  when  the  jxjwer  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
accompanies  our  words  shall  they  become  effectual  in  awakening 
men  from  their  lethargy.    Only  when  the  Holy  Ghost  opens  the 


FEUITS  OF  THE  SPIRIT.  527 

hearts  of  his  people  to  fill  the  gospel  treasury  for  the  successful 
conduct  of  the  Lord's  work  shall  we  begin  to  behold  the  day 
of  promise  when  "the  desert  shall  rejoice,  and  blossom  as  the 
rose." 

All  this  was  displayed  to  the  world  through  the  signals  of  the 
Beacon,  to  be  seen  then,  now,  and  evermore.  How  much,  at  the 
present  hour,  does  the  Church  need  to  gaze  upon  it,  study  it  deeply, 
and  heed  its  admonition !  Without  a  shadow  of  question,  here  is 
the  panacea  tliat  is  needed  for  the  evils  over  which  every  true  heart 
is  groaning.  Oh  that  the  whole  Church  would  see,  and  lay  it  to 
heart,  that  the  humble  church  of  Philadelphia,  little  in  strength 
and  few  in  numbers,  so  conscious  of  its  weakness  as  to  lie  before 
God,  pleading  for  the  Spirit's  aid,  was  the  church  before  which 
was  set  the  open  door  for  usefulness  and  hope! 

(5)  Enthusiasm.  This  spirit  is  seen  running  through  all  the 
points  in  the  messages  which  receive  the  divine  approbation. 
It  is  a  characteristic  which  belongs  to  all  that  may  properly  be 
regarded  as  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit,  of  which  it  is  the  very 
essence.  It  is  implied  in  all  that  was  good  in  the  churches 
rather  than  specifically  named  in  any  of  them.  It  underlies 
every  hint  and  allusion  that  is  made  to  their  honor.  This  is 
seen  in  "  Remember,  therefore,  how  thou  hast  received  and 
heard" — their  ardor;  in  "how  thou  canst  not  bear  them  which 
are  evil "  their  zeal ;  in  "  how  thou  hast  tried  them  which  say 
they  are  apostles" — their  earnestness  against  falsehood;  in  "thou 
hast  kept  the  word  of  my  patience" — their  fervor  for  the  right 
and  the  true;  "thou  boldest  fast  my  name" — their  energy  in 
upholding  the  cause,  even  at  the  risk  of  their  lives.  It  was  the 
same  warmth  that  was  manifested  in  the  Spirit-prompted  appeal 
of  the  apostle:  "I  beseech  you  therefore,  brethren,  by  the  mercies 
of  God,  that  ye  present  your  bodies  a  living  sacrifice,  holy, 
acceptable  unto  God,  which  is  your  reasonable  service."  This 
was  the  same  intense  spirit  which  induced  the  apostle  to  declare: 
"This  one  thing  I  do;  forgetting  those  things  which  are  behind, 
and  reaching  forth  unto  those  tilings  whicli  are  before,  I  press 
toward  the  mark  for  the  prize  of  the  high  calling  of  God  in 
Christ  Jesus." 

The  evident  fact  is  that  any  other  spirit  or  any  other  feelings 
would  be  out  of  place  and  unbecoming  such  everlasting  interests 
as  are  those  pertaining  to  Christ  and  his  gospel.  Languid  emotions 
or  actions  therein  would  be  an  insult  to  God,  a  curse  to  the  Church, 
and  a  shame  to  those  who  indulged  them.    Half-hearted ness  in 


528       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

religion  is  the  bane  of  the  Church  to-day.  The  cause  is  so 
transcendently  important  that  notliing  but  absolute  enthusiasm 
will  meet  its  demands.  The  glory  of  God,  the  interests  of  truth 
and  righteousness  in  the  world,  the  redemption  of  humanity, 
the  immortal  bliss  or  indescribable  misery  of  the  soul,  are  all 
at  stake ;  and  nothing  but  the  whole  energy  of  our  being  will 
do  for  these.  We  may  properly  let  the  whole  world  see  tliat 
we  are  enthusiasts  here.  The  heroes  of  the  Church  in  days  gone 
by,  such  as  Luther  and  AVesley  and  William  of  Orange,  were  all 
enthusiasts.  It  is  time  that  the  whole  Church,  as  well  as  each 
separate  member  thereof,  had  become  enthusiastic. 

Be  earnest !  be  earnest !  is  the  cry  of  the  passing  ages.  Be 
earnest,  for  you  have  a  special  work  assigned  you,  which  you 
alone  can  accomplish.  The  warning  from  yon  Beacon  which 
has  blazed  from  the  heavens  for  many  a  century,  still  is,  Be 
earnest!  Be  earnest,  for  souls  are  perishing,  and  God  is  to  be 
glorified.  Be  earnest,  for  the  night  cometh.  Be  earnest,  for  all 
is  at  stake.  Be  earnest,  for  all  heaven  is  watching  you.  Be 
earnest,  for  yonder  is  the  crown.  Be  earnest,  for  the  time 
wherein  you  can  do  Christ's  w'ork  on  earth  is  almost  at  an  end. 

(6)  Contumance  in  well-doing.  Each  particular  characteristic 
which  in  the  messages  received  the  divine  approbation  had  been 
l^roduced  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  was  consequently  one  of  his 
fruits  and  was  to  be  noted  and  remembered  for  evermore.  Very 
conspicious  among  these  is  the  fidelity  that  does  not  grow  weary 
and  become  discouraged.  Among  other  allusions  to  it,  this  qual- 
ity is  distinctly  named  to  the  praise  of  the  church  of  Ephesus: 
"And  hast  borne,  and  hast  patience,  and  for  my  name's  sake 
hast  labored,  and  hast  not  fainted.''''  The  words  are  few ;  but 
they  are  from  tlie  lips  of  our  King,   and  imply  very  much. 

These  faithful  workers  and  sufferers  did  not  grow  weary  and 
give  up,  even  though  the  flesh  was  very  weak.  They  could  not 
be  induced  to  quit  their  hard  toil  by  the  example  of  the  multitudes 
around  them  who  at  first  made  a  loud  profession  and  proudly 
boasted  of  their  strength,  but  soon  fell  away  and  disgraced  the 
cause.  Though  the  obstacles  were  many,  and  the  time  long,  and 
the  work  hard,  they  kept  bravely  on.  In  this  they  were  sustained 
by  a  spirit  that  was  not  of  earth,  and  upheld  by  a  power  that 
was  not  their  own.  It  was  of  the  Holy  Ghost  working  within 
them.  That  blessed  Power  kept  their  motives  ever  bright  and 
strong  and  fresh.  He  would  not  allow  their  affections  to  grow 
so  languid  that  they  would  sink  down  in  discouragement.    That 


FRUITS  OF  THE  SPIRIT.  529 

they  did  not  become  weary  with  so  many  discouragements,  and 
hard  toil,  and  long  watching,  was  a  proof  of  a  work  in  them 
which  was  from  above.  And  this  made  it,  as  well  as  its  possessors, 
dear  to  the  heart  of  our  Lord.  So  dear  was  it  that  he  put  it 
here  in  the  Beacon,  in  order  that  the  whole  world  might  see 
it,  admire  it,  and  be  encouraged  thereby.  So  important  was  it 
in  his  sight  that  over  and  over  again,  and  with  the  strongest 
emphasis,  he  exhorts  his  followers  to  watchfulness.  On  that  night 
never  to  be  forgotten,  when  he  took  his  farewell  of  his  disciples, 
no  less  than  ten  times  over  he  most  earnestly  charged  them 
that  they  should  be  watchful.  How  earnestly,  may  be  seen 
from  two  examples:  "Watch  and  pray,  that  ye  enter  not  into 
temptation;  the  spirit  indeed  is  willing,  but  the  flesh  is  weak." 
"And  he  cometh,  and  findeth  them  sleeping,  and  saith  unto 
Peter,  Simon,  sleepest  thou?  Couldst  not  thou  watch  one  hour?" 
Not  satisfied  with  this,  even,  he  puts  it  in  the  Beacon,  that  it 
might  be  seen  by  every  eye,  throughout  all  time,  and  never 
seen  without  his  loving  appeal:  "Watch — watch  against  grow- 
ing weary."  Believer,  your  loving  Lord  sees  you,  and  ever  is 
made  glad  as  he  finds  you  faithfully  at  your  i:)ost.  He  would 
cheer  up  and  cheer  on  his  faithful  ones  when  they  are  ready 
to  faint,  by  pointing  to  those  of  the  seven  churches  who  bravely 
passed  over  the  same  road,  and  through  the  same  toils.  True 
it  is  that  the  way  is  long,  and  the  obstacles  great,  and  the 
work  toilsome;  still  we  must  not  give  up;  for  there  is  a  sleep- 
less Watcher  beholding  us,  and  the  rest  at  the  end  will  be  all 
the  sweeter. 

(7)  HumilUij.  To  this  point,  so  strongly  approved  and  so  cer- 
tainly one  of  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit,  we  need  devote  but  a  few 
words.  We  have  already  dwelt  on  it  so  fully  that  we  can  add 
but  little  more.  Its  prominent  place  in  the  Beacon  is  all  that 
calls  for  its  consideration  in  this  connection.  It  is  a  suggestive 
thing  that  the  church  of  Philadelphia,  most  beloved  and  honored 
of  God,  was  the  church  most  noticeable  of  the  seven  for  its  humil- 
ity. Philadelphia  was  the  church  most  praised  of  all,  and  that 
for  its  humility;  and  Laodicea  was  the  church  most  severely  cen- 
sured of  them  all,  and  that  because  of  its  pride. 

We  can  easily  see  how  highly  God  esteemed  this  Christian 
virtue  in  that  he  gives  it  a  conspicuous  place  in  the  Beacon. 
This  proves  it  to  have  been  a  fruit  of  the  Spirit,  and  not  a 
characteristic  of  merely  earthly  origin.  It  stands  in  the  Beacon, 
it  is  divinely  applauded,  and  that  in  terms  of  peculiar  affection ; 

34 


530      INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

and  so  we  are  sure  that  it  is  from  God.  The  church  of  Phila- 
delphia, in  which  it  was  manifested  above  all  the  others,  although 
it  had  but  a  little  strength,  was  greatly  beloved  of  God.  It  hum- 
bled itself  before  him,  and  so,  according  to  the  divine  engage- 
ment, it  was  exalted— exalted  on  the  inspired  page  and  the  lofty 
Beacon  which  all  the  world  was  to  behold  and  admire.  It  shrank 
from  all  display,  and  that  very  lowliness  was  what  gave  it  its 
chief  renown.  It  would  hide  in  modest  distrust  of  self,  and  that 
proved  the  virtue  to  which  the  gracious  King  of  Zion  opened 
the  door  of  safety  and  highest  privilege.  In  the  very  act  of 
shrinking  back  in  humility  it  was  brought  forward  to  oppor- 
tunities of  special  usefulness.  Hiding  from  all  display,  it  was 
raised  up  in  the  Beacon  so  as  to  be  seen  and  specially  honored 
for  evermore.  A  destiny  of  glory  was  opened  up  to  that  people 
which  without  their  humility  they  had  never  known.  They 
committed  their  cause  to  God,  and  then  meekly  awaited  his 
providential  vindication  and  promised  blessings. 

The  whole  of  the  Scriptures  are  ablaze  Avith  such  instances, 
and  assurances  of  God's  special  regard  for  those  who  are  lowly 
in  spirit.  Some  of  them  are  strangely  animating :  "  Gird  thy 
sword  upon  thy  thigh,  O  most  mighty,  with  thy  glory  and  thy 
majesty.  And  in  thy  majesty  ride  prosperously  because  of  truth 
and  meeJcness.^''  How  dear  is  the  cause  to  Him  of  whom  this  is 
the  sublime  record!  "The  earth  feared  and  was  still,  when  God 
arose  to  judgment,  to  save  all  the  meek  of  the  earthy  Behold  his 
great  regard  for  the  lowly  in  heart:  "The  Lord  lifteth  up  the 
meek ;  he  casteth  the  wicked  down  to  the  ground."  In  the  be- 
ginning of  the  New  Testament  we  have  tlie  gracious  engagement: 
"Blessed  are  the  meek;  for  they  shall  inherit  the  earth."  At  its 
close  we  have  the  promise,  surely  to  be  fulfilled,  that  the  haughty 
enemy  shall  come  in  great  humiliation  and  worship  at  the  feet 
of  the  lowly  servants  of  the  Lord.  So  it  is  in  the  teachings  of 
the  sacred  pages,  and  so  it  is  diplayed  most  conspicuously  in 
the  Beacon  at  the  close— that  the  Lord  watches  over  and  will 
at  the  end  exalt  those  who  are  poor  in  spirit.  In  that  Beacon 
the  poor  and  weak  Philadelphia  is  the  most  highly  honored, 
placed,  so  as  to  be  removed  no  more,  in  God's  heavenly  temple, 
with  the  inscription  written  thereon,  of  God's  holy  name,  of  his 
golden  city,  the  New  Jerusalem,  and  of  his  own  new  name,  hid- 
den as  yet  from  created  eyes,  amid  the  effulgence  of  the  mys- 
terious glory. 

(8)  Patience.    Patience,  as  one  of  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit,  one 


FRUITS  OF  THE  SPIRIT.  531 

of  the  most  lovely  of  all  the  Christian  graces,  is  presented  here 
in  the  messages  as  it  is  in  scarcely  any  other  place  of  the  Word 
of  God.  From  the  manner  in  which  it  was  introduced  it  evi- 
dently lay  very  near  to  the  heart  of  Christ,  the  Lord  of  the  king- 
dom. The  terms  which  he  uses  concerning  it  are  tender  and 
loving,  and  show  that  in  his  sight  it  was  most  highly  prized. 
Never  were  there  higher  encomiums  on  it  than  those  which  it 
here  received  from  the  heavenly  King.  This  was  patience  in 
its  truest  and  freshest  loveliness — patience  as  God  himself  held  it 
up  in  the  Beacon  to  be  admired  by  loving  eyes  in  all  ages. 

What  precisely  was  this  fruit  of  the  Spirit,  as  it  was  seen 
at  tliat  time  in  those  churches,  and  placed  on  record  in  these 
messages?  Clearly  the  patience  presented  here  was  intended  to 
be  typical  of  that  grace  at  all  times  and  in  every  place.  It 
was  providentially  of  such  a  character  and  introduced  in  such 
a  way  as  would  fit  it  to  serve  as  a  model  for  the  whole  Church 
ever  afterwards.  That  there  should  be  no  misunderstanding 
of  either  its  meaning  or  importance,  four  times  over  is  it 
spoken  of.  To  Ephesus  it  is  said:  "I  know  thy  works,  and  thy 
labor,  and  thy  patience."  To  the  same  church,  again,  is  the 
applause:  "And  hast  borne,  and  hast  patience,  and  for  my 
name's  sake  hast  labored,  and  hast  not  fainted."  To  Thyatira 
the  great  praise  is:  "I  know  thy  works,  and  service,  and  faith, 
and  thy  patience,  and  thy  works."  To  Philadelphia  the  cheer- 
ing promise  is  given:  "Because  thou  hast  kept  the  word  of  my 
patience,  I  also  will  keep  thee  from  the  hour  of  temptation," 
WUUng  cont'umance  in  the  endurance  of  toils,  trials,  and  suffer- 
ings for  the  cause  of  Christ  is  the  virtue  which  God  so  highly 
approves  under  the  name  of  patience.  It  is  a  word  very  pre- 
(jious  to  Christ,  a  word  made  sacred  by  the  endurance  of  tlie 
saints.  It  is  a  large  word,  and  covers  many  a  feature  of  Christian 
heroism.  In  those  first  churches,  where  so  much  toil  was  required 
in  laying  the  foundations  of  the  kingdom,  where  there  was  so 
many  a  hard  lesson  of  faith  to  learn,  where  the  true-hearted  had 
to  go  on  through  the  dark  and  the  untried,  where  there  had 
to  be  such  long  waiting  for  the  fulfillment  of  promises  expected 
every  day,  where  new  burdens  had  to  be  taken  up  every  hour, 
and  where  unexpected  enemies  had  to  be  encountered  at  every 
step — how  much  was  included  in  the  patience  which  had  to 
meet  with  all  this! 

In  one  of  the  places  where  the  word  is  found,  it  is  introduced 
in  a  manner    that   gives    it  very  great    emphasis.      The   Son  of 


532       INAUGUEAL  OF  THE  ENTHKONED  KING. 

man,  in  his  communication  to  the  church  of  Philadelphia,  terms 
it  "the  word  of  my  patience."  It  is,  then,  his  patience — as  if 
it  was  different  and  superior  to  all  other  forms  of  that  Christian 
grace.  This  i^eculiar  expression  suggests  to  us  that  it  is  peculiarly 
the  result  of  the  indwelling  of  the  Spirit,  and  a  virtue  produced 
in  the  heart  by  the  Holy  Ghost  alone;  that  it  is  a  grace  of  superior 
excellency  which  the  Spirit  of  God  always  recognizes;  that  it 
is  the  very  same  patience  which  was  exemplified  in  Christ  above 
all  others;  and  that  it  is  an  ornament  of  the  renewed  soul  which 
shone  with  peculiar  beauty.  All  these  peculiarities  are  suggested 
by  the  expression,  "the  word  of  my  patience,"  prompted  by 
divine  wisdom,  and  illustrating  the  marvels  of  the  Sacred  Scrip- 
tures. 

(9)  InMeivoiee  of  evil.  It  is  quite  remarkable  how  strong  the 
language  is  which  the  Spirit  of  God  uses  concerning  this  char- 
acteristic so  much  praised  in  those  early  churches.  There  is  no 
sentimental  cant  concerning  the  indulgence  of  evil.  Evil  is  evil, 
and  as  such  it  is  stigmatized  and  reprobated.  Not  a  word  is 
said  about  charity — that  false  charity  which  is  so  often  used  as  a 
cloak  for  sinful  indulgence,  and  is  always  a  premium  upon  evil- 
doing.  Not  a  word  of  apology  for  wrong  in  either  theory  or 
practice — no  toleration  for  that  which  is  hateful  to  God,  defiling 
in  its  own  nature,  and  ruinous  to  the  souls  of  men.  "How 
thou  canst  not  bear  them  which  are  evil;"  "This  thou  hast, 
that  thou  hatest  the  deeds  of  the  Nicolaitans,  which  I  also 
hate;"  "Thou  hast  a  few  names  even  in  Sardis  which  have 
not  defiled  their  garments;" — such  are  the  very  strong  expressions 
which  our  Lord  uses  concerning  evil,  while  applauding  the 
faithful  ones  of  the  churches  because  of  their  intolerance  thereof. 

There  can  be  little  doubt  that  the  evils  alluded  to  were  suelj 
as  the  idolatry  of  Pergamos  and  Sardis,  the  sensuality  of  Ephesus 
and  Thyatira,  and,  chiefly,  the  worldliness  and  indifference  of 
Laodicea.  These,  and  the  thousand  others  which  were  connected 
with  them  and  flowed  from  them,  were  the  ill-doings  which  so 
sadly  abounded.  These  were  so  hateful  and  hurtful  in  their  nature 
and  tendencies  that  it  was  mentioned  to  the  praise  of  the  faithful 
that  they  could  not  endure  them — that  even  their  touch  they 
could  not  bear;  stronger  still,  that  they  hated  such  evil  deeds, 
even  as  God  himself  hated  them.  This  was  very  emphatic  lan- 
guage. The  true-hearted  followers  of  Christ  could  not  tolerate 
the  evil  and  contaminating  influences  which  still  lingered  in 
that   region,  where  idolatry  had  so  long  held    sway.     Such  cor- 


FRUITS  OF  THE  SPIRIT.  533 

ruptions  were  offensive  in  the  sight  of  all  pure-minded  men, 
abominable  before  God,  and  disgusting  to  the  followers  of  our 
Lord  who  had  been  washed  in  atoning  blood.  They  could  not 
endure  the  evil,  had  no  sympathy  with  it,  held  no  fellowship 
therewith,  gave  it  no  countenance,  had  no  excuses  ready  with 
which  to  palliate  it,  and  would  give  it  no  encouragement  by 
entering  its  assemblies  even  out  of  idle  curiosity. 

It  is  very  indicative  indeed  how  much  stress  is  laid  on  this 
point  all  through  the  pages  of  Scripture.  It  is  made  almost  to 
close  one  of  the  most  solemn  of  all  the  epistles:  "Abstain  from 
all  appearance  of  evil."  It  forms  one  of  the  comprehensive  peti- 
tions of  the  Lord's  Prayer:  "And  lead  us  not  into  temptation, 
but  deliver  us  from  evil."  Its  importance  is  manifested  in  that 
it  is  made  the  opening  exclamation  of  the  inspired  volume  of 
sacred  song:  "Blessed  is  the  man  that  walketh  not  in  the  counsel 
of  the  ungodly,  nor  staudeth  in  the  way  of  sinners,  nor  sitteth 
in  the  seat  of  the  scornful."  It  is  inculcated  in  words  of  the 
most  solemn  warning:  "And  others  save  with  fear,  ])ulling  them 
out  of  the  fire ;  hating  even  the  garment  spotted  by  the  flesh." 
And  then,  as  if  the  gathering  up  of  all,  it  is  given  here  a  most 
conspicuous  place  in  the  Beacon  which  was  afterward  to  be  looked 
upon  by  every  earnest  eye. 

The  course  which  is  here  so  strongly  approved  is  that  of  utter 
detestation  and  avoidance  of  all  evil.  The  faithful  could  not  bear 
it — they  hated  it,  they  shunned  it;  and  for  so  doing  they  were 
praised  by  the  lips  of  our  Lord  himself.  There  was  no  tam- 
pering with  corruption ;  no  quarter  was  given  to  prevailing  evils 
because  they  were  the  fashion,  nor  any  encouragement  to  even 
the  slightest  indulgence  thereof. 

EfTorts  made  to  corrupt  such  persons  had  no  effect,  because  the 
evils  were  not  indulged  for  even  one  instant.  Corruptions  might 
prevail,  but  they  left  no  taint  upon  the  faithful  who  followed 
the  Lamb  wherever  he  might  lead  them.  When  the  Evil  one 
made  even  a  momentary  attack  upon  them,  quick  as  lightning, 
in  the  spirit  of  their  divine  Leader,  they  repelled  him :  "  Get 
thee  hence,  Satan."  Corruption  in  doctrine  or  in  practice  was 
the  plague-spot  which  these  first  followers  of  our  Lord  knew  to 
le  deadly  in  its  effects,  and  which  they  fled  from  as  quickly  and 
as  resolutely  as  they  would  have  avoided  death  itself.  As  in  some 
jilague-smitten  city,  where  houses  were  marked,  and  doors  closed, 
and  signals  given  of  the  dread  infection,  so  did  these  Spirit-taught 
men  take  warning  and  fly  from  the  pestilence  whose  touch  was 


534       INAUGURAL  OP^  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

death  eternal.  They  knew  their  danger,  and  hated  and  avoided 
every  exposure  thereto.  And  the  gracious  Lord  approved  their 
course  as  wise,  and  righteous,  and  safe.  He  encouraged  them  by 
the  assurance  that  as  tliey  hated  and  shunned  evil,  so  did  he  hate 
it  also.  He  approved  their  course,  extolled  their  practice,  and  held 
it  up  on  high  as  a  model  for  all  the  following  ages. 

(10)  Suffering  for  CkrisVs  sake.  The  hostility  of  Satan  and  men 
of  Satanic  spirit  to  Christ  and  his  cause  on  earth  is  deadly  and 
incessant.  Revenge,  malice,  hate,  on  the  part  of  the  principalities 
and  powers  and  rulers  of  the  darkness  of  this  world,  are  unending 
in  their  efforts  to  destroy  all  that  is  right  and  pure  and  hopeful  for 
the  race  of  man.  From  the  moment  of  the  ruin  of  mankind  in 
Eden  until  the  present  hour  they  have  never  abated  in  the  malig- 
nant purpose  to  destroy  and  efface  the  very  image  of  God.  And 
reminders  of  this  fact  are  set  up  at  eyery  important  turning-point 
of  human  history.  As  such  finger-posts,  our  gracious  Lord  has 
erected  warnings  all  over  the  track  of  Scripture  annals  to  keep 
men  in  mind  that  they  are  treading  upon  dangerous  ground. 

At  the  first  instant  of  danger  he  placed  the  signal:  "I  will 
put  enmity  between  thee  and  the  woman,  and  between  thy  seed 
and  her  seed:  it  shall  bruise  thy  head,  and  thou  shalt  bruise 
his  heel."  As  a  reminder  amid  the  roll  of  the  ages,  the  cry  is 
raised  loud  and  clear:  "Why  do  the  heathen  rage,  and  the  peo- 
ple imagine  a  vain  thing?"  As  soon  as  the  Ransomer  of  the 
world  begins  his  glorious  work,  the  old  enmity  appears  and  the 
Evil  one  offers  the  gift  of  the  world  if  the  Son  of  the  Highest 
will  fall  down  and  worship  him.  The  fact  is  in  many  ways  as- 
serted that  "  through  much  tribulation "  men  are  to  enter  into 
the  kingdom  of  God.  In  the  applause  which  God  here  gives 
to  the  endurance  of  sufferings  for  his  sake  by  his  faithful  fol- 
lowers, there  is  warning  and  strong  assurance  that  suffering  would 
be  one  prominent  feature  of  the  Church's  history  in  all  coming 
time.  Our  Lord,  when  laying  the  foundations  of  his  kingdom, 
would  not  allow  us  to  be  mistaken,  but  points  out  very  plainly 
the  great  trials  that  might  be  looked  for  in  his  service.  His 
Church  would  be  a  suffering  Church.  As  he  himself  set  an 
example  by  what  he  endured  in  Gethsemane  and  at  Calvary,  so 
would  it  be  also  with  every  one  who  should  become  his  follower. 
Whoever  would  finally  be  a  sharer  of  his  crown  must  begin  his 
discipleship  by  sharing  his  cross.  He  would  hold  out  no  delu- 
sive hopes,  but  prepare  his  people  for  what  he  knew  was  await- 
ing them. 


FRUITS  OF  THE  SPIRIT.  535 

Tlie  messages  indicate  this  as  a  well-understood  fact  in  tliese 
early  churches.  As  soon  as  they  began  to  exist  they  began  to 
be  persecuted  and  to  suffer.  How  very  significant  the  approbation 
of  the  church  of  Ejphesus,  "  I  know  .  .  .  how  thou  hast  borne, 
and  hast  patience,  and  for  my  name's  sake  hast  laboured,  and 
hast  not  fainted ; "  and  to  Sniyrna,  "  I  know  thy  works,  and 
poverty,  and  tribulation;"  and  to  Pergamos,  "And  lioldest  fast 
my  name,  and  hast  not  denied  my  faith,  even  in  those  days 
wherein  Antipas  was  my  faithful  martyr,  who  was  slain  among 
you,  where  Satan  dwelleth."  The  same  tone  of  praise  for  their 
endurance  of  evil  for  his  sake  runs  through  almost  all  of  the 
other  messages,  and  certifies  to  the  fact  that  suffering  for  Christ 
was  then  the  rule. 

Following  the  example  of  Calvary,  these  faithful  first  Christians 
suffered  as  a  matter  of  course — as  a  thing  to  be  looked  for,  as  an 
essential  consequence  of  the  profession  they  had  made.  It  is  an 
appalling  fact  that  the  foundations  of  the  glorious  Church  of 
God  were  laid  amid  pain  and  blood! 

But  was  this  in  reality,  and  in  the  end,  a  great  calamity?  Are 
we  to  look  upon  it  as  an  unmingled  evil?  Was  it  the  result  of 
some  unavoidable  defect  in  the  providential  ordering?  On  the 
contrary,  is  there  not  deep  significence  in  it  that  the  fact  comes 
up  before  us  here  not  as  a  lamentation,  but  as  a  glory  to  the  cause? 
Is  there  not  profound  meaning  in  it  that  the  inevitable  suffering 
comes  before  us  in  the  form  of  applause— in  the  form  of  either 
praise  or  prediction  ?  It  was  a  great  joy  to  our  Lord  that  his  people 
were  willing  and  actually  did  endure  so  much  for  his  sake.  In 
this  he  greatly  rejoiced  while  contemplating  his  finished  work.  In 
the  light  of  this  important  suliject  we  can  comprehend  the  meaning 
of  the  promise  which  had  been  made  to  him  of  old,  "He  shall  see 
of  the  travail  of  his  soul,  and  shall  be  satisfied." 

(11)  Brotherly  love.  The  words  in  which  this  virtue  of  the 
churches  is  recognized  and  praised  are  few,  but  impressive.  "I 
know  .  .  .  thy  charity  and  service" — that  is  all;  but  hovv^  much 
that  includes,  coming  from  the  lips  of  the  enthroned  King !  The 
more  so  as  this  "love  one  to  another"  is  praised  in  the  church  of 
Thyatira,  otherwise  so  corrupted  and  sensual.  How  significant  that 
such  pre-eminent  love  of  God  and  of  the  brethren  was  what  Satan 
laid  hold  upon  to  i^ervert  that  church  and  thereby  to  seduce  it 
into  the  most  flagrant  leM- dness !  What  an  appalling  specimen  of 
the  manner  in  which  the  great  enemy  uses  for  his  fell  purposes 
what  is  most  true  and  holy? 


536       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

No  one  who  is  at  all  familiar  with  Scripture  can  help  being 
impressed  with  the  great  stress  which  is  laid  upon  charity,  or 
brotherly  love,  all  through  the  sacred  images.  In  the  farewell 
address  of  our  Lord  to  his  disciples,  on  the  night  before  he  suffered, 
with  all  the  depth  and  tenderness  of  i^arting  words,  he  charges  them : 
"A  new  commandment  I  give  unto  you,  that  ye  love  one  another; 
as  I  have  loved  you,  that  ye  also  love  one  another.  By  this  shall  all 
men  know  that  ye  are  my  disciples,  if  ye  have  love  one  to  another." 
Again,  with  the  greatest  affection,  he  urges:  "  This  is  my  command- 
ment, that  ye  love  one  another,  as  I  have  loved  you.  Greater  love 
hath  no  man  than  this,  that  a  man  lay  down  his  life  for  his  friends. 
Ye  are  my  friends,  if  ye  do  whatsoever  I  command  you."  Many 
another  affectionate  charge,  of  a  similar  character,  he  gave  in  that 
most  touching  address  the  world  ever  heard. 

These  are  found  in  John's  Gospel;  in.  his  brief  Epistles  we 
find  the  same  characteristics:  "And  this  is  his  commandment, 
that  we  should  believe  on  the  name  of  his  Son  Jesus  Christ,  and 
love  one  another,  as  he  gave  us  commandment."  "And  we  h^ve 
known  and  believed  the  love  that  God  hath  to  us.  God  is  love; 
and  he  that  dwelleth  in  love  dwelleth  in  God,  and  God  in  him." 
"And  now  I  beseech  thee,  lady,  not  as  though  I  wrote  a  new 
commandment  unto  you,  but  that  which  we  had  from  the  begin- 
ning, that  we  love  one  another." 

In  the  writings  of  Paul,  who  is  charged  with  a  far  different 
spirit,  we  find  the  strongest  imaginable  emphasis  laid  upon  the 
same  brotherly  love.  In  that  wonderful  thirteenth  chapter  of 
First  Corinthians  all  of  which  is  devoted  to  it,  he  begins:  "Though 
I  speak  with  the  tongues  of  men  and  of  angels,  and  have  not  char- 
ity, I  am  become  as  sounding  brass,  or  a  tinkling  cymbal.  And 
though  I  have  the  gift  of  prophecy,  and  understand  all  mysteries, 
and  all  knowledge;  and  though  I  have  all  faith,  so  that  I  could 
remove  mountains,  and  have  not  charity,  I  am  nothing.  And 
though  I  bestow  all  my  goods  to  feed  the  poor,  and  though  I 
give  my  body  to  be  burned,  and  have  not  charity,  it  profiteth 
me  nothing."  Thus  he  conunences  the  chapter,  and  thus  he  closes 
it:  "And  now  abideth,  faith,  ho})e,  charity,  these  three;  but  the 
greatest  of  these  is  charity." 

Thus  it  is  that  this  blessed  fruit  of  the  Spirit  is  either  inculcated 
or  described  from  first  to  last  in  the  holy  oracles,  and  then  raised 
up  on  high  in  the  Beacon  of  the  ages  to  be  admired  and  imitated 
by  all  the  generations  of  the  faithful.  And  in  all  that  glorious 
Beacon,  which  was  evidently  intended  to  have  a  vast  influence 


FRUITS  OF  THE  SPIRIT.  537 

upon  the  future  character  of  the  kingdom,  there  is  no  element 
which  is  so  bright,  and  beautiful,  and  attractive  as  is  this  of 
the  love  of  the  brethren.  Its  unspeakable  excellency  may  be 
seen  in  the  following  particulars:  (1)  It  was  the  banner  under 
which  the  hosts  of  his  ransomed  followers  were  to  march  from 
victory  to  victory  until  every  power  would  be  subdued  and  the 
Prince  of  Peace  would  be  worshiped  by  every  knee.  (2)  It  was 
the  badge  which  all  the  soldiers  of  the  Cross  would  wear,  and 
by  which  they  would  evermore  be  recognized  as  belonging  to 
the  myriads  of  those  who  had  washed  their  robes  and  made 
them  white  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb.  (3)  It  was  the  heaven- 
wrought  magnet  that  would  draw  the  lost,  the  hostile,  and  the 
vile  out  from  a  degraded  world,  and  rank  them  with  the  count- 
less multitudes  who  would  reign  with  Christ  in  purity  and  glory. 
(4)  It  was  that  Heaven-approved  attribute  through  which  the 
members  of  the  Church  of  God  would  attain  unto  the  nearest 
likeness  of  their  adorable  Head.  (5)  It  was  the  heavenly  balm 
which  our  gracious  Saviour  has  prepared  to  soothe  the.  ills  and 
increase  the  joys  of  this  world  of  strife  and  suffering.  (6)  It 
would  be  a  foretaste  of  immortal  bliss,  sent  down  to  the  Church 
in  her  pilgrim  days,  that  even  here  on  earth  she  might  know 
something  of  what  God  has  in  store  for  those  who  love  Him. 
Being  the  chief  ingredient  of.  earthly  bliss  which  was  designed 
to  he  immortal,  and  growing  more  and  more  rapturous  as  saints 
draw  nearer  to  the  celestial  shores,  it  may  be  regarded  as  the  be- 
ginning of  heaven,  and  that  even  before  the  grave  has  been  en- 
tered by  believers. 

(12)  Steadfastness  in  the  faith.  The  meaning  and  value  of  this 
characteristic  of  the  true  child  of  God  are  seen  in  the  praise  be- 
stowed upon  the  suffering  church  of  Pergamos:  "And  thou  bold- 
est fast  my  name,  and  hast  not  denied  my  faith."  They  are  also 
described  in  the  charge  given  to  the  faithful  of  Smyrna:  "Be 
thou  faithful  unto  death,  and  I  will  give  thee  a  crown  of  life." 
Such  Christian  steadfastness  was  best  exhibited  in  times  of  per- 
secution, when  it  must  carry  with  it  the  greatest  sacriilce  of  self. 
When  Antipas  and  others  maintained  the  truth  at  the  cost  of 
their  lives,  the  true  heroes  for  Christ  were  manifested  by  their 
following  him  even  to  the  cross,  the  flames,  or  the  enraged  lions. 

Wherein  this  firmness  is  to  be  exercised  is  indicated  by  the 
great  questions  of  truth  and  duty  which  are  at  stake  at  the  time. 
Kever  has  there  been  a  period  in  the  whole  history  of  the  king- 
dom when  there  was  not  some  agitated  question  which  called  for 


538       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

the  staunch  adherence  of  the  faithful.  In  the  daj's  when  these 
messages  were  received,  the  great  practical  question  pertained  to 
the  fraternization  witli  pagans  and  jjaganism.  Tlie  churches  were 
located  in  tlie  midst  of  dense  i)Oi)ulations  of  idol-worshipers ;  what 
amount  of  intercourse  was  it  lawful  or  wise  to  hold  with  them? 
Could  believers,  with  proper  loyalty  to  Christ,  be  intimate  with 
pagan  families,  visit  them  as  confidential  friends,  and  especially 
sit  down  at  their  tables,  where  often  there  would  be  meat  which 
had  first  been  offered  in  some  heathen  temple.  Other  burning 
questions  for  churches,  at  various  periods,  have  been  such  as  per- 
tained to  the  divine  nature  of  Christ,  the  total  depravity  of  man- 
kind, the  nature  of  imputation,  the  method  and  extent  of  the 
atonement,  the  meaning  of  justification,  and  many  others  of  both 
a  doctrinal  and  practical  character.  At  the  i>resent  day  there  are 
vital  questions  pressing,  such  as  the  vicarious  nature  of  Christ's 
sufferingi,  the  obligations  of  the  Lord's  day,  sacerdotalism,  sepa- 
ration from  worldliness,  and  many  others.  On  the  part  of  be- 
lievers there  must  be  intelligent  and  unflinching  steadfastness  on 
all  these  points,  if  they  would  be  true  to  Christ  and  his  cause. 
Had  the  people  of  God  not  stood  up,  in  their  day,  firmly  for  the 
truth  on  such  subjects,  then  had  destructive  heresies  swept  away 
all  that  was  holy  and  hopeful  for  the  Church  of  God. 

Even  now,  at  the  present  day  of  boasted  light  and  progress, 
we  must  stand  up  unflinchingly  for  Christ's  name  and  truth,  or 
lose  all  upon  which  our  souls  rely.  The  ever-vigilant  enemy, 
with  forces  that  are  new  as  well  as  with  the  old  ones,  would  take 
away  from  the  Church  her  day  of  sacred  rest,  would  substitute 
amusements  and  burlesques  for  the  solemnity  of  the  preaching 
of  God's  Word,  would  obscure  all  that  is  earnest  and  spiritual 
by  a  wretched  pall  of  worldliness,  would  blight  the  souls  of  even 
God's  elect  by  the  foul  tricks  of  selfish  dishonesty,  and  would 
tear  away  all  restraint  on  depravity  by  the  delusion  of  a  universal 
salvation  promised  alike  to  the  most  wicked  and  to  the  most 
upright  and  pure  of  mankind.  These  are  the  things  wherein 
the  people  of  God  are  at  the  present  time  required  to  stand 
up  resolutely  for  the  name  and  the  honor  of  their  Lord. 

It  is  required  of  us  that  we  be  steadfast  to  the  truth  whether 
it  be  popular  or  unpopular,  fashionable  or  unfashionable ;  to  the 
truth,  at  whatever  sacrifice,  even  though  it  leads  us  into  the  fiery 
furnace;  to  the  truth,  no  matter  who  may  oppose,  or  how  impolitic 
it  may  appear;  to  the  tyuth,  even  though  at  the  moment  it  may 
seem  most  repugnant  to  our  inclinations.    We  are  to  cling  stead- 


FRUITS  OF  THE  SPIRIT.  539 

fastly  to  the  trutli,  no  matter  where  it  may  appear  to  lead  us; 
to  cling  to  it  simply  for  the  truth's  own  sake,  and  for  the  sake 
of  our  Lord,  who  is  the  Truth.  We  may  adhere  to  it  with  con- 
fidence and  comfort,  for  it  will  assuredly  come  out  well  in  the 
end.  This  fact,  made  to  lieam  brightly  from  the  Beacon,  may 
well  be  regarded  by  us  at  every  point;  for  God  lias  most  certainly 
placed  it  there. 

(13)  Guarding  against  false  teachers.  The  importance  of  this 
duty  may  be  seen  in  that  it  is  placed  almost  at  the  beginning 
of  all  those  things  that  are  praised  by  the  great  Head  of  the 
Church.  "I  know  thy  works"  is  the  first  and  general  commenda- 
tion, and  then  follows  the  special  praise,  "and  how  thou  canst  not 
bear  them  which  are  evil ;  and  thou  hast  tried  them  which  say 
they  are  apostles,  and  are  not,  and  hast  found  them  liars." 
Undoubtedly  this  is  very  significant,  esjjecially  in  the  position 
that  is  given  it.  *• 

The  present  and  future  character  of  any  church  is  most 
intimately  connected  with  the  character  of  its  ministers.  Our 
Lord's  care  over  them  is  made  very  apparent  from  the  reiterated 
declaration  that  he  holds  in  his  right  hand  "the  seven  stars."  He 
takes  a  special  interest  in  them,  and  carefully  guards  them  by 
his  own  omnipotent  power. 

It  need  hardly  be  said  that  the  intention  of  this  was  not  to 
establish  a  privileged  or  priestly  caste  in  the  Church ;  but  the 
design  was  that  those  who  had  been  ordained  to  deliver  God's 
words  to  their  fellow  men  should  bear  a  name  and  character 
that  would  give  confidence  in  the  message  which  they  bore.  To 
preserve  a  well-qualified  and  pure  ministry  is  one  of  the  most 
solemn  duties  that  devolves  upon  convention,  presbytery,  or 
other  ecclesiastical  body.  When  it  is  reflected  that  our  infallible 
Lord,  in  a  most  impressive  manner,  committed  to  his  ministerial 
servants  the  momentous  charge:  "I  will  give  unto  thee  the  keys 
of  the  kingdom  of  heaven;  and  whatsoever  thou  shalt  bind  on 
earth  shall  be  bound  in  heaven ;  and  whatsoever  thou  shalt  loose 
on  earth  shall  be  loosed  in  heaven,"  can  we  conceive  of  man 
being  placed  in  a  more  responsible  position?  With  the  confidence 
reposed  in  him,  the  authority  given  him,  and  the  influence  he 
must  exert,  who  can  imagine  the  evil  that  may  be  done  by  an 
ungodly  minister?  A  single  pastor,  strong  of  intellect,  but  corrupt 
in  doctrine  and  ambitious  to  be  a  leader,  has  been  known  to  lead 
scores  to  adopt  false  doctrines  which  have  ruined  them  and  to 
awaken  influences  that  are  still  going  on  to  mislead  and  ruin. 


540       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

Ecclesiastical  bodies  should  be  most  resolutely,  sternly  faithful 
here.  They  should  keep  the  door  iiito  the  ministry  most  deter- 
minedly closed  against  all  whom  they  have  not  tried  and  known 
assuredly  to  be  both  qualified  and  faithful.  No  sympathy,  no 
personal  friendship,  no  fancied  tenderness,  no  professed  liberality, 
no  imagined  demand  for  an  increase  in  the  supply  of  ministers, 
no  urged  exceptionalness  in  the  present  case,  should  bend  them 
from  the  divine  obligation  to  "  lay  hands  suddenly  on  no  man." 

Who  can  measure  the  evil  which  has  been  done  to  the  cause 
of  Christ  by  admitting  unqualified  men  to  its  ministry?  Such 
a  man  has  no  rules  for  interpreting  that  Word  which  is  our  only 
guide  in  either  faith  or  practice.  He  becomes  a  reproach  to  the 
ministry.  He  dishonors  his  Church  and  his  Lord.  He  professes 
to  be  a  guide  to  the  inquiring— but  whereimto?  He  needs  to  be 
very  different  from  other  men,  if  he  does  not  soon  grow  to  be 
self-conceited,  aAd  vain,  and  uncharitable;  and  then  bring  dis- 
honor on  the  cause  of  Christ,  wound  our  Lord  in  the  house  of  his 
friends,  and  pain  the  holiest  and  tenderest  feelings  of  the  faithful. 

No  matter,  then,  at  what  sacrifice  of  apparent  advantages,  let 
this  caution  of  our  King  be  heeded,  and  the  door  of  entrance  to 
the  sacred  ministry  be  kept  carefully  closed  against  all  uncertain 
or  doubtful  applicants  for  entrance.  The  approval,  by  God  him- 
self, of  the  Ephesian  church,  placed  in  the  Beacon  and  kept 
bright  and  clear  ever  since,  makes  the  caution  most  deeply  im- 
pressive. 

(14)  Groivth  in  grace.  This  law  as  to  the  very  nature  of  the 
kingdom  of  heaven,  this  privilege  of  believers,  this  sanctified 
object  of  ambition,  is  also  made  very  distinct  amid  the  things 
which  are  here  approved  by  our  gracious  Lord.  The  faithful  in 
Thyatira  were  those  to  whom  came  the  approving  words:  "And 
the  last  to  be  more  than  the  first."  It  was  a  law  established  at 
the  beginning,  to  be  obeyed  by  every  individual,  every  church, 
and  every  community.  As  an  essential  feature  of  the  Christian 
life  it  was  elevated  to  a  conspicuous  place  in  the  Beacon.  Who- 
ever appreciates  the  nature  and  possibilities  of  grace  in  the  soul 
will  never  be  satisfied  with  his  ])resent  spiritual  attainments. 
With  the  greatest  of  merely  human  examples  before  him,  his 
unceasing  cry  will  ever  be:  "I  count  not  myself  to  have  appre- 
hended; but  this  one  thing  I  do:  forgetting  those  things  which 
are  behind,  and  reaching  forth  unto  those  things  which  are  be- 
fore, I  press  toward  the  mark  for  the  prize  of  the  high  calling 
of  God  in  Christ  Jesus." 


FRUITS  OF  THE  SPIRIT.  541 

From  this  will  arise  the  intense  yearnings  of  the  soul:  How 
shall  I  attain  to  more  and  more  of  the  knowledge  of  God  and 
of  his  promises  to  the  faithful  ?  how  shall  I  reach  a  more  perfect 
mastery  over  my  besetting  sins?  how  shall  I  rise  to  the  experience 
of  greater  purity  of  heart  and  life?  how  shall  I  arrive  at  a  fuller 
likeness  to  my  ever-blessed  Lord?  how  shall  I  do  more  for  Christ 
and  for  the  salvation  of  souls?  how  shall  I  imbibe  a  more  rap- 
turous delight  in  the  joys  of  the  Holy  Ghost?  and  how  shall 
I  grow  into  a  more  perfect  meetness  for  the  inheritance  of  the 
saints  in  light?  There  are  a  light  and  a  joy,  a  peace  and  a  ipurity, 
a  mastery  over  sin  and  an  earnestness  in  duty,  a  delight  in  God 
and  a  tenderness  toward  our  fellow  believers,  which  as  yet  we 
have  never  reached;  how  are  we  to  rise  higher  in  them  all?  -Such 
growth  in  grace  is  a  possible  attainment.  We  know  but  little  as 
yet  of  what  we  might  be.  How  are  we  to  advance?  How  are 
we  to  appreciate  the  experience  that  is  here  indicated :  "  And  the 
last  to  be  more  than  the  first"?  A  glorious  field  of  attainable 
progress  lies  before  us  and  the  bright  Beacon  notifies  the  believing 
world  thereof.  Never  satisfied  with  our  present  attainm.ents,  Up! 
up !  evermore  should  be  our  rule,  our  motive,  our  sanctified  ambi- 
tion, and  our  untiring  eff'ort.  It  is  of  the  very  nature  of  grace  in 
the  soul  that  it  should  constantly  increase  in  its  power  and  attrac- 
tive manifestations. 

Stage  after  stage  should  be  noticed  as  the  points  measuring  our 
progress  onward  and  upward.  Communion  seasons,  birthdays. 
New  Year,  and  otlier  such  epochs  should  be  made  periods  at 
which  we  bring  ourselves  to  task  as  to  the  certainty  and  the 
degree  of  our  advance  in  spiritual  things.  It  is  the  glory  of  the 
new  life  in  the  soul  that  we  may  rise  higher  and  higher  in  its 
experience.  Richer  attainments  are  lying  before  us  always;  more 
exalted  regions  of  experience  demand  our  unceasing  efforts  to 
reach  them.  At  no  point  should  we  pause  while  the  example 
of  our  Lord  is  still  beckoning  us  upward.  The  very  efl"ort  to 
rise  higher  will  exalt  us. 

(15)  Loyalty  to  Christ.  This  most  noble  of  the  Christian  virtues 
is  noted  and  approved  in  the  most  emphatic  terms.  "For  my 
name's  sake  hast  laboured  and  hast  not  fainted;"  "And  thou 
boldest  fast  my  name,  and  hast  not  denied  my  faith;"  "And 
hast  kept  my  word,  and  hast  not  denied  my  name," — such  are 
some  of  the  emphatic  terms  in  which  our  Lord  expresses  his 
gratification  with  those  who  had  proved  true  to  him  and  his 
cause.     The  same  delight  at  the  fidelity  of  his  followers  pervades 


542       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

all  the  commendations  of  the  messages.  We  find  that  gratification 
with  the  loyal  and  the  true  at  every  point.  It  is  a  peculiarity 
which  gives  color  to  them  all.  The  loyalty  of  his  people  evidently 
touches  his  heart.  It  is  the  very  glory  of  his  service;  and  he 
recognizes  it,  rejoices  in  it,  and  in  every  case  will  keep  it  in  ever- 
lasting remembrance. 

The  soul  which  is  true  to  the  Lord  Christ  is  one  that  He  who 
is  the  wisest  and  the  best  will  cherish  as  the  apple  of  his  eye, 
and  will  own  as  his  in  that  day  when  he  shall  make  up  his 
jewels.  Without  any  research,  we  can  know  at  all  times  where 
such  a  man  will  be  found.  With  him,  as  if  he  were  possessed 
of  an  infallible  instinct,  God  is  always  true  and  righteous,  and 
worthy  of  the  soul's  most  exalted  powers.  Should  the  name  or 
cause  of  his  Lord  be  assailed,  as  with  a  master-passion  of  his 
being  he  springs  to  the  defense  of  that  which  is  dearer  to  him 
than  his  life  itself.  He  needs  no  time  for  deliberation;  for  it 
is  no  question  to  him  whether  loyalty  to  his  Lord  be  politic  or 
impolitic,  and  whether  to  stand  up  for  him  be  pleasant  or 
unpleasant,  and  whether  following  him  shall  bring  good  report 
or  evil  report.  His  only  thought  is  whether  the  honor  of  the 
Master  is  assailed;  if  so,  his  whole  nature  is  aroused  and  his 
loyalty  seen.  His  one  all-absorbing  principle  is  that  of  faithful- 
ness to  his  Loi-d,  and  that  at  any  sacrifice— even  unto  death. 
True  as  the  needle  to  the  pole  is  he  to  that  heavenly  Friend 
who  bought  him  with  his  blood.  Loyalty  to  Christ  is  the  master- 
passion  of  his  soul.  It  is  the  supreme  principle  which  settles 
every  question,  decides  every  duty,  and  ennobles  the  whole  of 
life.  To  such  a  man,  loyalty  to  his  Lord  is  the  right,  the  true, 
the  politic,  the  noble,  the  thing  that  must  be  done.  And  highest, 
brightest,  best,  and  all-comprehensive,  has  this  been  raised  up 
in  the  Beacon  to  attract  the  admiration  of  the  passing  ages. 
Loyalty  to  Christ!  that  is  the  sum,  the  centre,  and  the  crown 
of  all.  Be  this  our  aim  and  rule  for  evermore;  then  shall  our 
lives  be  truly  noble,  and  more  and  more  shall  they  be  like  the 
life  of  Him  who  is  the  best-beloved  of  our  souls. 


CHAPTER   XIX. 
THE    COUNSELOR. 

We  have  seen  that  in  the  wonderful  structure  of  the  messages 
to  the  seven  churches  there  are  seven  elements  which  enter  into 
the  formation  of  each  one  of  the  epistles  from  the  Son  of  man 
— namely,  the  titles  of  Christ;  something  censured;  something 
praised ;  some  counsel ;  something  threatened ;  something  prom- 
ised; and  to  each  the  caution:  "He  that  hath  an  ear,  let  him 
hear  what  the  Spirit  saith  unto  the  churches."  Three  of  these 
— namely  the  titles,  the  censures,  and  the  commendations — have 
passed  in  review  before  us,  and  now  we  enter  upon  the  considera- 
tion of  the  fourth,  the  counsels,  one  of  which  is  addressed  to  each 
of  the  seven  churches.  As  such  counsels  have  been  largely  in- 
volved in  both  the  censures  and  approvals  which  we  have  already 
investigated,  we  cannot  again  enter  into  them  very  much  with- 
out undesirable  repetition ;  we  shall  therefore  take  a  different 
course  in  our  investigation  of  this  element  of  the  Beacon.  After 
liaving  striven  to  impress  our  minds  with  a  sense  of  the  great 
privilege  of  receiving  special  counsel  from  our  enthroned  King 
himself  for  the  guidance  of  our-  spiritual  life,  we  shall  do  little 
more  than  enumerate  these  various  counsels  and  analyze  and 
classify  them   under  a  few  leading  principles. 

It  is  quite  important  to  observe  here  that,  as  with  all  else  in 
the  messages,  their  purpose  does  not  extend  to  the  more  general 
subjects  of  supreme  love  to  God  and  love  to  men.  These  are 
inculcated  in  other  places  and  forms,  and  are  rather  assumed  here 
as  already  understood  and  impressed  as  essential  characteristics 
of  the  new  life  in  the  soul.  They  are  as  indispensable  to  the 
people  of  God  as  are  their  new  name  and  new  relations.  No 
one  can  be  a  true  member  of  the  true  Church  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
without  them.  They  are  a  part  of  the  life  of  the  believer,  and 
are  implied  whenever  he  is  spoken  of  or  addressed.  The  mes- 
sages therefore  do  not  contain  much  about  these,  but  about  the 
relations  of  believers  to  the  Church.  It  is  not  so  much  the  indi- 
vidual life  of  the  believer,  as  his  church  life,  concerning  which 
the  messages  were  sent.    The  destines  of  the  Church  are  the  sub- 

543 


544       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KINO. 

ject  of  the  Apocalypse,  and  the  connection  of  the  individual  with 
these  is  the  subject  chiefly  involved  in  the  preparatory  matter  of 
the  seven  churches.  The  love  of  God  in  the  soul  is  a  subject 
of  such  transcendent  moment  that  we  are  not  to  compare  or  con- 
found it  with  the  ordinary  duties  of  the  individual  believer  to  the 
kingdom  which  alone  are  brought  before  us  here. 

The  messages  cover  whatever  we  owe  to  the  divine  kingdom 
and  whatever  we  are  taught  to  expect  as  coming  from  it  to  the 
glory  of  its  King  and  the  blessedness  of  its  subjects  in  the  world. 
Our  ascended  Lord  has  taken  the  mediatorial  throne,  on  which 
he  reigns  for  evermore,  and  we  gather  around  him  to  learn  the 
principles  on  which  he  governs,  and  the  services  which  we  are 
to  render,  as  his  subjects,  bought  with  the  price  of  his  blood  and 
redeemed  for  his  everlasting  glory. 

There  was  great  wisdom  in  the  method  which  our  heavenly 
King  chose  through  which  to  enable  us  to  understand  his  mind 
on  this  subject.  He  did  not  simply  lay  down  cold  laws  for  our 
guidance,  or  announce  frigid  principles  only;  but  he  gave  us  ex- 
amples which  are  calculated  to  awaken  our  interest  as  well  as  to 
inform  our  understanding.  Human  nature,  either  wholly  unre- 
generated  or  but  partially  sanctifled,  is  the  same  from  age  to  age, 
as  are  also  the  Lord  our  King  and  his  methods  of  governing 
the  creatures  whom  he  has  made.  In  his  dealings,  therefore, 
with  these  first  of  his  churches  which  were  located  in  the  seven 
cities  we  have  a  delineation  of  the  way  in  which  he  would  deal 
with  all  his  churches  in  all  the  ages  of  time,  and,  consequently, 
with  us  at  the  present  day.  It  is  not  a  very  momentous  question 
with  us,  how  lived  the  people  of  the  churches  of  Smyrna  or  Thya- 
tira  or  Laodicea,  but  it  is  a  point  of  transcendent  importance  for 
us  to  know,  from  the  way  in  which  he  dealt  with  these  first  Chris- 
tian communities,  how  he  will  deal  with  us  when  we  pursue  such 
courses  as  they  did. 

This  brings  every  point  in  the  messages  home  to  us,  and  makes 
every  word  in  thetn  a  living  reality  for  our  guidance.  It  clothes 
every  counsel  addressed  to  those  communities  with  most  urgent 
demands  upon  us  at  the  present  day.  It  takes  all  these  counsels 
as  one  body,  and  regarding  them  as  the  very  essence  of  practical 
heavenly  wisdom,  constitutes  them  a  rule  in  accordance  with  which 
we  are  to  walk  in  safety  and  Heaven-taught  obedience.  Every 
word  becomes  a  maxim  of  priceless  value. 

We  might  learn  what  the  divine  counsels  are  from  the  trials 
and  struggles  through  which  the  various  churches  of  the  seven 


THE  COUNSELOR.  545 

were  called  to  pass,  because  the  significant  "overcometh"  of  each 
message  tell  of  a  contest — the  contest  of  the  special  duty  there 
required.  The  "overcometh"  implies  an  enemy  and  a  conflict. 
The  conflict  implies  a  preparation  for  it,  and  the  behavior  de- 
manded by  it.  The  duties  are  in  this  way  revealed  through  actual 
life  and  practice,  and  therefore  come  to  us  in  a  form  which  must 
impress  and  guide  at  every  point. 

Thus  it  is  that  the  simple  history  of  these  first  churches  and 
of  God's  dealings  with  them  should  guide  us  by  their  mere 
example.  At  the  same  time,  however,  he  has  conveyed,  in  the 
messages,  explicit  directions  which  leave  no  possibility  of  mistake 
as  to  what  his  people  ought  to  be  and  do  towards  that  mediatorial 
kingdom  which  he  has  established.  These  counsels,  differing  as 
they  do  in  character  and  circumstances,  cover  the  whole  field  of 
duties,  and  form  a  comprehensive  body  of  doctrines  which  would 
lead  the  Church  on  in  safety,  through  every  vicissitude,  until 
her  whole  mission  on  earth  is  accomplished.  Each  minute  duty 
is  not  specified — that  would  be  so  wearying  and  so  confusing  that 
its  object  would  be  defeated— but  great  princij^les  are  laid  down 
which  cover  every  point,  however  small,  and  so  some  one  of 
them  reaches  every  question  which  can  possibly  arise,  and  furnishes 
the  required  answer.  The  counsels,  then,  taken  together,  form  a 
complete  body  of  practical  heavenly  wisdom,  such  as  the  Church 
of  God  in  her  struggles  with  her  adversaries  requires.  The 
seven  different  leading  counsels  addressed  to  the  seven  churches 
embrace  the  great  principles  that  the  exigencies  of  the  kingdom 
might  require.  Coming  through  the  living  experience  of  these 
providentially-guided  churches,  they  would  be  so  vivid  and  real 
that  they  would  make  impressions  deep  and  enduring.  Arising  as 
they  did  from  actual  wants,  they  would  meet  every  emergency. 
Addressed  to  communities  so  variously  situated,  no  crisis  was 
likely  ever  to  come  for  which  they  had  not  already  provided. 
They  were  so  comprehensive  that  they  would  reach  down  to 
every  conceivable  point  that  experience  would  develop.  They 
would  give  unerring  response  to  every  question. 

The  wonderful  perfection  of  these  counsels  to  all  the  churches, 
throughout  all  time,  becomes  more  and  more  impressive  the 
more  it  is  studied.  Not  only  are  they  so  framed  as  to  meet 
every  case  to  which  any  combination  of  circumstances  may  give 
birth,  but  in  their  nature  they  combine  every  quality  needed 
to  make  them  perfect.  They  are  no  mere  theories  wrought  out 
by  fancy  and    framed  by  imagination,  but  they  are   the  results 

35 


546       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

of  actual  experience  through  which  great  Christian  communities 
have  passed.  This  feature  is  well  calculated  to  call  out  our 
confidence  in  them,  and  to  bring  them  near  to  us  as  something 
with  which  we  have  to  do.  They  are  not  abstractions,  or  mere 
elaborate  theories,  oflered  for  our  cold  investigation.  On  the 
contrary,  they  are  things  which  have  been  already  passed  through 
by  those  who  had  the  same  nature,  the  same  susceptibilities,  and 
the  same  feelings  that  we  have.  Hence  they  are  practicable, 
possible,  and  wise,  inasmuch  as  in  putting  them  in  practice  we 
would  but  be  following  in  the  footsteps  of  others— others,  many 
of  whom  in  that  way  rose  to  great  spiritual  excellency  and  to 
celestial  glory. 

But  their  superlative  value  consists  in  that  they  are  counsels 
which  came  from  the  heart  of  our  loving  King  and  Friend.  He 
sees  clearly  all  that  we  need— all  that  would  elevate,  sanctify, 
and  lead  us  upw^ard  to  the  glory  of  his  eternal  kingdom.  He 
knows,  through  a  wisdom  that  never  errs,  and  a  knowledge 
from  which  no  object  in  the  world  lies  concealed,  all  our  weak- 
nesses and  liabilities  to  wander  and  fall,  all  the  enemies  that 
are  likely  to  assault  us,  all  the  windings  and  obstacles  of  the 
pathway,  all  the  aids  that  will  strengthen  and  guide  and 
animate  us,  all  the  encouragements  that  may  excite  us  forward 
and  upward,  and  that  amidst  the  greatest  difficulties  that  we  can 
possibly  encounter.  And  he  has  a  Father's  heart  which  yearns 
over  us,  longs  for  our  happiness  and  safety,  and  rejoices  in  our  re- 
turning homeward  toward  his  mansions  of  rest  and  bliss  immortal. 
He  knows  perfectly  what  is  best  for  us  in  both  soul  and  body. 
His  eye  ever  rests  upon  us,  and  he  marks  affectionately  our  every 
footstep  heavenward.  He  constantly  cares  for  us,  and,  with  a 
father's  love,  provides  succor  for  us  whenever  it  is  most  needed. 
He  himself,  at  every  moment,  stands  ready  to  aid  us  by  his  own 
invincible  might.  His  heart  is  made  glad  when-  he  beholds  us 
obediently  listening  to  and  following  the  counsels  which  he 
gives;  and  he  will  assuredly  bless  us  by  furnishing  the  grace 
that  will  give  success  to  all  our  efforts  to  attain  full  conformity 
to  his  holy  will,  and  so  to  that  usefulness,  holiness,  and  bliss 
for  which  our  loving  Lord  so  earnestly  interceded  on  the  night 
when  he  took  his  farewell  of  his  disOi[)les  before  he  suffered. 

It  was  our  heavenly  Lord  who  gave  us  these  charges,  and  raised 
them  high  up  in  the  Beacon  where  they  could  evermore  be  seen  as 
clearly  and  as  impressively  as  were  the  pillar  of  cloud  and  of  fire 
by  the  chosen  people  in  their  journey  to  the  promised  Canaan. 


THE  COUNSELOR.  547 

They  are,  in  fact,  to  us  a  great  light  beaming  down  from  the 
heavenly  throne — a  light  which  never  grows  dim,  is  never  ob- 
scured, but  shines  even  the  more  brightly  whenever  it  is  most 
needed. 

In  all  these  heavenly  admonitions  there  is  not  a  word  or  a  hint 
but  is  intended  for  some  benevolent  purpose,  and  is  specially  sig- 
nificant, needed,  wise,  and  worthy  of  utmost  reliance.  Our  true 
wisdom  is  to  heed  them  reverently,  lay  them  to  heart,  believe 
then),  and  follow  them  with  the  utmost  confidence.  Even  when 
sometimes  we  do  not  see  their  importance,  or  fully  comprehend 
their  meaning — even  when  we  might  not  think,  in  our  short- 
sightedness, that  they  are  the  best  for  us,  our  wisdom  will  be  to 
obey.  Such  trusting  obedience  will  not  be  unnoticed  by  the  blessed 
Lord  who  loves  us  so  well.  Better,  infinitely,  than  relying  on  our 
own  wisdom,  is  it  to  trust  in  him,  even  in  the  dark.  Our  unfail- 
ing practice  should  always  be  to  follow  him  wheresoever  he  may 
lead  us.  We  may  safely  trust  our  souls,  with  all  their  immortal 
interests,  to  his  guidance.  It  is  only  when  in  the  way  tliat  he 
directs  that  we  may  be  sure  of  his  blessing  and  efficient  aid. 
Without  a  shadow  of  doubt  we  shall  be  in  that  right  path  of 
usefulness,  of  honor,  of  safety,  and  of  sanctification — the  path  to 
glory  and  honor  and  immortality — so  long  as  we  follow  closely 
in  the  way  of  Christ's  commands. 

We  need  these  divine  counsels  not  alone  for  the  interests  of  our 
own  souls,  that  they  may  grow  in  grace  and  in  meetness  for  the 
inheritance  of  the  saints  in  light,  but  also  for  the  faithful  discharge 
of  the  duties  we  owe  to  our  brethren  in  the  Church,  and  to  our  fel- 
low men  whom  we  are  to  aid  in  drawing  into  the  kingdom.  Em- 
phatically true  is  it  concerning  every  one  of  us  that  we  are  not  to 
live  for  self  alone.  Who  of  us  would  be  willing  to  go  on  through 
the  whole  of  life  without  putting  forth  any  effort  to  save  others 
from  sin  and  death  and  hell?  Who  of  us  can  endure  to  behold 
our  friends  and  neighbors  and  others  going  on  to  unending  tor- 
ments, and  yet  do  nothing  to  rescue  them?  Who  can  listen  to 
the  wail  of  the  thousands  who  are  sufTering  from  the  present 
horrors  of  sin,  and  with  "the  wrath  of  the  Lamb"  as  the  only 
prospect  before  them,  and  not  have  his  heart  stirred  to  intensest 
efforts  to  rescue  them?  Who  can  hear  that  most  significant  charge 
of  our  ascending  Lord,  "As  my  Father  has  sent  me,  even  so  send 
I  you,"  and  yet  sit  still  in  unmoved  coldness? 

But  what  can  we  do  ?  Whom  shall  we  seek  to  draw  into  the 
kingdom  of  the  ransomed?    What  course  shall  we  take  that  w'ill 


548  INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

make  sure  of  the  indispensable  blessing  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and 
accomplish  that  which  shall  be  right  and  wise,  and  that  will  not 
be  in  vain?  Manifestly  we  cannot  take  one  step  aright  without 
the  guidance  and  the  aid  which  God  alone  can  give.  We  need 
the  direction  of  Providence,  the  impulses  of  grace,  the  instruc- 
tions of  the  great  Teacher,  and  the  success  which  only  Omnipo- 
tence can  give.  Ignorant,  weak,  sinful,  and  selfish,  we  lie  help- 
less without  them  all.  But  these  we  can  expect  only  in  the  ways 
of  God's  counsels.  We  can  win  souls  only  when  God  directs  us 
and  gives  us  the  preparation  we  need,  and  this  he  will  do  only 
in  the  way  which  he  himself  advises.  His  directions  are  given 
to  make  us  perfect  in  every  good  work  through  Christ  Jesus.  Be 
it  ours  to  follow  his  counsel  closely,  and  then  assuredly  he  who 
gave  the  counsels  will  watch  over  us,  and,  perchance  when  least 
expected,  we  shall  experience  such  success  as  will  fill  our  hearts 
with  joy  unutterable. 

In  order  that  our  impressions  may  be  the  deeper,  and  that  our 
efforts  may  be  the  more  intelligent,  we  will  next  glance  at  the 
counsels  of  the  messages,  somewhat  classified  and  given  in  a 
measure  of  detail.  We  will  not  attempt  to  enumerate  them  all, 
but  rather  to  give  such  leading  and  comprehensive  ones  as  may 
cover  this  general  scope.  W^e  present  the  following  points  of 
advice,  under  which  nearly  all  the  rest  can  easily  be  arranged. 

(1)  Counsels  adapted  to  the  respective  conflicts.  These  we  would 
simply  state  in  the  words  of  the  messages.  To  Ephesus,  struggling 
against  the  cooling  of  its  first  love,  the  advice  is,  "  Remember, 
therefore,  from  whence  thou  art  fallen;"  to  Smyrna,  suffering 
sorely  from  the  persecutions  of  the  enemies  of  God,  "Fear  none 
of  those  things  which  thou  shalt  suffer,"  but  "  Be  thou  faithful 
unto  death;"  to  Pergamos  contending  with  the  allurements  of  false 
teachers,  "Repent,  or  else  I  will  come  against  thee  quickly;"  to 
Thyatira,  in  danger  of  falling  into  gross  sensuality,  "But  that 
which  ye  have  already,  hold  fast  till  I  come;"  to  Sardis,  becoming 
tainted  with  hypocrisy,  "  Be  watchful,  and  strengthen  the  things 
which  remain;"  to  Philadelphia,  persecuted  by  unbelieving  Jews, 
"  Hold  that  fast  which  thou  hast,  that  no  man  take  thy  crown  ;" 
and  to  Laodicea,  pressed  hard  by  all  that  the  world  had  to  offer, 
"  1  counsel  thee  to  buy  of  me  gold  tried  in  the  fire."  These  coun- 
sels were  manifestly  pressing  and  important,  and  thoy  were  made 
to  stand  out  in  the  Beacon  that  they  might  be  seen  by  every  eye 
while  the  kingdom  continued  in  a  militant  state  and  souls  were 
to  be  gathered  into  it. 


THE  COUNSELOR.  549 

(2)  Repent!  The  first  specific  duty  inculcated,  most  urgent  and 
comprehensive,  was  tliat  of  sincere  repentance  and  return  to  their 
first  blessed  experience.  As  so  many  of  tlie  churches  had  back- 
slidden, they  must  consider  with  sorrow  what  they  had  done, 
what  they  had  lost,  how  much  evil  they  had  occasioned  by  their 
example,  how  they  had  grieved  the  Church,  and  how  they  had 
wounded  their  loving  Lord  in  the  house  of  his  friends.  They 
might  well  abhor  themselves  in  dust  and  ashes.  It  was  a  grievous 
thing  that  they,  so  near  to  the  fountain-head  of  the  kingdom, 
so  greatly  favored  by  the  heavenly  King,  so  greatly  enriched 
by  the  gospel,  had  come  so  far  short  of  what  they  might  have 
experienced  and  enjoyed.  The  very  thought  of  this  must  have 
cast  them  down  into  the  dust  and  caused  them  to  cry  out  for 
mercy,  as  they  had  cried  out  in  the  beginning.  In  the  retrospect 
we  can  see,  from  their  grievous  backslidings,  how  much  they 
needed  to  feel  their  first  feelings  and  to  do  their  first  works. 

Herein  they  may  well  be  made  an  example  for  all  the  back- 
sliding people  of  Grod  even  to  the  present  time.  Even  now, 
with  many  of  us,  may  well  be  put  the  humiliating  question. 
Where  is  our  first  love?  where  is  the  joy  of  pardoned  sin? 
where  the  steadfastness  of  the  first  jaurpose  of  walking  close 
wdth  God?  where  that  prayer  for  more  of  the  Spirit  which 
would  not  take  any  denial?  where  that  diligent  work  for  Christ 
and  his  kingdom  which  we  at  first  projected?  How  much  we 
all  have  to  weep  over  our  failures  of  purpose  and  cooling  of 
love!  What  bitter  tears  become  us,  as,  looking  back  over  even 
a  year,  or  week,  or  day,  we  behold  such  lamentable  shortcomings! 

Repentance,  genuine,  deep,  and  efficient,  is  what  we  sorely 
need.  We  need  to  get  near  to  the  foot  of  the  Cross,  gaze  upon 
its  agonized  Victim,  and  cry  to  him  as  penitent  criminals;  and 
then,  to  receive  the  fresh  baptism  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  That  is 
the  only  place  for  the  humbled  backslider.  Beneath  the  Cross, 
pouring  out  the  tears  of  true  repentance,  and  gazing  upon  Him 
who  was  pierced,  is  the  one  needed  posture  of  hope.  The  light 
from  the  Beacon,  on  which  the  penitent  should  fix  a  steadfast 
eye,  will  show  him  that  there  may  be  sincere  repentance,  and 
genuine  turning  back  from  the  errors  of  a  downward  way.  Oh, 
how  deeply  should  such  a  man  remember  from  whence  he  has 
fallen !  How  earnestly,  with  all  his  soul,  should  he  return  to 
his  first  experience  of  the  blessedness  of  pardoned  sin ! 

(3)  Watchfulness.  It  is  very  suggestive  how  much  stress  is 
laid   upon    this   duty  in  so    many  places    and    modes  throughout 


550       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

the  sacred  pages.  Hardly  ever  is  there  a  list  of  special  admonitions 
given  but  this  forms  one  of  them.  God,  who  knows  our  need 
of  it  infinitely  better  than  we  do  ourselves,  omits  no  opportunity 
of  pressing  this  vipon  us  with  great  earnestness.  Our  dangers, 
our  weakness,  and  the  frequency  of  the  actual  falls  of  believers, 
all  lie  before  him,  and  he  urges  our  duty  with  all  the  intenseness 
of  unwearying  affection.  Even  if  we  do  not  appreciate  our  own 
need  in  this  case,  we  ought  to  heed  God's  warnings.  So  much 
was  this  subject  on  the  heart  of  our  gracious  Lord,  that  he  thought 
of  us  and  of  our  danger  herein  amid,  the  very  agonies  of  his 
dying  minutes,  and  prompted  by  his  prophetic  foresight  of  our 
dreadful  liability  to  fall,  warned  with  almost  his  last  words:  "I 
say  unto  all,  watch!" 

One  hopeful  thing  in  this  oft-repeated  caution  of  watchfulness 
is  that  it  would  not  be  in  vain,  since  He  urged  it  upon  us.  There 
would  not  have  been  so  much  care  to  impress  us  had  he  not  seen 
that  such  earnest  watchfulness  might  avert  the  impending  evils. 
Would  there  have  been  such  frequent  warning  had  our  Lord  not 
seen  that  it  might  save  us? 

And  the  danger  must  have  been  very  great  which  awakened 
so  much  solicitude  on  the  part  of  our  Lord.  How  great  the 
danger  is  we  may  imagine  from  the  weakness  and  instability 
of  our  own  hearts.  They  are  ready  to  fall  into  the  snare  just 
as  soon  as  the  temptation  oifers.  The  enemy  is  most  vigilant. 
He  never  sleeps,  never  suffers  the  opportunity  to  pass.  He  stands 
ready  for  the  unguarded  moment,  and  quickly  as  the  lightning- 
flash  he  shoots  the  flaming  dart.  If  we  are  off  our  guard  for  one 
instant,  that  instant  becomes  the  opportunity  for  his  deadly  attack. 
The  soul  is  in  imminent  peril  if  exposed  even  for  one  unguarded 
moment. 

Then,  how  much  there  is  at  stake!  The  soul  witli  all  its  immor- 
tal interests;  God's  loving-kindness  which  is  better  than  life;  that 
honor  which  is  the  most  highly  prized  by  saints  and  by  angels; 
and  the  crown  of  life  and  glory  and  immortality — all  these  are  the 
heavenly  ])rize.  "  Let  no  man  take  thy  crown  " — what  fathomless 
depths  of  significance  are  in  that  divine  caution !  It  is  a  crown, 
esteemed  the  most  valuable  thing  upon  which  the  hearts  of  men 
can  be  fixed.  Enemies  the  most  dangerous  and  watchful  stand 
ready  to  snatch  it  from  us  the  moment  we  are  found  to  be  off 
our  guard.  That  calamity,  however,  need  never  come,  if  we 
stand  guard  in  the  vigilance  and  by  the  aid  which  our  gracious 
Lord  has  ]i)romised  to  furnish. 


THE  COUNSELOR  551 

(4)  Avoiding  temptation.  This  is  an  admonition  alvin  to  the 
previous  one,  and  wliicli  our  Loi'd  manifestly  deemed  to  be  mueli 
needed.  In  the  few  compreliensive  petitions  forming  the  prayer 
which  Christ  taught  his  disciples,  this  was  one.  So  important 
did  lie  deem  it  that  all  his  followers  should  be  warned  on  this 
subject,  that  he  suffered  himself  to  be  sorely  tempted  in  order 
that  he  might  set  an  example  to  encourage  and  direct  them  in 
following  him.  From  the  sad  example  of  the  church  of  Perga- 
mos  in  dallying  with  the  corruptions  of  Balaam,  and  of  that  of 
Thyatira  exposing  itself  to  seductions  like  those  of  Jezebel,  and 
of  so  many  others  who  had  been  wounded  and  slain,  the  Beacon 
gives  awful  warning.  No  man  is  invulnerable  to  temptations, 
and  it  is  the  very  madness  of  folly  to  stand  in  their  way  when 
there  is  not  some  necessity  therefor.  We  can  all  recall  many  of 
our  own  falls  into  sin  when  exposed  in  the  past;  and  we  can 
see  on  the  pages  of  the  Church's  history,  and  in  the  records  of 
the  sacred  volume,  how  many  of  the  strongest  and  best  have 
fallen  under  the  seductions  of  the  Evil  one,  and  these  should  be 
our  dreadful  warning.  When  we  read  in  the  Bible's  saddest  ex- 
amples how  such  men  as  Abraham  the  friend  of  God,  and  Moses 
the  meekest  of  mortals,  and  David  the  man  after  God's  own 
heart,  and  Peter  the  bravest  and  truest,  all  fell  shamefully 
wounded,  surely  we  cannot  deliberately  face  temptation,  unless 
under  some  strange  infatuation!  After  all  such  warnings,  and 
after  our  own  humiliating  exjjerience,  it  seem  incredible  that  we 
would  ever  again  tamper  with  heresies  or  sensual  dangers.  In 
the  face  of  all  these,  what  madness  to  venture  too  far  on  the 
brink  of  evil !  Yielding  ever  so  little  is  full  of  peril.  The  man 
that  is  taught  of  God  will  flee  as  for  his  life  from  the  spot  where 
danger  lurks.  The  only  path  of  safety  is  in  shunning  the  very 
appearance  of  evil.  The  loyal  soul  who  has  learned  from  the 
Master  will  find  his  safety,  and  honor,  and  pleasure  too,  in  keep- 
ing his  raiment  unspotted. 

(5)  Sacredly  guarding  the  truth.  This  counsel  is  alluded  to,  im- 
plied, hinted  at,  and  woven  into  every  portion  and  every  element 
of  all  the  messages.  Truth  is  one  of  the  brightest  glories  of  the 
divine  character,  an  ornament  of  all  God's  attributes,  the  throne 
in  the  mediatorial  kingdom,  and  the  pillar  of  the  universe.  There 
is  scarcely  anything  more  foolish,  more  inconsiderate,  or  more  com- 
mon at  the  present  day  than  the  assertion  we  often  hear  that  in 
religious  matters  "truth  is  nothing  if  only  the  life  be  right."  The 
life  right  without  truth  to  make  it  so !    Life,  heart,  aims,  all  sound. 


552       INAUGUEAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

while  the  very  soul  within  is  rotting  under  the  depraving  influence 
of  lies !  The  very  supposition  is  a  Itdsehood,  a  cheat,  and  a  delu- 
sion.   All  experience  testifies  that  it  is  an  absurdity. 

If  truth  be  absent  from  its  throne  in  the  mind,  then  the  very 
life,  soul,  heart^ — the  whole  moral  being— deteriorates  into  a  mass 
of  impurity.  What  light  is  to  the  eyes,  health  to  the  body,  heat 
to  the  globe,  order  to  a  community  previously  quaking  under 
anarchy,  that  truth  is  to  an  individual,  to  a  community,  to  a 
church.  Truth  is  health,  it  is  right,  it  is  beauty,  it  is  hope — in 
a  word,  it  is  God-ordained.  Christ  was  born  to  be  King  of  truth; 
He  is  the  truth's  omnipotent  guardian ;  He  is  the  Truth  itself. 

We  should  therefore  cling  to  the  truth,  both  in  doctrine  and 
in  practice,  though  following  it  may  seem  to  conduct  us  far  away 
from  all  public  favor,  though  every  voice  may  be  raised  against 
us  and  against  it.  To  the  truth  let  us  cling,  for  the  heart  of  our 
Lord  will  then  be  with  us,  the  hopes  of  mankind  are  closely  con- 
nected therewith,  and  it  is  a  throne  whose  pillars  are  made  strong 
by  the  might  of  Onmipotence  itself.  As  in  beams  of  living  light 
does  this  shine  out,  and  that  for  evermore,  from  the  heavenly 
Beacon  of  the  ages. 

(6)  Improving  smallest  advantages.  The  fact  that  this  element 
of  Christian  and  church  life  is  so  often  noticed  and  made  impress- 
ive in  the  messages  is  calculated  to  impress  us  that  in  God's 
esteem  it  was  of  the  first  moment.  Such  appeals  as  these  are 
used:  To  Thyatira,  "That  which  ye  have  already,  hold  fast  till  I 
come;"  to  Sardis,  "Strengthen  the  things  which  remain,  that  are 
ready  to  die;"  to  Sardis  again,  "Thou  hast  a  few  names,  even  in 
Sardis;"  to  Philadelphia,  "Thou  hast  a  little  strength."  Such 
emphatic  words  as  these,  substantially  repeated,  are  calculated  to 
convince  us  that  what  is  insignificant  in  our  sight  may  be  of  very 
great  moment  in  the  sight  of  God,  who  seeth  not  as  man  seeth. 
Their  diligent  study  will  tend  to  make  the  impression  on  us  that 
God  would  have  individual  believers,  and  churches  and  Christian 
communities,  to  hold  on  tenaciously  to  the  little  of  piety  and  truth 
and  spiritual  life  which  they  may  still  have  remaining  with  them. 
They  must  not  be  discouraged  because  their  opportunities  are  few 
and  weak  and  waning.  Even  their  very  fewness  in  number  and 
their  weakness  are  noticed  by  their  compassionate  Lord,  and  should 
not  be  despised  by  us.  Even  such  little  things  may  be  the  germs 
from  which  the  richest  harvests  shall  spring. 

It  was,  in  fact,  an  ordained  law  of  his  kingdom  that  it  should 
be  so.    In  at  least  one  of  its  most  vital  interests  it  was  the  pre- 


THE  COUNSELOR.  553 

ordered  and  the  predicted  plan  that  "  There  shall  be  an  handful 
of  corn  In  the  earth  upon  the  top  of  the  mountains ;  the  fruit 
thereof  shall  shake  like  Lebanon,  and  they  of  the  city  shall 
flourish  like  the  grass  of  the  earth."  The  same  ijrinciple  was 
found  in  the  wonderful  nature  of  our  Lord  himself:  "He  shall 
grow  up  before  him  as  a  tender  plant,  and  as  a  root  out  of  a  dry 
ground ;  he  hath  no  form  nor  comeliness,  and  when  we  shall 
see  him  there  is  no  beauty  that  we  should  desire  him.  He  is 
despised  and  rejected  of  men."  For  evermore  is  it  to  ray  out 
from  the  Beacon,  "Who  hath  despised  the  day  of  small  things?" 
Hence,  if  in  any  church  the  number  of  those  who  seem  alive  to 
divine  things  be  but  very  few,  we  say  to  them.  Look  up  to  the 
Beacon,  which  blazes  on  for  you !  Is  the  attendance  upon  the 
social  meeting  for  prayer  but  the  two  or  three  that  feel  so  sorely 
depressed  ?  Their  encouragement  may  be  drawn  from  the  applause 
bestowed  on  the  few  names  even  in  Sardis.  Ls  the  piety  of  the 
church  at  the  lowest  ebb?  Shall  the  faithful  few  sit  down  dis- 
couraged, and  by  complaint  do  what  in  them  lies  to  extinguish 
that  little  which  remains,  and  not  listen  to  the  Master's  call  to 
"strengthen  the  things  which  remain,  that  are  ready  to  die"? 
Assuredly  this  counsel  is  a  most  important  one,  and  needs  the 
constant  attention  of  all  our  churches : 

(7)  Strive'  to  be  perfect.  This  very  frequently  inculcated  Chris- 
tian duty  and  privilege  is  impressed  through  the  messages  in  a 
peculiar  manner  and  with  peculiar  force,  and  ought  to  make  a 
peculiar  impression.  "  I  have  not  found  thy  works  perfect  before 
God"  is  the  manner  in  which  the  counsel  to  one  of  the  churches  is 
given.  It  was  to  the  church  of  Sardis;  and  that  church  was  not 
wholly  corrupted  or  dead — its  members  were  doing  something, 
they  were  working  in  their  own  way,  and  the  Master  was  watch- 
ing them  with  the  deepest  interest;  but  their  efforts  were  defective; 
there  was  something  wrong.  They  were  not  as  faithful  and 
efficient  as  they  might  have  been.  The  pure  eye  of  their  Lord, 
with  all  its  tenderness,  beheld  in  them  some  sad  defects.  Then 
he  declares  to  them  that  absolute  perfection — perfection  in  the 
manner, -but  specially  perfection  in  the  items  of  work  and  in 
character — was  the  standard  which  they  were  to  erect,  and  after 
which  they  were  to  strive.  The  aim  of  every  child  of  God  should 
be  that  which  the  great  apostle  held  before  him:  "Not  as  though 
I  had  already  attained,  either  were  already  perfect;  but  I  follow 
after,  if  that  I  may  apprehend  that  for  which  also  I  am  appre- 
iiended  of  Christ  Jesus.    Brethren,   I  count  not  myself  to  have 


554  INAUGUKAL  OF  THE  ENTIIEONED  KING. 

apprehended;  but  this  one  thing  I  do:  forgetting  those  things 
which  are  behind,  and  reaching  forth  unto  those  things  which  are 
before,  I  press  toward  the  mark  for  the  prize  of  the  high  calling 
of  God  in  Christ  Jesus."  The  felt  weakness,  the  consciousness 
of  imperfections,  the  besetting  difficulties,  and  the  improbability 
of  ever  attaining  the  object  should  be  no  hinderance  to  the  efforts. 
In  spite  of  all,  the  standard  of  perfection  should  be  set  up ;  and 
stage  after  stage  in  the  way  thereto  should  be  striven  for  in  the 
manner  indicated  by  the  Holy  Ghost:  "Giving  all  diligence,  add 
to  your  faith  virtue;  and  to  virtue  knowledge;  and  to  knowledge 
temperance;  and  to  temperance  patience;  and  to  patience  god- 
liness; and  to  godliness  brotherly  kindness;  and  to  brotherly 
kindness  charity." 

To  aid  in  this  progress  toward  perfection,  there  ought  to  be  the 
purpose,  the  prayer,  and  the  effort ;  and  then  there  should  be  the 
copying  after  the  best  and  most  exciting  examples.  AVe  may  set 
before  us,  both  as  guides  and  inspiration,  such  noble  specimens  of 
the  faithful  child  of  God  as  Abraham,  and  Joseph,  and  Daniel,  and 
John,  and  Paul;  but,  far  above  them  all  the  God-man,  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.  Our  all-perfect  motto  and  invariable  habit  should  be: 
"Looking  unto  Jesus,  the  Author  and  Finisher  of  our  faith."  He 
will  guide  and  aid,  for  he  is  "the  Author  and  Finisher  of  our 
faith."  If  he,  "for  the  joy  that  was  set  before  him,  endured  the 
cross,  despising  the  shame,"  why  need  we  be  discouraged  or 
intimidated,  no  matter  what  obstacles  we  maj^  have  to  encounter? 

Absolute  perfection  in  character  and  work  is  that  for  which  we 
should  strive  at  all  times  and  in  all  our  purposes.  Short  of  this 
there  is,  and  there  ought  to  be,  no  stopping-j)lace.  The  ascent  may 
seem  steep,  and  the  way  long:  but  on,  on;  up,  up,  toward  that 
goal,  should  be  our  never-wearying  effort.  We  may  not  reach  it, 
but  the  very  effort  to  attain  thereto  will  tend  to  exalt  us  in  char- 
acter and  position  before  God. 

Although,  in  this  world,  we  shall  never  attain  to  absolute  per- 
fection, yet  we  may  rise  far  higher  than  our  fears  would  suggest. 
Certain  it  is  that  we  shall  never  attain  to  so  great  a  degree  of 
elevation  in  the  divine  life  as  we  might,  unless  we  make  the  very 
perfection  of  God  himself  our  guide,  our  standard,  and  our  motive. 
"Be  ye  therefore  perfect,  even  as  your  Father  which  is  in  heaven 
is  perfect " — be  this  our  aim  in  every  purpose  and  effort,  until  the 
kingdom's  earthly  destiny  is  finished,  and  we  shall  be  with  the 
exalted  Trinity  in  the  midst  of  the  throne. 

(8)  Have  no  fear  for  the  future  of  the  Church.     The    foes  are  so 


THE  COUNSELOR.  555 

many  and  strong,  the  rage  of  opposers  is  so  great  and  persistent, 
and  the  friends  are  so  fallible  and  their  etforts  so  intermittent, 
that  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  if  such  fears  should  often  prevail. 
From  this  it  comes  to  pass  that  the  despairing  wail  of  the  passing 
years  is  so  bitter  and  so  often  heard:  "OLord,  how  long?"  And 
the  feeling  is  not  only  sad,  but  it  is  paralyzing.  It  weakens  the 
hands  of  the  friends,  encourages  the  enemj^,  and  prevents  all 
progress. 

But  there  need  be  no  fear  for  the  Church,  even  when  suffering 
under  the  sorest  persecutions.  Such  was  the  comfort  given  to  the 
humble  and  patient  Christians  of  Pergamos.  They  were  already 
suffering  the  tribulation  of  poverty,  and  the  blasphemy  of  enemies ; 
and  they  would  yet  have  to  endure  the  wrath  of  Satan,  when  he 
would  cause  them  to  be  tried,  and  cast  into  prison,  and  to  undergo 
ten  days  of  tribulation ;  still  they  were  encouraged  not  to  fear, 
either  for  themselves  or  for  the  cause  which  they  loved  so  well. 
The  words  of  counsel  to  them  even  then  were:  "Fear  none  of 
those  things  which  thou  shalt  suffer  ....  be  thou  faithful  unto 
death,  and  I  will  give  thee  a  crown  of  life."  Who  is  on  the 
throne?  Among  all  the  hosts  of  darkness  is  there  any  so  great 
as  the  Lord's  Anointed  against  whom  they  are  raging?  They 
may  "take  counsel  together  against  the  Lord  and  against  his 
Anointed,"  but  a  profounder  wisdom  than  theirs  is  that  of  the 
everlasting  King. 

Then,  know  we  not  that  all  these  trials  and  discouragements 
come  on  us  according  to  thq  orderings  of  Him  who  doeth  all  things 
well?  We  are  assured  that  they  shall  be  so  overruled  as  to  make 
the  state  of  our  final  rest  all  the  sweeter.  We  have  been  admitted 
far  enough  into  the  mysteries  of  our  King  on  his  throne  to  know 
that  they  are  part  of  the  "light  affliction  which  is  but  for  a 
moment,"  and  that  "  worketh  for  us  a  far  more  exceeding  and 
eternal  weight  of  glory."  Let  there  be  no  fear  as  to  the  future 
of  the  kingdom  ;  for  the  Captain  of  our  salvation  was  himself 
made  perfect  through  suffering,  and,  in  suffering,  we  shall  be 
but  following  in  his  footsteps.  In  the  never-intermitting  beams 
of  the  Beacon  there  are  tokens  of  cheer  and  hospitality  that 
give  certain  promise  of  arrival  at  and  welcome  to  the  home 
of  rest  and  peace  eternal. 

(9)  Go  directly  to  C/tri.st.  The  well-known  condition  of  receiving 
the  blessings  of  the  divine  kingdom  is,  "  without  money  and 
without  price."  But  to  the  proud  heart  of  the  unrenewed  man 
this  is  the  consideration  that  is  the  heaviest  of  all.    It  is  giving 


556  INAUGURAL  OF  THE   ENTHRONED  KING. 

up  absolutely  all  self-reliance  and  self-denyings  and  receiving 
the  benefits  as  a  pure  gratuity.  For  selfish  pride  this  is  the 
worst  thing  that  could  be  demanded. 

From  the  very  nature  of  the  case  we  cannot  receive  the  blessings 
of  salvation  in  any  other  way ;  for  we  have  nothing  that  we  can 
possibly  give  that  to  our  all-perfect  Master  would  be  of  the  least 
value.  He  is  the  Lord  of  the  world,  already  in  possession  of 
everything,  and  as  such  he  cannot  sell  his  benefits  for  what  is 
even  now  his  own.  Accordingly  we  have  the  oft-repeated  assur- 
ance that  we  have  simply  to  accept,  not  lourclmse.  No  tears  of 
atonement  for  the  past  will  do.  No  promises  for  the  future 
can  be  accepted.  Nothing  short  of  emptying  self  of  all,  and 
coming  to  Christ  directly,  just  as  we  are,  in  our  guilt  and  poverty 
and  helplessness,  for  all  that  our  souls  need  and  God  has  to 
bestow.  This,  and  nothing  more,  and  nothing  else,  is  the  one, 
only,  indispensable  condition  upon  which  all  the  benefits  of  the 
gospel  can  be  obtained.  It  is  in  this  way  that  are  to  be  bought 
the  gold  tried  in  the  fire,  the  white  raiment,  and  the  anointing 
eyesalve.  For  all  these  we  are  counseled  to  go  to  Christ  alone. 
The  condition  is  simple  enough.  On  our  part,  we  are  to  go 
straight  to  our  gracious  Lord  for  all,  without  anything  in  our 
hand ;  on  the  other  side,  God  will  freely  bestow  on  us  all  that 
our  souls  need. 

Of  all  the  counsels  in  the  messages  there  is  no  one  of  more 
practical  importance  than  this.  It  was  given  to  the  church  of 
Laodicea,  which  needed  help  from  God  more  than  any  of  the 
others.  The  condition  is  offered,  not  alone  to  the  impenitent,  but 
also  to  the  nominal,  backslidden  Christian.  It  is  i^ressed  earnestly 
upon  the  cold-hearted  professor.  It  is  made  bright  and  clear  and 
conspicuous  in  the  Beacon.  Gaze  upon  it,  ye  who  are  perishing 
in  your  unpardoned  guilt,  and  ye  who  have  lost  the  fervor  of 
your  first  affection  !  contemplate  it  for  your  life,  your  soul,  your 
glory,  your  immortality,  your  all  in  all !  Gaze  upon  it,  every 
soul !  gaze  intently,  look  instantly,  look  steadfastly — look  until  you 
shall  see  it  clearly,  feel  it  deeply,  and  become  sure  that  you  are 
resting  your  all  upon  its  offered  mercy! 

(10)  Persevere  to  the  end.  For  the  l)est  of  reasons,  no  doubt,  in 
the  economy  of  the  gospel,  God  sees  fit  sometimes  to  delay  for  a 
time  the  assurance  of  pardon,  even  to  the  sincere  searcher  there- 
for; and  the  grace  of  perseverance  is  one  which  is  required  of 
those  who  would  either  enter  or  continue  in  the  kingdom.  The 
devout  and  profound  Jonathan  Edwards  writes:   "Perseverance  is 


THE  COUNSELOR.  557 

not  only  a  necessary  concomitant  and  evidence  of  a  title  to  salvation, 
but  also  a  necessary  pre-requisite  to  the  actual  enjoyment  of 
eternal  life.  It  is  the  only  way  to  heaven,  the  narrow  way  that 
leadeth  to  life.  Hence  Christ  exhorts,  '  Hold  fast  that  which  thou 
hast,  that  no  man  take  thy  crown.'  It  is  necessary,  not  only  that 
persons  should  once  have  been  walking  in  the  way  of  duty,  but 
that  they  should  be  found  so  doing  when  Christ  cometh."  In 
the  Beacon  this  duty  holds  a  place  second  in  importance  to 
scarcely  any  other;  for  we  see  in  it  the  admonitions:  "Be  thou 
faithful  unto  death,  and  I  will  give  thee  a  crown  of  life;"  "But 
that  which  ye  have  already  hold  fast  till  I  come ; "  "  Because 
thou  hast  kept  the  word  of  my  patience,  I  also  will  keep  thee 
from  the  hour  of  temptation."  Here  the  counsel  is  urged,  over 
and  over  again,  in  the  plainest  terms;  and  it  is  also  alluded  to 
or  implied  in  many  other  places.  How  many  examj^les  of 
steadfast  perseverance  in  seeking,  as  well  as  in  adhering  to  the 
faith,  we  have  in  other  portions  of  the  Holy  Word !  We  shall 
frequently  have  temptations  to  relax  our  efforts  and  to  become 
indifferent.  The  flesh  will  sometimes  become  very  weary,  the 
obstacles  will  become  more  formidable,  the  way  will  appear  to 
grow  longer,  the  seductions  will  increase  in  alluring  power, 
and  faith  will  often  be  very  weak,  and,  tired  and  discouraged, 
we  shall  be  ready  to  sit  down  in  despair.  But  we  must  not. 
We  must  persevere  in  the  face  of  all  the  powers  of  the  world, 
the  fliesh,  and  the  devil.  So  hath  God  ordained  that  we  should 
attain  to  the  prize  of  the  high  calling  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus. 
This  is  his  plan,  and  most  assuredly  his  plan  is  the  best,  and 
in  the  end  it  will  be  so  seen. 

(11)  Be  earnest.  Most  urgent  is  the  counsel  given  to  the  whole 
of  the  church  of  the  Laocliceans:  "Be  zealous,  therefore,  and 
repent."  It  is  given  to  a  people  who  had  sadly  declined  into 
a  state  of  indifference,  and  it  appeals  to  them  to  awaken  out  of 
that  state,  and  to  be  in  earnest  about  their  spiritual  interests. 
At  the  same  time  its  call  is  just  as  stirring  to  all  other  professed 
Christians  who  are  in  even  a  partially  lethargic  state.  To  all 
the  people  of  God  it  utters  the  appeal :  Be  earnest,  be  strenuous, 
be  ardent ;  for  it  is  an  earnest  business  in  which  you  are  engaged 
in  your  relations  to  your  God,  your  soul,  and  that  eternity  to  which 
you  are  drawing  near. 

This  is  an  exhortation  which  is  needed  at  all  times,  but  spe- 
cially in  these  days  of  declension  and  worldliness.  Half-hearted- 
ness    is   the  bane  of  the   Church  as  a  body,  and  of  individuals 


558  INAUGUKAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KINCx. 

therein,  at  the  present  time ;  and  the  subject  demands  of  us  more 
than  a  passing  notice.  Even  the  jirofessed  people  of  God  will 
readily  acknowledge  that  tlie  great  object  of  life— that  object  for 
which  they  are  providentially  kept  in  being  from  day  to  day, 
and  year  to  year,  is  that  they  may  glorify  God  in  their  passing 
generation,  be  prepared  for  the  solemnities  of  the  dying  hour, 
and  fitted  for  the  realities  of  eternity ;  and  yet  they  give  to  these 
acknowledged  paramount  objects  of  life  only  the  merest  fragments 
of  time  or  thought.  That  earnest  and  affectionate  appeal  of  their 
Lord,  through  his  inspired  servant,  "  I  beseech  you  therefore, 
brethren,  by  the  mercies  of  God,  that  ye  present  your  bodies  a 
living  sacrifice,  holy,  acceptable  unto  God,  which  is  your  reasonable 
service,"  sounds  in  their  ears,  and  yet  neither  heart  nor  hand  is 
moved  by  the  importunity  of  divine  and  infinite  love.  Still  more 
tenderly  does  their  Lord  who  died  for  them  beseech :  "  Ye  are  not 
your  own ;  for  ye  are  bought  with  a  price ;  therefore  glorify  God 
in  your  body,  and  in  your  spirit,  which  are  God's."  Instead, 
however,  of  heeding  these  earnest  and  loving  appeals  from  heaven, 
they  turn  away  with  all  complacency  to  the  "beggarly  elements" 
of  time  and  sense. 

Is  this  right,  or  wise,  or  honorable,  or  honest  toward  Him  to 
whom  we  owe  all  that  we  enjoy  in  this  world,  or  hope  for  in  that 
which  is  to  come?  Is  it  a  fit  return  for  his  divine  and  infinite  love? 
Surely  it  ought  to  be  our  highest  aim  to  serve  our  gracious  Father 
and  glorious  King  with  all  the  powers  which  he  has  given  us. 
There  is  nothing  by  which  we  would  be  so  greatly  ennobled. 

And  what  can  we  do  in  order  more  perfectly  to  serve  the  Prince 
of  Peace?  What  shall  we  do  to  honor  our  King?  What  should  we 
not  be  willing  to  do  for  Him  who  has  done  so  much  for  us,  and 
who  is  so  transcendently  glorious  in  all  his  attributes?  If  there 
be  obedience  we  can  render  in  order  thereby  to  exalt  his  name,  if 
there  be  service  we  can  give,  if  there  be  honor  we  can  yield,  if  there 
be  thought  we  can  think,  or  word  we  can  speak,  if  there  be  trophy 
we  can  bring  and  lay  down  at  his  feet,  if  there  be  hand  we  can 
put  to  his  blessed  work,  if  there  be  exercise  of  thought  by  which 
we  can  exalt  him,  if  there  be  friend  or  neighbor  we  can  bring  over 
to  his  cause,  if  there  be  self-denial  we  can  make  for  the  promoting 
of  his  glory,  if  there  be  sufferings  we  can  endure  by  which  his 
cause  would  be  honored,  if  even  by  death  we  could  bring  lost 
men  to  trust  in  him,  and  so  glorify  his  adorable  name,— should 
we  not  do,  and  think,  and  suffer  all,  in  order  that  we  may  exalt 
such  a  King  and  Saviour,  in  whom  are  centred  all  the  interests 


THE  COUNSELOR.  559 

of  the  world?  The  very  strongest  appeals  of  gratitude  press  hard 
upon  us  to  keep  nothing  back  from  him. 

We  should  never  forget  that  we  are  watched  from  the  throne — 
watched  with  tenderest  solicitude.  Our  ascended  Lord  has  not 
forgotten  us,  does  not  forget  us,  even  amid  the  plaudits  of  the 
glorified  myriads.  The  unfallen  millions  of  the  heavenly  hosts, 
"a  great  cloud  of  witnesses,"  gaze  uj^on  us,  and  rejoice  to  see 
us  gathering  new  laurels  for  the  brow  of  their  King.  The  tens 
of  thousands  of  the  ransomed  who  "have  washed  their  robes 
and  made  them  white  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb"  behold  us  as 
we  carry  on  the  work  which  their  Lord  began  on  earth,  and 
through  which  their  own  numbers  are  being  increased  from  age 
to  age. 

Then,  as  a  very  climax  of  these  motives,  we  should  not  lose 
sight  of  the  glorious  prospect  that  having  toiled  and  suffered 
with  Christ  on  earth,  we  shall  reign  with  him  in  heaven,  and 
that  earnest  toil  on  earth  will  make  heaven  all  the  sweeter.  The 
blessedness  of  that  heavenly  world  will  be  enhanced  by  the  mem- 
ory of  past  toils  and  trials;  by  the  rapture  of  an  everlasting  vic- 
tory ;  by  the  sight  of  trophies  won  on  earth  for  the  glory  of  the 
King ;  by  the  contrast  of  toils  all  over,  and  rest  eternal  enjoj^ed ; 
and  by  the  joy  arising  from  the  thought  of  peace  that  shall  be 
disturbed  by  no  more  cares  or  struggles.  Is  it  not  more  than 
probable  that  in  the  endless  ages  to  come,  the  glory  of  those 
who  shall  have  been  earnest  for  God  and  for  truth  shall  be  con- 
tinually increased  by  the  coming  in  of  myriads  from  other  worlds, 
to  increase  the  wonder  of  the  saints  by  laying  down  at  the  feet 
of  their  glorified  Lord  the  crowns  that  shall  have  been  gathered 
from  other  regions  of  the  heavenly  empire!  Oh  the  destiny  of 
glory  which  awaits  the  faithful  unto  death,  as  they  shall  revel 
for  evermore  in  the  contemplation  of  the  inexhaustible  perfec- 
tions of  their  divine  King,  and  follow  him  as  he  shall  lead  them 
amid  joys  that  will  be  full  of  glory ! 

To  all  these  stirring  motives  we  are  aroused  by  the  beams  of 
the  celestial  Beacon.  We  cannot  study  the  sacred  page  without 
having  our  souls  stirred,  as  was  that  of  our  blessed  Lord  himself, 
"Who  for  the  joy  that  was  set  before  him,  endured  the  cross,  de- 
pising  the  shame,  and  is  set  down  at  the  right  hand  of  the  throne 
of  God."  By  the  perishing  souls  of  our  fellow  men,  and  by  the 
loving  voice  of  the  Lamb  within  the  throne,  we  should  be  excited 
as  by  a  cry  from  earth  and  heaven,  from  time  and  from  eternity: 
"Be  earnest!  be  earnest!"  for  souls  are  perishing,  and  God  is  to  be 


560       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

glorified.  Be  earnest:  this  is  your  great  business  upon  eartli — and 
if  it  be  left  undone  you  have  lived  in  vain.  Be  earnest:  for  time 
is  rushing  j^ou  on  into  eternity,  and  your  last  opportunity  will 
soon  be  here.  Be  earnest:  for  everything  you  do  or  even  attempt 
for  the  glory  of  God  will  add  to  you  one  element  of  bliss,  the 
ecstasy  of  which  you  will  enjoy  throughout  everlasting  ages.  Be 
earnest,  my  soul:  for  this  counsel  of  thy  loving  God  comes  to 
thee  as  din^ctly  as  if  thou  wert  the  only  one  of  the  ransomed 
who  shall  ever  hear  its  sound.  Be  earnest:  for  what  is  the  loss 
of  one  brief  day  of  present  sinful  sloth  compared  with  an  addi- 
tional joy  that  will  continue  for  ever?  Oh,  thou  all-wise  and 
all-gracious  Son  of  God,  I  will  be  earnest;  for  thou  callest,  and 
with  thee  I  would  live,  and  die,  and  reign,  and  thrill  in  the  rap- 
tures of  immortal  glory ! 


CHAPTER    XX. 
WORDS    OF    DOOM. 

The  compassion  and  tenderness  of  our  heavenly  King  may 
be  discerned  even  when  it  becomes  needful  to  punish  the  sins 
of  his  creatures,  or  to  warn  them  that  such  punishment  is  about 
to  be  inflicted.  They  may  be  seen  in  the  various  elements  of 
alarm  which  are  found,  one  in  each  of  the  messages  from  the 
throne.  The  very  collocation  of  the  warnings  and  promises  in 
each  message  makes  it  evident:  for,  in  each  case,  the  promise 
is  placed  before  the  threatening.  It  was  more  congenial  for  our 
Lord  to  extend  hopes  than  to  utter  menaces.  He  would  rather 
attract  than  drive.  Plis  divine  love  made  punishing  repugnant 
to  him,  even  when  it  was  unavoidable. 

This  is  seen  throughout  the  messages,  but  it  is  manifested  just 
as  clearly  in  many  other  portions  of  the  sacred  Word.  Witness 
the  divine  sorrow  as  the  depravity  of  Ephraim  compelled  him 
to  be  abandoned:  "How  shall  I  give  thee  up,  Ephraim?  how 
shall  I  deliver  thee,  Israel?  How  shall  I  make  thee  as  Admah? 
how  shall  I  set  thee  as  Zeboim?"  The  groan  extorted  from  our 
Lord  by  the  persistent  folly  of  sinners  is  exemplified  in  these 
utterances:  "Oh  that  they  were  wise,  that  they  understood  this, 
that  they  would  consider  their  latter  end !"  The  sad  assurance 
which  the  Holy  Spirit  gives  concerning  this  matter  is:  "He  doth 
not  afliict  willingly,  nor  grieve  the  children  of  men."  He  affirms 
that  to  punish,  or  even  threaten  to  punish,  is  not  according  to  his 
inclination  or  desire;  for  he  declares,  with  the  greatest  possible 
emphasis:  "As  I  live,  saith  the  Lord  God,  I  have  no  pleasure 
in  the  death  of  the  wicked  ;  but  that  the  wicked  turn  from  his 
way  and  live."  He  condescends  to  tell  us  that  it  is  a  strange  and 
incongruous  thing  for  him  to  inflict  even  necessary  and  deserved 
punishment.  The  remarkable  words  he  uses  are:  "That  he  may 
do  his  work,  his  strange  icork ;  and  bring  to  pass  his  act,  /us  strange 
acty  A  strange  icork  it  is  for  him  to  punish,  a  strange  act  to  inflict 
pain,  even  upon  those  who  are  in  rebellion  against  him  and  against 
the  peace  and  prosperity  of  the  universe. 

36  561 


562       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHEONED  KING. 

Even  we,  with  our  blunted  spiritual  perceptions,  can  under- 
stand that  the  guilt  of  those  who  rebel  against  God,  and  his  gov- 
ernment, and  his  cause,  in  which  is  involved  the  stability  of  his 
throne  of  righteousness,  must  not  be  jDerniitted  to  go  unpunished. 
The  malign  nature  and  tendency  of  all  sin  forbid  it.  As  a  warn- 
ing for  all  time  to  come,  the  experience  of  the  Christian  Church 
in  its  first  days  is  placed  upon  record  in  these  seven  messages. 
"  If,  while  Christianity  was  in  its  prime,  and  when  its  divine 
truths  had  scarcely  ceased  to  reach  the  ears  of  believers  from  the 
lips  of  apostles,  on  whose  heads  the  Spirit  had  visibly  descended, 
and  cloven  tongues,  as  of  fire,  had  sat;  if  even  at  that  time,  one 
of  the  seven  churches  of  Asia  had  already  departed  from  its  first 
love;  if  two  others  were  partially  polluted  by  the  errors  in  doc- 
trine and  evils  in  the  practice  of  some  of  its  members;  if  another 
had  only  a  few  names  that  were  worthy,  and  yet  another,  none; 
and  if  they  who  formed  the  last  and  worst  of  these  thought  them- 
selves rich  and  increased  with  goods,  and  that  they  had  need  of 
nothing,  and  knew  not,  that,  being  lukewarm,  they  were  wretched, 
and  miserable,  and  poor,  and  blind,  and  naked ;— if  all  this  e^il 
resulted  from  the  prevalence  of  sin,  in  so  sliort  a  time,  then  what 
had  been  its  ultimate  effects  had  not  the  righteous  King  arisen  to 
vindicate  the  purity  of  his  throne?"  Hence  the  punishment  must 
come,  and  the  warning  must  be  given.  But,  even  when  thus  neces- 
sary to  warn,  the  Lord's  compassion  led  him  to  do  it  with  the  great- 
est tenderness.  It  went  to  his  heart  to  give  the  pain.  As  gently 
as  possible  he  utters  the  threat  that  must  be  inflicted  unless  averted 
by  timely  repentance.  Instead  of  gloating  with  satisfaction  upon 
the  punishment  that  would  come,  he  does  not  dwell  on  the  im- 
pending sufferings,  but  simply  announces  the  principles  accordmr/ 
to  ivhlch  it  would  be  wflicted. 

Principles  of  punishment,  and  not  instances,  are  chiefly  that 
by  which  he  warns  men.  In  this  we  would  humbly  follow  him. 
The  leading  principles  according  to  which  guilt  in  the  churches 
would  be  punished  demand  our  careful,  though  it  may  be  reluc- 
tant, attention.  The  few  which  follow  are  placed  in  the  Beacon 
as  samples  of  the  rest. 

First  principle:  Pimishment  according  to  the  degree  of  guilt. 
This  rule  is  very  distinctly  announced:  "And  I  will  give  unto 
every  one  of  you  according  to  yf)ur  works."  We  can  easily  see 
that  sinful  works  are  meant.  INIost  certainly,  therefore,  this  is 
the  rule  according  to  which  God  will  judge  and  punish  all  the 
transgressors.       To   make   it  the   more   impressive  as  a  warning 


WORDS  OF  DOOM.  563 

to  the  whole  world,  it  is  placed  here  in  the  Beacon;  but  it 
is  also  made  conspicuous  in  places  innumerable  throughout  the 
sacred  oracles.  As  samples  we  may  cite:  "And  the  sea  gave 
up  the  dead  which  were  in  it;  and  death  and  hell  gave  up  the 
dead  which  were  in  them ;  and  they  were  judged,  every  man 
according  to  /us  works.^^  "  For  we  must  all  appear  before  the 
judgment  seat  of  Christ;  that  every  one  may  receive  the  things 
done  in  his  body^  "  I  the  Lord  search  the  heart,  I  try  the  reins, 
even  to  give  every  man  according  to  his  ivays.^''  "  For  by  thy  words 
thou  shalt  be  justified,  and  by  thy  words  thou  shalt  be  condemned." 
And  the  reason  for  this  rule  is  given — namely,  that  the  works  are 
the  best  index  of  the  state  of  the  heart.  Evil  works  are  an  un- 
mistakable proof  of  a  bad  heart;  and  it  is  accordingly  said:  "I 
am  he  which  searcheth  the  reins  and  hearts;  and  I  will  give  unto 
every  one  of  you  according  to  his  works." 

This  rule  of  judgment  and  of  punishment  is  perfectly  right 
and  wise — indeed,  in  the  premises,  it  is  requisite.  What  is  sin? 
and  what  its  tendency?  It  is  simply  "any  want  of  conformity 
to,  or  transgression  of,  the  law  of  God,"  It  is  disobedience  to 
Jehovah.  It  is  apostasy  from  God.  It  is  rebellion  against  the 
divine  government.  It  is  an  attempt  to  overthrow  the  throne  of 
righteousness,  and  truth,  and  rectitude.  Its  tendency  is  to  make 
war  upon  the  majesty  of  Heaven,  and  bring  disorder  and  ruin 
upon  the  world.  If  not  punished  according  to  its  atrocity,  what 
dire  effects  would  follow  to  the  whole  universe!  All  this  in 
addition  to  its  horrible  insult  to  our  God  of  infinite  integrity, 
and  purity,  and  truth!  To  sin,  therefore,  is  to  incur  all  this 
danger,  to  do  all  this  evil,  to  risk  all  these  consequences.  Hence 
it  is  not  only  just,  but  kind  and  fatherly,  in  our  Lord  to  utter 
these  warnings  to  all  who  indulge  therein.  It  is  gracious  and 
merciful  in  him  to  use  this  method  for  keeping  sinners  back 
from  transgression,  since  for  them  to  go  on  sinning  is  but  to 
continue  "treasuring  up  wrath  against  the  day  of  wrath." 

Second  principle :  The  j^^oushmenf  corre.yjonds  ivith  the  ncdure  of 
the  offense.  All  close  observers  of  the  relations  between  the  guilt 
of  sin  and  its  punishment  agree  tliat  they  have  a  very  remark- 
able resemblance  to  each  other.  In  innumerable  cases  the  punish- 
ment is  but  the  sin  expanded  into  its  own  natural  effects.  This 
is  not  invariably  so;  but  it  occurs  so  often  in  the  orderings  of 
God's  providence  that  we  are  justified  in  concluding  that  it  is 
the  general  rule.  The  punishment  is  but  the  sinner  having  his 
own  way,  and  that  to  an  extent  for  which  he  had  himself  planned. 


564  INATJGUEAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

The  connection  is  witnessed  so  often  as  to  leave  no  doubt  on  the 
mind  that  this  is  a  rule  that  has  been  established  by  the  almighty 
Governor  of  all  human  affairs. 

The  precise  nature  of  the  rule  is  revealed  in  the  words  of  the 
Psalmist:  "He  made  a  pit,  and  digged  it,  and  is  fallen  into  the 
ditch  which  he  made.  His  miscliief  shall  return  upon  his  own 
head,  and  his  violent  dealing  shall  come  down  upon  his  own  pate." 
On  these  sentences,  Matthew  Henry  very  appropriately  wrote: 
"The  sinner  is  here  described  as  taking  a  great  deal  of  pains  to 
ruin  liimself ;  more  pains  to  damn  his  soul  than,  if  directed  aright, 
would  save  it."  The  same  thought  is  expressed  in  the  lines 
of  Thomas  Fuller: 

"  No  juster  law  cau  be  devised  or  made 
Than  that  sin's  agents  fall  by  their  own  trade." 

In  his  usual  impressive  manner,  Mr.  Spurgeon  illustrates  this  point 
by  the  stratagems  of  the  hunter.  " '  He  made  a  pit  and  digged 
it.'  He  was  cunning  in  his  plans  and  industrious  in  his  labors. 
He  was  willing  to  work  in  a  ditch,  if  others  might  fall  therein. 
But  let  us  look  to  the  end  of  the  scene.  Ah,  there  he  is!  we  can 
laugh  at  his  disappointment!  So  he  is  himself  the  beast;  he  has 
hunted  his  own  soul,  and  the  chase  has  brought  him  a  goodly 
victim.  Aha!  so  should  it  ever  be.  Come  hither,  and  make  merry 
with  this  entrapped  hunter.  Give  him  no  pity,  for  it  will  be 
wasted  on  such  a  wretch.  He  is  but  rightly  and  richly  rewarded 
in  his  own  coin.  He  cast  forth  evil  from  his  mouth,  and  it  has 
fallen  into  his  bosom.  He  has  set  his  own  house  on  fire  with  the 
torch  which  he  lit  to  burn  his  neighbor.  The  rod  which  he  lifted 
on  high  has  smitten  his  own  back.  He  shot  an  arrow  upward, 
and  it  has  returned  upon  his  own  head.  So  will  it  be  in  the  last 
great  day,  when  Satan's  fiery  darts  shall  be  quivered  in  his  own 
heart,  and  all  his  followers  shall  reap  the  harvest  ^^i^ich  they 
themselves  have  sown." 

In  the  message  to  the  church  of  Thyatira,  this  feature  of  the 
threatened  punishment  is  presented  in  a  very  forcible  light: 
"  Behold,  I  will  cast  her  into  a  bed,  and  them  that  commit  adultery 
with  her  into  great  tribulation,  except  they  repent  of  their  deeds." 
"The  cup  of  intoxication  is  poured  out  for  the  intoxicated."  A 
bed  of  torment  corresponds  with  the  bed  of  fornication.  The 
sacred  writer  here  threatens  the  adulterous  Jezebel  to  make  that 
sin  wherein  she  deliglited  to  be  the  very  place,  occasion,  and 
instrument  of  her  greatest  torment.    This  particular  is  of  but  little 


WORDS  OF  DOOM.  565 

interest  to  us;  but  the  principle  involved  is  immortal  and  of 
everlasting  moment. 

We  have  a  striking  illustration  of  this  principle  in  the  ease  of 
the  Jews  of  Jerusalem  when,  with  depraved  and  cruel  tenacity, 
they  insisted  upon  having  our  Lord  put  to  the  ignominious  death 
of  the  cross.  In  response  to  the  Roman  governor  when  he  strove 
to  deliver  the  victim  out  of  their  hands,  they  cried  out  with  insa- 
tiable rage:  "Crucify  him!  crucify  him!"  "His  blood  be  upon  us 
and  our  children !"  Mark  the  awful  parallelism  with  the  unspeak- 
able guilt  when,  but  thirty-seven  years  afterward,  at  the  destruc- 
tion of  their  city,  they,  and  their  children,  and  their  children's 
children,  were  crucitied  in  such  multitudes  that  at  length  there 
could  be  found  neither  wood  for  the  crosses  nor  spaces  on  which 
to  set  them  up.  How  often  does  human  experience  demonstrate 
that  sinful  pleasures  have  only  to  be  prolonged  and  intensified 
to  become  the  most  terrible  inflictions  that  could  be  endured. 

Some  of  the  reasons  and  results  of  this  arrangement  of  the 
divine  government  we  can  easily  interpret— some  of  them,  but 
not  all.  We  cannot  fail  of  seeing  that  it  must  be  a  most  terrible 
aggravation  of  the  punishment  of  all  sin.  There  was  no  necessity 
for  the  crimes  which  have  produced  such  dreadful  results.  The 
sinner  was  not  forced  to  such  a  course  of  transgression.  He  was 
but  following  his  own  depraved  will.  He  was  simply  taking  his 
own  course.  He  knew — or  might  have  known — that  such  would 
be  the  end  to  which  his  sinful  pleasures  would  lead,  and  yet  he 
went  on.  He  would  not  deny  himself  the  fancied  enjoyments  of 
sense  and  sin ;  and  now  he  is  reaping  the  bitter  fruits.  He  has 
no  one  to  blame  but  himself.  What  pangs  of  anguish  and  re- 
morse must  this  add  to  his  woes! 

Still  further,  this  ingredient  in  the  threatening  for  guilt  shows 
with  dread  distinctness  the  deplorable  deceitfulness  of  sin,  and  so 
proves  the  great  folly  of  relying  on  our  own  understanding  con- 
cerning the  interests  of  the  soul,  and  not  upon  the  teachings  of 
our  all-wise  and  all-gracious  Lord.  Our  true  wisdom,  as  our  only 
safety  is  by  prayer  to  cast  our  immortal  interests  upon  Him  who 
by  his  love  to  us,  even  unto  death,  has  given  us  proof  that  he  will 
never  deceive  us,  nor  be  heedless  of  our  cry.  All  will  certainly  be 
^^'ell  with  us,  both  for  time  and  for  eternity,  if  we  earnestly  seek 
for  the  way  in  which  he  would  lead  us,  and  then  follow  closely 
in  the  path  which  he  directs. 

Third  principle:  Privileges  persistently  neglected  are  taken  away. 
This  warning  is  given  very  significantly  in  the  words:   "Or  else 


666       INAUGUEAL  OF  THE  ENTHKONED  KING. 

I  will  come  unto  thee  quickly,  and  will  remove  thy  candlestick 
out  of  his  place."  The  candlestick  denotes  the  church,  with  all 
her  accompanying  means  of  grace;  and  these  are  to  be  all  with- 
drawn from  that  people  who  will  neither  appreciate  nor  improve 
them.  This  infliction  is  not  generally  experienced  at  once;  but 
comes  on  gradually.  The  beautiful  plants  are  withered  away. 
The  springs  are  dried  up. 

Moreover,  according  to  this  warning,  the  candlestick  is  not  de- 
stroyed, but  removed  to  some  other  place.  The  flourishing  churches 
of  Ephesus,  and  Pergamos,  and  Laodicea  neglected  their  privileges; 
they  withered,  they  became  deserted,  the  candlesticks  are  gone,  but 
their  blessings  were  received  by  other  happier  lands.  Others  were 
blessed,  but  they  are  now  like  the  heath  in  the  desert,  and  do  not 
see  when  good  cometh.  All  the  pages  of  ecclesiastical  history 
are  filled  with  just  such  instances.  Jerusalem,  Rome,  Alexan- 
dria, Geneva,  the  land  of  the  Huguenots,  would  not  repent  of 
their  backslidings,  and  their  candlesticks  were  taken  away;  but 
England,  Scotland,  Wales,  our  own  country,  and  many  another 
favored  region,  are  now  rejoicing  in  the  privileges  which  they 
had  forfeited. 

To  have  the  candlestick  removed,  all  church  privileges  taken 
away,  all  the  means  of  grace  withdrawn,  without  any  question 
is  one  of  the  most  dire  calamities  that  can  possibly  befall  any 
people.  Like  the  ark,  taken  away  by  their  enemies  from  the 
people  of  Israel;  like  that  dreadful  night  of  King  Saul's  life, 
when  his  accumulated  terrors  drove  him  to  the  witch's  door,  and 
then  to  the  horrors  of  the  suicide;  like  the  awful  scenes  of  Jeru- 
salem's destruction,  when  its  population  raised  the  shout  of  terror 
at  the  sound  from  the  Temple  as  the  Shechinah  left  it  for  ever  with 
the  words  of  doom,  "Let  us  go  hence!" — like  all  these  is  the  un- 
speakable miserj'  of  those  from  whom  God  takes  away  all  their 
spiritual  privileges.  As  said  one  of  the  greatest  of  all  the  great 
preachers  of  England;  "Come  foreign  invasion,  come  domestic 
insubordination,  come  famine,  come  pestilence.  Come  any  evil 
rather  than  the  removing  of  tlie  candlestick.  It  is  the  sorest 
thing  that  God  ever  does  against  a  land.  He  himself  represents 
it  as  sucli,  when  sending  messages  of  woe  by  the  moutli  of  his 
servant  Amos :  '  Behold  the  days  come,  saith  the  Lord  God,  that 
I  will  send  a  famine  in  the  land;  not  a  famine  of  bread,  nor  a 
thirst  for  water,  but  of  hearing  the  words  of  the  Lord.'  ....  The 
suspension  of  all  messages  from  heaven,  the  cessation  of  that  in- 
tercourse which  had  subsisted  between  the  people  and  God,  the 


WORDS  OF   DOOM.  567 

removal  of  the  light  of  revelation— this  was  the  threatened  evil. 
Every  other  calamity  may  be  sent  in  mercy  and  have  for  its 
design  the  correction  and  not  the  destruction  of  its  subjects.  But 
this  calamity  has  none  of  the  character  of  a  fatherly  chastisement. 
It  shows  that  God  has  done  with  a  people ;  that  he  w  ill  no  longer 
strive  with  them ;  but  that  henceforward  he  gives  them  up  to 
their  own  devices.  If  God  should  declare  that  the  sun  should 
never  again  shine  upon  a  country,  or  that  no  rain  should  drop 
upon  the  land,  it  would  be  an  infinitely  less  judgment  than  it 
were  to  ^^•ith(lra\v  the  gospel  and  the  means  of  grace.  For  this 
judgment  does  not  so  much  regard  the  body  as  the  soul,  or  time 
so  much  as  eternity.  Some  judgments  are  corrective,  but  this  is 
penal;  some  are  intended  to  convert,  but  tliis  to  destroy." 

We  should  lay  it  up  carefully  in  our  hearts  never  to  be  forgotten 
or  lightly  esteemed,  that  God  will  not  be  trifled  with.  See  how 
he  dealt  with  these  seven  churches,  and  how  he  has  held  up,  in 
the  Beacon,  their  doom,  as  a  warning  for  the  whole  world  while 
time  shall  endure.  Then  who  shall  say  that  there  is  no  danger 
before  any  backsliding  church  even  to  the  present  day?  No 
danger  now!  Why  not?  With  such  a  ddom  on  record  of  these 
early  churches,  no  danger  now !  What  bond  of  immunity  is  there 
for  any  unfaithful  people  at  the  present  day,  with  such  a  warning 
as  this  before  us  all?  If  such  w'ere  the  churches  and  such  the 
Christians  of  that  day,  what  can  churches  and  Christians  expect 
now  if  they  persist  in  backsliding ! 

This  element  of  the  Beacon  should  be  one  of  most  solemn 
warning  to  every  beholder.  If  these  old  churches,  with  their 
greatly  sui)erior  advantages — set  up  by  apostolic  aiien,  existing  so 
near  to  the  days  of  our  Lord's  own  bodily  presence  on  the  earth, 
and  with  all  the  charm  of  novelty  surrounding  them — if,  notwith- 
standing all,  they  forfeited  their  privileges,  had  their  candlestick 
taken  away,  and  then  lapsed  into  almost  utter  oblivion — if  this 
be  their  history,  how  careful  should  we  be  that  we  do  not  bring 
down  upon  ourselves  a  doom  that  shall  be  far  heavier! 

Fourth  priuciple:  The  persistentlij  impenitent  abandoned.  The 
removal  of  a  people's  candlestick  is  followed  by  God's  giving  them 
up  to  themselves.  They  would  not  be  influenced  by  either  his 
invitations  or  his  w'arnings;  they  would  not  be  moved  by  his 
appeals;  they  would  not  hearken  to  his  words:  they  would  not 
care  for  anything  he  could  say  or  do;  and  so  he  treats  them  accord- 
ing to  their  own  way  and  gives  them  up  to  themselves.  This  is 
the  tone  and  teaching  of  all  the  messages,  and  it  exposes  a  con- 


568       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING 

dition  of  any  church  which  it  is  horrible  to  contemplate.  The 
warning  is  in  fact  the  extinction  of  such  a  church.  Christ  forsaking 
it  is  a  terrible  thing.  Ichabod  may  well  be  written  over  it;  for 
in  truth  its  glory  has  departed.  Our  Lord  will  have  the  intense, 
fervent  love  of  the  heart,  or  he  icill  leave  it. 

Then,  if  He  departs,  nothing  will  be  left  but  dreariness, 
despondency,  apostasy,  and  ruin.  We  can  scarcely  conceive  of 
anything  more  desolate  than  to  be  utterly  rejected  of  God  with 
the  doom  impending,  "He  is  joined  to  his  idols;  let  him  alone!" 
Let  him  alone:  he  would  have  nothing  of  his  God,  and  so  let  it 
be  with  him.  Let  there  be  no  one  for  him  to  call  upon  in  time 
of  danger  and  trial  and  pain,  no  friend  to  whom  he  can  apply 
in  sorrow.  Let  him  be  alone  in  tliis  world  of  darkness  and  tribula- 
tion and  foes. 

What  can  be  said  that  will  comfort  and  sustain  a  soul  which 
has  thus  been  deserted  of  God?  Such  unhappy  man  would  not 
have  God  in  all  his  thoughts,  and  God  is  only  dealing  with  him 
accordingly.  God  is  letting  him  alone!  Alone  in  the  world! — no 
one  to  look  up  to,  to  reverence,  to  love,  to  trust,  or  to  worship ! 
Alone  in  the  world !— dashing  on  to  a  destiny  concerning  which 
he  knows  nothing.  Then  conscience  lets  him  alone,  and  troubles 
him  no  more.  The  preached  Word  lets  him  alone,  and  he  may 
sleep  on  without  any  voice  to  trouble  him.  Providence  lets 
him  alone,  and  has  no  gracious  purpose  to  work  out  concerning 
him. 

The  sum  of  all,  and  the  worst  of  all,  is  that  God  lets  such 
wretched  man  alone.  He  lets  him  alone  and  does  not  hear  his 
prayers;  lets  him  alone  to  revel  in  sin  as  much  as  he  pleases;  lets 
him  alone  in  accidents,  in  sorrow,  in  sickness,  in  his  seasons  of 
anxiety  about  the  realities  of  a  coming  eternity,  and  amidrft  the 
darkening  gloom  gathering  around  the  bed  of  death.  He  is  let 
alone,  and  will  be  let  alone  until  he  shall  awaken  amid  the 
horrors  of  the  world  of  woe.  Such  a  man,  given  up  of  his  God, 
is  the  most  i>itiable  object  of  which  we  can  conceive. 

Fifth  principle:  TJie  two-edged  sivord  of  God^s  mouth.  It  is 
well  known  that  this  sword  is  the  established  emblem  for  the 
"Word  of  God."  In  one  connection  the  Word  is  "the  sword 
of  the  Spirit;"  in  another  "the  Word  of  God  is  quick  and 
powerful,  and  sharper  than  any  two-edged  sword,  piercing  even 
to  the  dividing  asunder  of  soul  and  spirit,  and  of  the  joints 
and  marrow,  and  is  a  discerner  of  the  tlioughts  and  intents  of 
the  heart."    In  the  messages  it  is:   "Repent;  or  else  I  will  come 


WORDS  OF  DOOM.  569 

unto  thee  quickly,  and  will  fight  against  thee  with  tlie  sword 
of  my  mouth."  Tliat  Iveen-edged  sword  cuts  away  every  cover- 
ing of  darkness,  and  lets  in  the  light  of  divine  truth.  It  is  the 
abiding  expression  of  the  mind  and  will  of  God;  and  through 
the  energy  of  the  Holy  Spirit  it  makes  that  mind  operative. 
Hence  the  expression,  as  we  find  it  in  the  address  to  the  church 
of  Pergamos,  "  I  will  fight  against  them  with  the  sword  of  my 
mouth,"  denotes  that  by  his  eternal  truth  he  would  expose  the 
heresies  of  the  false  teachers  who  were  lurking  there;  he  would 
bring  into  the  light  all  the  coiTuptions  that  were  hidden  in  the 
dark ;  and  especially,  as  by  unsheathing  a  sword,  he  would  issue 
the  word  of  command  that  would  call  down  the  divine  chastise- 
ments upon  that  church  because  of  their  continuance  in  their 
sins.  The  guilt  of  that  people  consisted  chiefly  in  that  they  per- 
sisted in  harboring  and  so  encouraging  certain  errorists  who 
were  striving  to  corrupt  their  faith.  This  wafe  their  sin 
and  folly  through  its  antagonism  to  their  own,  only  true  God, 
and  he  would  oppose  and  chastise  them  therefore  in  a  way  of 
holiness  that  would  be  analogous  to  their  way  of  falsehood.  By 
the  word  of  truth  going  out  from  his  mouth  he  would  expose 
their  heresies,  defeat  their  schemes,  and  give  the  word  of  com- 
mand that  would  bring  down  the  judgments  denounced  against 
them. 

By  their  false  teachings  they  were  spreading  the  "damnable 
heresies"  that  were  polluting  the  creed  of  the  Church;  by  the 
word  of  truth  issuing  from  his  holy  lips  as  a  two-edged  sword, 
he  would  cut  away  the  foundation  of  lies  upon  which  tliey  rested. 
"I  will  fight  against  them  with  the  sword  of  my  mouth"  was  the 
solemn  warning  by  which  he  would  turn  them  away  from  their 
ruinous  course.  As  the  false-hearted  Balaam  and  the  unclean 
Nicolaitans  were  punished  by  the  chastisements  of  Heaven  being 
commanded  down  upon  them,  so  would  it  be  with  these  false 
teachers  of  Pergamos  who  by  their  heresies  were  striving  to  ruin 
souls.  The  word  of  conimand  would  go  out  from  the  mouth  of 
God,  and  their  errors,  and  they  with  them,  would  be  blighted. 

They  had  stealthily  spread  their  soul-destroying  falsehoods,  but 
he  would  proclaim  their  vile  plots  in  the  light  of  day.  Even  in 
time  he  would  awaken  the  sword  of  wrath  against  them  ;  but 
in  eternity,  and  before  the  universe  of  men  and  angels,  he  would 
expose  all  their  falsehoods  and  declare  their  doom."  By  rebukes 
which  would  penetrate  their  inmost  souls,  by  arousing  conscience 
with  all  the   horrors  of  its   remorse,  and   by  pronouncing  upon 


570       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

them  a  sentence  of  "shame  and  everlasting  contempt,"  he  would 
cut  them  off  from  life,  and  peace,  and  hope,  for  evermore. 

Sixth  principle:  ^'- Come  as  a  thief. ^''  This  is  an  element  of  the 
warnings  of  the  messages  which  calls  for  our  earnest  attention 
because  of  the  solemn  thoughts  it  awakens,  the  strong  Bible 
language  that  teaches  it,  the  conspicuous  place  it  occupies  in  the 
Beacon,  and  the  awful  fact  that  the  immortal  interests  of  all  our 
souls  are  involved. 

There  is,  of  course,  a  striking  similitude  in  all  the  works  and 
ways  of  God.  In  all  his  footsteps  through  the  annals  of  history, 
in  his  dealings  with  the  children  of  men,  in  all  his  works  of 
nature,  in  the  marvels  of  his  providence,  in  his  ways  throughout 
the  past,  and  designs  as  to  the  future,  we  may  certainly  expect 
to  find  the  same  es,sential  features  always  and  everywhere.  What- 
ever his  hand  touches  bears  for  ever  his  impress.  It  must  be  so. 
Whatever  he  does  or  says,  is  as  God,  and  being  therefore  perfect 
it  must  be  like  him  in  that  same  perfection.  We  take  this  in 
the  three  departments  of  his  Word,  his  providences,  and  his  cha.s- 
tisements  of  sinful  men.  They  are  all  from  his  hand,  and  must 
accordingly  have  some  features  which  are  precisely  alike,  so  far 
as  comparison  between  them  can  be  made. 

The  alarming  truth  herein  asserted:  "I  will  come  as  a  thief, 
and  thou  shalt  not  know  what  hour  I  will  come  upon  thee,"  runs 
into  each  department  of  God's  works  and  ways,  and  leaves  a 
similar  impress  upon  them  all.  How  ominously  prominent  is 
the  place  given  to  this  feature  on  the  sacred  page!  Let  our 
minds  be  properly  impressed  with :  "  I  will  come  on  thee  as  a 
thief;"  "Behold,  I  come  as  a  thief:  blessed  is  he  that  watcheth;" 
"The  day  of  the  Lord  will  come  as  a  thief  in  the  night;  in  the 
Which  the  heavens  shall  pass  away  with  a  great  noise;"   "Watch 

therefore,  for  ye  know  not  what  hour  your  Lord  will  come 

Be  ye  also  ready;  for  in  such  an  hour  as  ye  think  not,  the  Son 
of  man  cometh  ;"  "  Be  ye  therefore  ready  also ;  for  the  Son  of  man 
Cometh  at  an  hour  when  ye  think  not;"  "For  yourselves  know 
perfectly  that  the  day  of  the  Lord  so  cometh  as  a  thief  in  the 
night.  For  when  they  shall  say.  Peace  and  safety;  then  sudden 
destruction  cometh  upon  them." 

Next  glance  we  at  some  of  the  corresponding  providential 
things  on  which  a  similar  sti-ess  may  be  laid.  The  great  railroad 
train,  freighted  with  precious  lives,  is  sweeping  on  swifter  than 
a  strong  blast,  when,  without  warning  or  remedy,  it  crashes 
into  a  heap  of  ruins,  and  many  a  soul  is  rushed  into  the  presence 


WORDS  OF  DOOM.  571 

of  its  God,  and  many  a  family  clothed  with  mourning.  Unfeared 
and  unheralded,  the  beautiful  city  of  Lisbon,  in  an  instant,  is 
enveloped  in  supernatural  darkness,  forts  and  towers  rock,  walls 
totter,  houses,  palaces,  and  churches  crash  into  ruinous  heaps,  the 
river  rises  up  into  raging  billows,  flames  burst  out  from  a 
thousand  habitations,  the  jjrisons  disgorge  their  population  to 
murder  and  plunder,  and  the  dreadful  earthquake  plunges  seventy 
thousand  souls  into  eternity  in  ten  minutes  of  that  awful  first 
night  of  November,  1755.  So  was  it  with  the  doomed  city  of 
old  Pompeii.  On  the  fatal  night  of  August  24th,  in  the  year  79, 
its  inhabitants  were  reveling  in  gross  debauchery  and  the  murderous 
shorts  of  the  amphitheatre,  when  a  storm  of  fire  burst  out  upon 
it  from  the  summit  of  Vesuvius,  and  the  lava-floods  swept  over 
it,  burning  and  burying  every  human  being  beneath  its  relentless 
current.  So  was  it  with  unhappy  Johnstown.  The  terrible 
bank  of  the  water-floods,  without  previous  sound  of  alarm, 
rushed  over  the  sleeping  inhabitants,  and  left  that  busy  centre 
of  active  life  a  scene  of  wildest  ruin.  So  was  it  with  Sodom 
and  her  neighboring  cities.  While  the  depraved  inhabitants  of 
those  cities  of  the  Jordan  Valley  were  wallowing  in  the  most 
abominable  crimes,  in  a  moment  the  fiery  torrents  from  the 
clouds  and  the  responding  flames  from  the  depths  beneath  them 
met,  and  that  beautiful  vale  was  left  only  a  smoking  ruin.  So  was 
it  also  at  an  earlier  day :  when  the  depravity  of  mankind  had 
become  so  great  that  it  could  be  tolerated  no  longer,  while  men 
were  feasting  and  marrying  and  giving  in  marriage  the  very 
flood-gates  were  opened  and,  save  one  family,  the  whole  race 
was  swept  away. 

Such  are  the  lessons  of  providence  which  we  must  add  to  the 
teachings  of  Scripture;  and  tliey  both  assure  us  that  the  incorrigibly 
guilty  must  expect  the  very  fierceness  of  the  divine  wrath  to  startle 
as  a  thief  in  the  night,  and  that  with  alarms  that  will  crush  and 
overwhelm.  The  dreadful  effects  of  sin,  according  to  the  divine 
admonitions,  will  come  in  an  instant,  without  any  previous  warn- 
ing, accompanied  with  horrors  the  most  appalling,  filling  with 
consternation,  leaving  no  avenue  for  escape,  or  help,  or  hope, 
and  dark  with  i)ortents  of  still  more  dreadful  terrors  yet  to 
come.  "As  a  thief  in  the  night"  is  the  threat:  no  escape,  no 
one  to  save,  no  ear  to  hear  their  cry  of  anguish,  no  God  to  whom 
they  may  fly. 

These  warnings  of  coming  wrath  had  a  very  profound  influence 
upon  the  early  Church  which  had  received  them   from  the  lips 


572       IXAUGUEAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

of  apostolic  men.  They  were  not  then  treated  with  sneers  as 
tliey  but  too  often  are  at  the  present  day.  They  were  listened  to 
as  veritable  threatenings  from  the  lips  of  God  himself,  and  were 
not  insulted,  or  disregarded,  or  trifled  with.  The  state  of  feeling 
which  was  awakened  by  them  is  upon  record  especially  in  the 
Epistles  to  the  Thessalonians,  upon  which  church  they  made  a 
very  profound  impression. 

And  such  threatenings  will  most  certainly  be  executed  upon 
all  those  who  will  not  be  warned  by  them  and  turn  to  God  in  time. 
Even  the  very  worst  will  be  realized,  "Sudden  destruction" 
shall  come  upon  them  and  they  shall  not  be  able  to  escape.  They 
shall  then  partake  of  the  consternation  of  the  world,  of  which 
it  is  predicted  that  "The  kings  of  the  earth,  and  the  great  men, 
and  the  rich  men,  and  the  chief  captains,  and  the  mighty  men, 
and  every  bondman,  and  every  freeman,  hid  themselves  in  the 
dens  and  in  the  rocks  of  the  mountains,  and  said  to  the  mountains, 
Fall  on  us,  and  hide  us  from  the  face  of  him  that  sitteth  on  the 
throne,  and  from  the  wrath  of  the  Lamb:  for  the  great  day  of 
his  wrath  is  come;  and  who  shall  be  able  to  stand?" 

To  every  reader  and  hearer,  however,  there  is  now  such  oppor- 
tunity for  preparing  that  no  such  terrors  need  ever  come  upon 
them.  They  may  be  so  prepared  that  it  shall  not  be  as  a  thief  in 
the  night  to  them.  No  dread  awaking,  no  sudden  alarms,  no 
hopeless  cry,  need  there  ever  be  to  them.  On  every  side  around 
them  there  may  be  the  weeping  and  wailing,  the  despairing  cries 
for  help  and  the  shrieks  of  woe;  but  their  raptures  will  be  all  the 
more  transporting,  from  the  certainty  that  they  are  safe  beneath 
the  shielding  wing  of  Omnipotence. 

Seventh  principle:  Proud  simiers  humbled.  This  rule  of  God's 
dealing  with  the  enemies  of  his  cause  is  made  very  distinct  in  the 
messages.  The  wealthy  Jewish  merchants  of  Philadelphia  were 
very  bitter  and  contemptuous  in  their  enmity  towards  the  poor 
Nazarenes  who  were  following  their  Lord  faithfully  through  evil 
report  and  through  good  report.  In  their  lofty  self-righteousness 
they  looked  down  upon  them  with  disdain.  But  there  was  One 
mightier  than  they  who  was  regarding  them,  aiul  would  some 
day  visit  their  deeds  as  they  deserved.  The  solemn  warning  to 
them  was :  "  Behold,  I  will  make  them  of  the  synagogue  of  Satan, 
which  say  they  are  .Jews,  and  are  not,  but  do  lie;  behold,  I  will 
make  them  to  come  and  worship  before  thy  feet."  This  was 
but  one  warning  to  the  proud  opposers.  Elsewhere  are  the  admoni- 
tions :  "  Many  times  did  he  deliver  them  ;  but  they  provoked  him 


WORDS  OF  DOOM.  573 

with  their  counsel,  and  were  brought  low  for  their  iniquity .''''  "For 
the  day  of  the  Lord  of  hosts  shall  be  upon  every  one  that  is  proud 
and  lofty,  and  upon  every  one  that  is  lifted  up;  and  he  shall  be 

brought  low and   the    loftiness  of  man  shall  be  brought 

down,  and  the  haughtiness  of  man  shall  be  made  low."  These 
proud  opposers  in  Philadelphia  had  exalted  themselves  above  the 
meek  followers  of  the  Lord,  and  they  should  be  sorely  abased. 
The  poor  Christians  had  been  despised,  persecuted,  and  trodden 
under  foot ;  but  their  Lord  would  arise  in  their  defence,  and  their 
enemies  would  be  so  abased  as  to  crawl  in  the  dust  abjectly  suing 
them  for  mercy.  In  craven  degradation  would  they  beg  for  help 
and  protection  in  the  coming  day  of  evil.  So  has  it  always  been. 
The  proud  father  of  evil  would  exalt  himself  even  above  the 
Highest,  but  only  to  be  degraded  into  the  devil  in  shame  and 
torments.  So  was  it  with  our  first  parents — they  would  be  as 
gods,  knowing  good  and  evil;  but  only  to  bring  down  on  them- 
selves and  their  posterity  every  form  of  sin  and  sorrow.  The 
rule  of  the  divine  administration,  from  which  there  never  has 
been  any  change,  is:  "He  that  exalteth  himself  shall  be  abased." 

How  low  is  the  degradation  which  these  vainly  proud  bring 
down  upon  themselves !  To  "  come  and  worship  before  thy  feet " 
was  the  doom  awaiting  them.  To  this  shame  and  conten)i)t  would 
they  be  exposed  before  the  purest,  the  noblest,  and  the  best, — yea, 
says  Christ,  before  "  my  Father  and  his  angels."  Moreover,  that 
will  be  but  tlie  beginning  of  their  degradation;  for  by  the  voice 
of  infinite  truth  it  is  described  as  "sliame  and  everlasting  con- 
tempt." Oh  the  dei^th  of  shame  and  sorrow  and  agony  that  is 
intimated  in  the  awful  words,  "  weeping  and  wailing,  and  gnash- 
ing of  teeth,"  and  in  the  doom  of  "outer  darkness"!  Compre- 
hended or  not  comprehended,  literal  or  not  literal,  the  doom  im- 
plied in  such  expressions  must  be  horrible  beyond  imagination. 
"We  may  not  hide  this  from  ourselves.  These  warnings,  in  one 
form  or  another,  are  spread  all  over  the  messages  here  sent  to 
the  churches.  The  Beacon  of  the  ages  flashes  afar  the  lurid  light 
in  which  they  shine,  and  holds  it  up  so  high  that  it  must  be  seen 
by  every  eye. 

Eighth  principle:  Certain  sins  punished  in  this  world.  Among 
the  many  solemn  truths  conveyed  in  these  messages,  this  is 
momentous  and  urgent.  It  is  found,  not  exclusively,  but  chiefly, 
in  connection  with  the  church  of  Thyatira.  The  great  crime  laid 
to  the  charge  of  that  people  was  their  indulgence  in  the  sin  of 
uncleanness,  and  the  threat  against  them   was  that,  as  in  the  case 


574       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

of  Jezebel  of  ancient  infamj^,  they  should  be  made  to  suffer  the 
consequences  of  their  lewdness  even  in  time.  The  sin  laid  to 
their  charge  was:  "Thou  sufferest  that  woman  [using  figurative 
language]  Jezebel,  which  calleth  herself  a  prophetess,  to  teach 
and  to  seduce  my  servants  to  commit  fornication,  and  to  eat 
things  sacrified  unto  idols."  The  punishment  threatened  against 
them  was:  "Behold,  I  will  cast  her  into  a  bed,  and  them  that 
commit  adultery  with  her  into  great  tribulation,  except  they  re- 
pent of  their  deeds.  And  I  will  kill  her  children  with  death  ; 
and  all  the  cliurches  shall  know  that  I  am  he  which  searcheth 
the  reins  and  the  hearts." 

This  seems  to  have  been  established  as  a  rule  of  the  divine 
government  concerning  certain  sins  of  peculiar  atrocity.  It  was 
not  made  the  general  principle  of  punishment;  for  that  would 
have  interfered  with  the  great  purposes  of  God  in  the  punishing 
of  transgressions.  It  was  rather  intended  as  a  deeper  brand  re- 
served for  stamping  guilt  of  a  peculiar  vileness.  The  Bible 
abounds  in  instances  precisely  like  this  of  the  messages.  In  addi- 
tion to  the  case  of  Jezebel,  here  cited,  whose  life  was  trampled 
out  by  the  horses'  hoofs,  we  have  also  those  of  Balaam  mangled 
on  the  slaughter-field  of  Moab,  of  the  Laodiceans  whose  beautiful 
city  was  turned  into  a  wild  wilderness  of  ruins,  of  Ananias  and 
Sapphira  instantly  turned  to  corpses  because  of  their  lies  to  the 
Holy  Ghost,   and  of  many  others. 

The  pages  of  profane  history  abound  in  just  such  sad  instances. 
In  that  treasury  of  practical  godliness,  The  3forning  Exercises,  we 
have  the  principle  finely  illustrated  under  the  description  of  con- 
science, of  which  it  is  said:  "Conscience  cannot  be  ejected,  either 
by  force  or  by  fraud,  so  deeply  has  it  seated  itself  in  the  human 
breast.  Though  the  man  be  quite  safe  he  feels  himself  to  be  in- 
secure. Even  in  solitude  ho  is  full  of  anxiety,  and  his  whole 
frame  is  seized  with  trembling.    Wickedness  is  afraid  even  when 

concealed  in  the  deepest  darkness What  ails  the  great  em- 

l)erbrs  of  the  world  that  causes  them  such  profound  terror  as  they 
cannot  shake  off?  What  ails  them  to  tremble  \\\{\\  such  inward 
consternation?  Is  it  a  vain  fear?  Then  why  do  they  not  shake 
it  off?  Is  it  the  fear  of  men?  No;  they  arc  above  human  pun- 
ishments. Is  it  the  fear  of  shame?  No,  the  sin  was  so  secret 
that  no  eye  could  possibly  see  it.  What  is  the  matter?  Oh,  they 
are  haunted  by  tlie  fury  of  their  own  consciences!"  One  of  the 
most  impressive  examples  of  this  kind  which  all  the  annals  of 
the  world  have  to  oflTer  was  that  of  the  Roman  emperor  Tiberius. 


WOEDS  OF  DOOM.  575 

He  was  master  of  the  whole  world,  and  had  nothing  to  fear  from 
men,  and  yet  he  thus  wrote  to  the  Roman  senate:  "  What  to  write, 
Conscript  Fathers — in  what  terms  to  express  mj^self,  or  what  to 
refrain  from  writing — is  a  matter  of  such  perplexity,  that  if  I 
knew  how  to  decide,  may  the  just  gods,  and  the  goddesses  of 
vengeance,  doom  me  to  die  in  pangs  worse  than  those  under  which 
I  linger  every  day."  He  was  so  tortured  in  the  present  by  a  guilty 
conscience  that  his  historian  sums  up  concerning  him:  "Neither 
the  imperial  dignity,  nor  the  gloom  of  solitude,  nor  the  rocks  of 
Capreae,  could  shield  him  from  himself.  He  lived  on  the  rack 
of  guilt,  and  his  wounded  spirit  groaned  in  agony." 

Among  the  crimes  which  seem  to  be  especially  marked  for 
punishment  in  this  life  are  these  three — namely,  lewdness,  oppo- 
sition to  the  Church  and  her  ministers,  and  the  sin  against  the 
Holy  Ghost.  As  to  the  guilt  of  lewdness,  the  marks  set  upon  it 
are  so  plain  that  it  is  not  possible  for  them  to  be  mistaken.  They 
are  deeply  branded  in  upon  at  least  two  of  these  seven  churches. 
Concerning  it  the  not  exaggerated  language  of  Mr.  Barnes  is:  "'I 
will  cast  her  into  a  bed.'  Not  a  bed  of  ease,  but  a  bed  of  pain. 
The  harlot's  bed  and  a  sick-bed  are  thus  brought  together,  as 
they  are  often,  in  fiict,  in  the  dispensations  of  Providence  and 
the  righteous  judgments  of  God.  One  cannot  be  indulged  with- 
out leading  on,  sooner  or  later,  to  the  horrid  suflferings  of  the 
other — and  how  soon  no  one  knows '  Into  great  tribula- 
tion.' .  .  .  Great  suffering,  disease  of  body  or  torture  of  the  soul, 
or  both.  How  often— how  almost  uniformly  is  this  the  case 
M'ith  those  who  thus  live!  Sooner  or  later,  sorrow  always  comes 
upon  the  licentious;  and  God  has  evinced  by  some  of  his  severest 
judgments,  in  forms  of  frightful  disease,  his  displeasure  at  the 
violation  of  the  laws  of  purity.  There  is  no  sin  that  produces 
a  more  withering  and  desolating  effect  upon  the  soul  than  that 
which  is  here  referred  to ;  none  which  is  more  certain  to  be  fol- 
lowed by  sorrow." 

Equally  manifest  is  it  that  persistent  opposition  to  the  cause 
of  God  and  his  ftiithful  ministerial  servants  is  a  sin  which  he 
specially  notices  and  visits  even  in  this  life.  It  is  on  the  very 
surface  of  the  records  of  all  churches  that  God  does  not  hold 
such  persons  guiltless  even  here.  True,  this  world  is  not  the 
I)lace  of  retribution ;  but  there  are  exceptions,  wherein  the  divine 
displeasure  is  manifested  against  certain  sins  that  are  peculiarly 
heinous.  If  Paul  knew  that  the  prevailing  sickness  and  frequent 
deaths  among  the  Christians  of  Corinth  were  a  judgment  from 


576       INAUGUEAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

God  on  account  of  the  irreverent  manner  in  which  they  had  cele- 
brated the  Lord's  Supper,  is  it  not  certain  that  similar  judgments 
may  be  witnessed  in  the  Church  at  the  present  time?  Warring 
against  God's  Church  and  his  servants  is  undoubtedly  a  similar 
offense,  and  may  bring  down  similar  punishment.  Many  such 
cases  are  on  record  and  should  give  warning.  It  is  a  most  dan- 
gerous thing  to  war  against  Christ  and  his  servants. 

The  sin  against  the  Holy  Ghost  is  another  crime  which,  in  the 
sight  of  God,  is  peculiarly  odious— so  odious  as  to  be  sometimes 
visited  in  this  world,  and  leave  no  hope  of  forgiveness.  Christ, 
as  we  read,  had  been  endued  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  thereby, 
as  a  man,  among  other  things,  wrought  the  miracle  of  casting 
out  devils.  This  the  blaspheming  scribes  from  Jerusalem  mis- 
construed, and  insulted  that  sacred  Spirit  in  him  by  stigmatizing 
it  as  the  spirit  of  the  devil,  with  horrid  impiety  asserting:  "He 
hath  Beelzebub,  and  by  the  prince  of  the  devils  casteth  he  out 
devils."  This,  even  our  gracious  Lord  declares  to  be  the  sin 
against  the  Holy  Ghost,  in  the  awful  words:  "Verily  I  say  unto 
you,  all  sins  shall  be  forgiven  unto  the  sons  of  men,  and  blas- 
lihemies  wherewith  soever  they  shall  blaspheme;  but  he  that 
shall  blasplieme  against  the  Holy  Ghost  hath  never  forgiveness, 
but  is  in  danger  of  eternal  damnation."  Such  blasphemer  is 
therefore  doomed  to  hopeless  perdition  before  he  has  entered  the 
eternal  world. 

Doubtless  there  was  an  important  end  to  be  accomplished  in 
this  arrangement  by  which  certain  atrocious  sins  are  punished 
in  the  present  time,  when  men  can  see  it  and  realize  the  evil 
of  transgression,  and  understand  the  consequences  of  guilt,  even 
before  the  horrors  of  eternal  death  have  been  entered  upon.  The 
world  is  thereby  made  to  see  that  its  Lord  has  not  deserted  it, 
but  is  even  now  watching  over  the  righteous,  and  sometimes  in- 
flicting his  just  retribution  upon  the  guilty.  The  point  is  admir- 
ably presented  by  some  anonymous  writer:  "If  no  sin  were  pun- 
ished here,  no  providence  would  be  believed;  if  every  sin  were 
punished  here,  no  judgment  would  be  expected."  How  awfully 
impressive  does  this  make  the  warning  from  heaven  that  our 
God  of  righteousness  and  justice  and  truth  is  not  to  be  trifled 
with !  It  is  an  emphatic  condemnation  of  the  folly  of  the  course 
of  those  persons  who,  "  Because  sentence  against  an  evil  work  is 
not  executed  speedily,  therefore  the  heart  of  the  sons  of  men 
is  fully  set  in  them  to  do  evil."  For  such  reasons  as  these  this 
warning  is  placed  here  with  its  dread  conspicuousness  in  the  Beacon. 


WORDS  OF  DOOM.  577 

Ninth  principle:  Lifer  rejection  by  God  the  doom  of  the  lukeivarra. 
Under  the  church  of  Ijaodicea  we  have  dwelt  on  this  point  so 
fully  that  much  less  will  be  called  for  here. 

The  sin  condemned,  the  peculiar  figure  that  is  used,  and  the 
location  given  it  among  the  other  threatenings,  all  go  to  show  that 
the  offense  was  peculiarly  odious  in  the  sight  of  God.  Ko  matter 
what  we  think  of  it,  this  is  its  aspect  before  God,  and  tliis  is  the 
solemn  truth  as  to  the  enormity  of  its  guilt,  and  as  to  the  dread 
punishment  that  awaits  it.  The  appearance  of  the  sin  in  God's 
sight  is  expressed  in  this  strong  language  of  condemnation:  "I 
know  thy  works,  that  thou  art  neither  cold  nor  hot:  I  would 
thou  wert  cold  or  hot.  So,  then,  because  thou  art  lukewarm,  and 
neither  cold  nor  hot,  I  will  spue  thee  out  of  my  mouth."  How 
could  words  be  more  cutting—"!  would  thou  wert  cold  or  hot!" 
Then,  this  threatening  stands  at  the  close  of  the  list,  as  if  it  were 
the  very  climax  of  the  sins  to  be  found  in  any  of  the  churches. 
Evidently  there  was  no  other  sin  of  them  all  so  repulsive  to  the 
loving  heart  of  our  Lord.  Whatever  cold-hearted ness,  or  half- 
heartedness,  or  indifference  is  to  us,  there  can  be  no  question  as 
to  what  that  is  before  God  of  which  he  declares  to  those  guilty 
thereof,  "I  will  spue  thee  out  of  my  mouth." 

The  sin  of  which  this  people  of  Laodicea  were  guilty  was  one 
that  was  utterly  disgusting  in  the  sight  of  God.  His  heart,  so 
faithful  and  loving  and  true,  could  not  bear  it.  He  therefore  warns 
them  in  the  plainest  and  most  emphatic  words  that  if  they  con- 
tinued in  their  indifference  he  would  cast  them  out  as  too  absolutely 
nauseous  to  be  endured.  To  make  the  warning  the  more  urgent 
he  uses  a  figure  by  which"  the  world  has  agreed  to  express  that 
which  is  the  most  hateful — a  figure  that  embraces  the  sum  of  all 
disgv.sting  things.  No  other  language  of  which  we  can  conceive 
would  imply  such  utter  loathsomeness.  It  signifies  that  the  Lord 
of  perfect  holiness  would  eject  those  who  were  guilty  of  this  sin 
from  his  regard  and  turn  away  from  them  as  utterly  unworthy 
and  abominable. 

This  is  not  the  light  in  which  mankind  regard  this  sin— if 
indeed  they  admit  it  to  be  a  sin  at  all.  No  doubt  it  was  not  the 
esteem  in  which  it  was  held  by  the  backsliding,  cold-hearted 
Ijaodiceans.  They  very  probably  regarded  this  severe  charge 
fi^^-ainst  them  as  an  insult  and  a  wrong.  Such  persons  would  deny 
that  they  were  conscious  of  any  hostile  feelings  against  their  God. 
They  neither  say  nor  do  anything  in  opposition  to  his  cause.  They 
are  only  indifferent,  and  that  surely  is  their  own  business.  Such 
37 


578       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHEONED  KING. 

is  their  salve  to  a  conscience  that  will  still  not  let  them  alone :  and 
so  they  go  on  insulting  their  Maker  and  imperiling  their  souls. 

But  what  is  its  ajDpearance  in  the  sight  of  God — that  God  with 
whom  we  have  to  do  in  all  our  most  vital  interests,  and  in  whose 
hands  is  our  everlasting  destiny?  The  figurative  language  used 
indicates  most  clearly  that  God  has  towards  such  lukewarmness  a 
most  extraordinary  dislike.  There  is  implied  in  it  offensiveness, 
disgust,  loathing,  and  the  prospect  of  utter  repudiation.  The 
language  is  such  that  it  would  not  be  possible  for  us  to  exaggerate 
its  import.  Let  it  be  noted  that  tliis  is  God's  estimate  of  indiffer- 
ence to  his  cause,  and  the  soul,  and  his  messages,  and,  above  all, 
to  him — our  Creator,  Preserver,  Redeemer,  and  Judge.  How  can 
we  conceive  of  anything  worse,  or  more  to  be  dreaded,  than  the 
doom  of  abhorrence  exi)ressed  in  this  figure? 

It  is  no  wonder  that  such  utter  indifference  as  renders  men 
neither  hot  nor  cold  in  religion  should  be  so  repulsive  to  the  whole 
nature  of  our  pure,  all-wise  and  all-gracious  Lord.  If  we  take 
a  thoughtful  survey  of  the  matter  we  shall  see  tliat  it  must  be  so. 
We  shall  see  that  such  cold-heartedness  is  shockingly  foolish;  that 
such  state  of  heart  reveals  a  degree  of  depravity  that  is  deep  and 
dreadful ;  that  it  is  sadly  perilous  as  exposing  us  to  eternal  death 
and  woe;  that  it  exhibits  a  horrid  selfishness  and  unconcern  as 
to  the  souls  of  our  fellow  men ;  that  it  tends  to  do  all  that  in 
us  lies  to  thwart  the  gracious  purposes  of  our  God  in  setting  up  the 
divine  kingdom  in  the  world ;  that  it  is  basely  dishonoring  to 
the  example  of  our  dear  Lord  who  suffered  even  to  the  death 
of  the  cross  for  that  cause  which  we  treat  with  such  contemptuous 
unconcern ;  that  it  is  the  most  wretched  ingratitude  towards  the 
infinite  love  of  God  who  has  done  so  much  to  secure  to  us  that 
salvation  that  would  elevate  us  from  a  condition  of  death  and 
misery  to  one  of  life  and  glory  and  bliss ;  that  it  is  the  foulest 
and  blackest  insult  to  our  Father  in  heaven,  on  whom  we  turn 
our  backs  in  scorn;  that  it  is  a  poor,  pitiable  rebuke  to  our 
adorable  Lord,  by  setting  at  naught  that  sublime  enterprise  which 
calls  forth  the  greatness  of  his  infinite  perfections;  and  that  it 
is  horribly  disobedient  and  rebellious  for  us  to  be  thus  indifferent, 
since  he  has  laid  upon  us  the  one  all-absorbing  charge:  "Thou 
shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thine  heart,  and  with  all 
thy  soul,  and  with  all  thy  might."  Can  we  take  even  the  slightest 
glance  at  these  real,  true  and  solemn  considerations  without  our 
very  souls  being  crushed  to  the  dust  by  the  thought  that  we  should 
be  lukewarm  regarding  such  momentous  things?    Can  we  wonder 


WORDS  OF  DOOM.  579 

that  such  a  fearful  punislinient  should  be  denounced  against  a 
crime  so  flagrant  in  the  sight  of  a  God  of  infinite  purity  and 
goodness?  Is  not  this  darkness  of  the  guilt  the  reason  why  such 
a  strangely  ominous  figure  is  used  ?  The  image  is  intensely  strong, 
and  denotes  deep  disgust  and  loathing  at  the  indifference  which 
prevailed  in  the  church  of  Laodicea.  So  will  it  also  be  with 
all  churches,  and  all  professing  Christians.  When  they  become 
lukewarm,  they  have  special  reason  to  dread  the  indignation  of 
their  Saviour.  Because  of  this  it  is  that  all  is  summed  up  in  a 
doom  that  must  send  a  chill  to  every  thoughtful  heart:  "They 
shall  awake  to  shame  and  everlasting  contempts 

In  concluding  this  chapter  it  may  be  summed  up  that  from 
these  words  of  threatened  condemnation,  at  least  one  of  which 
is  addressed  to  each  of  the  seven  churches,  we  have  a  marvel- 
ously  complete  delineation  of  the  threatened  punishments  which 
are  awaiting  all  the  enemies  of  God.  No  one  of  the  seven  ele- 
ments that  constitute  the  messages  is  so  thoroughly  exhaustive 
as  this.  The  whole  subject  is  covered  in  at  least  its  most  essen- 
tial features.  Not  that  each  one  of  the  punishments  that  shall 
be  inflicted  upon  the  wicked  is  distinctly  enunciated ;  but  the 
principles  according  to  which  the  final  doom  will  be  inflicted  are 
stated  so  clearly  as  to  be  easily  comprehended.  Each  of  these 
principles  is  so  presented  as  to  cover  a  whole  class  of  sins,  with 
the  threatened  punishment  that  will  follow.  They  reach  every 
class  of  sin  and  threatened  doom  thereupon,  and  yet  the  words 
of  doom  are  but  one  of  the  seven  elements  of  the  messages, 
and  the  messages  themselves  are  all  contained  in  two  chapters 
of  the  sacred  pages.  Could  mere  human  skill  have  framed  such 
a  composition? 

A  brief  recapitulation  of  the  principles  of  the  warnings  will 
make  all  this  the  more  striking,  and,  presented  in  one  compre- 
hensive view,  will  make  the  words  of  doom  appear  the  more 
awfully  solemn  and  just.  1=,  The  punishment  will  be  severe  in 
proportion  to  the  degree  of  guiltiness.  2.  The  punishment  will 
correspond  in  its  nature  with  the  nature  of  the  offenses  committed. 
3.  Privileges,  when  persistently  neglected,  will  be  taken  away.  4. 
The  stubbornly  impenitent  will  be  abandoned  of  God.  5.  As  with 
a  sword  of  double  edge,  the  voice  of  God  will  strike  terror  into 
the  souls  of  those  who  fight  against  him.  6.  As  the  terrors  of 
a  thief  in  the  night,  will  the  horrors  of  the  judgment  come  sud- 
denly upon  the  guilty.  7.  The  proudest  of  foes  shall  be  humbled 
into  the  very  dust.    8.  Certain  sins  are  so  atrocious  in  the  sight 


580       INAUGUKAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

of  God  that  they  shall  be  visited  by  divine  wrath  even  in  this 
present  time.  9.  Utter  rejection  by  God  will  be  the  horrible  doom 
of  those  who  are  so  guilty  as  to  continue  in  wretched  indifference. 
These  principles,  according  to  which  the  guilty  will  be  judged  and 
punished,  cover  the  whole  subject  in  a  marvelously  comprehen- 
sive manner,  and  they  are  all  placed  in  the  clear  light  of  the 
Beacon,  in  order  that  they  may  be  seen  by  every  transgressor, 
and  that,  if  it  be  possible,  he  may  be  warned  away  from  his 
perilous  course  before  it  be  for  ever  too  late. 


CHAPTER    XXI. 

CORDS  OF  LOVE;    OR,  PROMISES  IN  THE  MESSAGES. 

A  CAREFUL  analysis  of  the  several  promises  in  these  messages 
to  the  seven  churches  will  show  that  in  each  element  of  each 
promise  there  are  certain  things  which  are  identical,  and  among 
such  peculiarities  we  may  enumerate  the  following: 

(1)  To  each  church  there  are  two  messages — one  lohich  is  locals 
intended  for  that  church  alone,  and  one  tchich  is  general  and  equally 
applicable  to  all  churches  of  all  places  and  ages.  The  first  cannot 
have  any  significance  excepting  to  that  particular  church.  It 
arises  from  its  history  and  character,  and  is  framed  according  to 
certain  objects  and  facts  of  the  place.  Being  thus  of  local  import, 
we  have  little  else  to  do  with  it  save  to  study  it  as  a  beautiful 
instance  of  God's  benevolence  and  wisdom.  The  other  promise 
is  general  in  its  import  and  character,  and  looks  forward  to  all 
churches  of  all  times.  It  is  ai)plicable  to  us  of  the  present  age, 
as  fully  as  if  there  was  not  another  church  in  the  world  to  hear 
it.  It  is  of  such  vital  import  that  we  should  endeavor  to  reacli 
its  deepest  meaning,  and  then  take  it  home  to  ourselves  as  the 
joy  and  guide  of  our  whole  lives. 

(2)  The  promises  are  all  diverse  from  each  other.  No  two  of 
them  are  precisely  -alike  in  either  their  import,  their  emblems, 
or  the  manner  in  which  they  are  constructed.  This  is  the  more 
remarkable  in  that  so  many  of  them  hold  out  substantially  the 
same  hopes,  and  impart  instructions  which  are  so  similar.  A  very 
impressive  writer  on  this  portion  of  Scripture  has  well  said:  "The 
promises  of  future  blessedness  to  the  faithful  are  couched  in  dif- 
ferent terms  in  the  address  to  each  church,  and  many  of  them 
under  metaphors  which  occur  nowhere  else  in  tlie  sacred  writ- 
ings." Thus,  to  Ephesus,  we  have  "the  tree  of  life;"  to  Smyrna, 
"a  crown  of  life,"  the  complement  of  the  crown,  of  martyrdom; 
to  Pergamos,  "the  hidden  manna"  and  "the  white  stone;"  to 
Thyatira,  where  the  heathen  were  given  to  the  worship  of  Apollo, 
"the  morning  star;"  to  royal  Sardis,  "the  white  raiment;"  and 
to  the  faithful  of  Philadelphia  is  the  pledge  given :    "  Him  that 

581 


582  INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

overcometh  will  I  make  a  pillar  in  the  temple  of  my  God,  and 
he  shall  go  no  more  out."  Thus  can  it  be  most  easily  seen  that 
to  the  loyal  and  true  of  each  church  there  is  a  different  and 
special  pledge  of  God's  richest  gifts. 

(3)  The  promises  here  given  in  germ  are  expanded  in  the  body  of 
the  Apocalypse.  The  germs  are  here,  the  full  developments  are 
depicted  afterwards. 

This  fact  is  worthy  of  being  presented  in  detail.  In  the 
promises  we  have,  "He  that  overcometh  the  same  shall  be  clothed 
in  lohite  raiment;''''  in  the  revealed  fulfillment,  "And  upon  the 
seats  I  saw  four  and  twenty  elders  sitting,  clothed  in  white 
raiment.''''  In  the  promise  it  is,  '■'■And  in  the  stone  a  7ieiv  name 
loritten;''''  in  the  fulfillment,  "And  with  him  an  hundred  and 
forty  and  four  thousand,  having  his  Father's  name  ivritten  in  their 
foreheads.''''  In  the  promise  we  have,  "J  ivill  give  to  eat  of  the 
tree  of  life;''"'  in  the  body  of  the  Apocalypse  it  is,  "In  the  midst 
of  the  street  of  it,  and  on  either  side  of  the  river,  was  there  the 
tree  of  tife.''^  In  the  promise  it  is,  "  He  that  overcometh  shall 
not  be  hurt  of  the,  second  death;''''  in  the  accoinplishment  it  is, 
"And  death  and  hell  shall  be  cast  into  the  lake  of  fire.''"'  Thus 
is  it  throughout  the  whole  of  the  book ;  in  the  messages  at  the 
beginning  we  have  the  germ,  the  embryo  in  promise;  then 
afterwards,  in  the  body  of  the  book,  we  have  the  full  and 
blessed  fulfillment. 

(4)  The  promises  are  conveyed  in  figurative  language,  and  through 
emblems  formed  by  some  objects  found  in  the  various  cities.  This 
is  one  of  their  striking  and  beautiful  features.  To  the  Ephesians, 
familiar  with  the  splendid  groves  around  their  temple,  was  the 
pledge  that  they  should  eat  of  the  tree  of  life;  to  the  faithful 
of  Smyrna,  who  were  witnesses  of  the  cruel  death  of  so  many 
martyrs,  was  the  assurance  that  they  should  not  be  hurt  of  the 
second  death  ;  to  the  believers  of  Pergamos,  around  whose  walls 
lay  thousands  of  white  pebbles,  was  the  engagement  that  they 
should  receive  the  white  stone  with  the  new  name:  to  the  Chris- 
tians of  Thyatira,  familar  with  the  image  of  Apollo,  the  God 
of  the  sun,  was  the  promise  that  they  would  receive  the  Morning 
Star;  to  the  church  of  Sardis,  the  most  splended  city  then  in 
existence,  did  their  Lord  engage  that  they  would  be  clothed  in 
white  as  citizens  of  the  New  Jerusalem ;  to  the  humble  followers 
of  Christ  in  Philadelphia,  contemned  and  oppressed  by  haughty 
Jewish  enemies,  was  the  prospect  extended  that  those  very 
enemies  would    come   crouching   and    worshiping   at   their    feet; 


CORDS  OF  LOVE.  583 

and  to  the  brave  followers  of  Christ  who  stand  firm  amid  the 
blighting  influences  of  Laodicea  was  the  assurance  granted  that 
they  would  have  an  honored  seat  on  the  throne  of  life  and 
glory.  By  this  peculiarity  of  the  promises  in  the  messages,  they 
were  the  better  understood  and  appreciated.  They  were  brought 
the  nearer  home  to  them,  as  something  with  which  they  would 
actually  have  to  do,  something  that  was  intended  for  them. 
Every  ijromise  was  made  the  dearer  and  more  precious  as 
actually  awaiting  them  in  the  future. 

(5)  The  pronii&es  are  given  in  the  form  of  reicards.  "To  him 
that  overcometh,  will  I  give  to  eat  of  the  tree  of  life;"  "Be  thou 
faithful  unto  death,  and  I  will  give  thee  a  crown  of  life;"  "To 
him  that  overcometh  will  I  give  to  eat  of  the  hidden  manna ; " 
"I  will  give  to  every  one  of  you  according  to  his  works."  The 
whole  tone  and  drift  of  the  promises  are  of  this  character,  indi- 
cating that  they  are  given  as  a  reward  of  fidelity  to  those  who 
prove  true  to  their  Lord.  The  same  characteristic  pervades  all 
Scripture.  It  is  brought  out  with  special  force  in  our  Lord's 
description  of  the  decisions  of  the  Last  Day.  After  the  King 
pronounces  the  "Come,  ye  blessed  of  my  Father,"  he  gives  the 
grounds  of  the  acquittal:  "For  I  was  an  hungered,  and  ye  gave 
me  meat ;  I  was  tliirsty,  and  ye  gave  me  drink ;  I  was  a  stranger, 
and  ye  took  me  in ;  naked,  and  ye  clothed  me ;  I  was  sick,  and 
ye  visited  me;  I  was  in  prison,  and  ye  came  unto  me."  The 
blessed  doom  was  all  as  a  recompense. 

What  God  gives  or  promises  to  give  to  the  faithful  is  still 
spoken  of  as  a  recompense.  Whatever  be  their  inner  thought 
or  purpose,  they  are  not  tossed  to  us  in  form  as  if  they  were  a 
charity  and  with  a  grudge;  but  bestowed  as  if  we  had  some  right 
and  they  were  an  honor.  True,  we  could  not  merit  them  in  the 
strict  sense  of  that  term,  and  as  if  they  were  in  payment  of  some 
claim  of  ours.  This  could  not  be.  They  are  not  in  payment  to 
us;  but  they  are  recompenses  to  Christ  for  his  stupendous  achieve- 
ment on  the  cross,  and  then  he  distributes  them  to  us  in  the  same 
form.  As  an  increase  of  their  blessedness,  for  liis  sake  they  are 
distributed  to  us — as  a  remuneration  for  what  he  has  done.  How 
vastly  are  the  promises  thereby  increased  in  value!  Their  very 
nature  is  changed;  and  they  are  bestowed  as  if  they  were  the 
recompense  of  our  merit.  Our  dear  Lord  so  thoroughly  identifies 
himself  with  us  and  our  interests  as  to  share  his  own  merits  with 
us  in  this  manner.  He  entitles  us  to  go  before  the  tlirone  and  claim 
the  riches  of  heaven  as  the  reward  of  fidelity.    This  we  can  do  even 


584       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

as  following  his  example:  "Looking  unto  Jesus,  the  author  and 
finisher  of  our  faith,  who  for  the  joy  that  was  set  before  him 
endured  the  cross,  despising  the  shame ;  and  is  set  down  at  the 
right  hand  of  the  throne  of  God." 

(6)  The  character  of  the  promises  in  eaxih  case  corresponds  with 
the  character  of  the  church  to  ivhich  they  are  given.  This  point 
is  so  admirably  jjresented  by  Dean  Trench  in  his  excellent  work  on 
the  seven  churches  that  we  will  cite  his  words  in  full:  "It  is 
deeply  interesting  and  instructive  how  in  this,  and  probably  in 
every  other  case,  the  character  of  the  promise  corresponds  to  the 
character  of  the  faithfulness  displayed.  They  who  have  abstained 
from  the  idol  meats,  from  the  sinful  dainties  of  the  flesh  and  the 
world,  shall  in  return  eat  of  the  tree  of  life;  or,  as  it  is  in  tlie 
epistle  to  Pergamos,  of  the  hidden  manna, — the  same  law  of 
correspondency  and  compensation  being  found  to  reign  in  most, 
if  not  in  all  the  other  promises  as  well.  They  who  have  not  feared 
those  who  can  kill  the  body  only, — who  have  given,  where  need 
was,  their  bodies  to  the  flames,  shall  not  be  hurt  by  the  second 
death.  They  whom  the  world  has  not  vanquished  shall  have 
dominion  over  the  world.  They  who  here  keep  their  garments 
undeflled  shall  be  clad  in  the  white  and  shining  garments  of  im- 
mortality there.  They  who  overcome  Jewish  pretensions  shall 
be  made  free,  not  of  an  earthly,  but  of  a  heavenly,  Jerusalem." 

(7)  In  each  p>roniise  there  is  a  higher  degree  of  l)k'ssedness  assured 
than  in  the  preceding  one.  There  is  an  ascending  scale  whereby 
the  promises,  beginning  at  the  lowest,  rise  higher  and  higher, 
until  the  very  highest  conceivable  is  reached.  There  is  a  progress 
from  first  to  last,  step  by  step,  until  we  are  led  up  to  the  throne 
of  the  Triune  Jehovah. 

We  cannot  but  admire  the  skill  by  which,  though  the  prom- 
ises are  taken  in  the  order  of  the  churches,  yet  are  they  so 
arranged  as  to  form  this  splendid  progress  from  the  lowest  up 
to  the  highest. 

Most  assuredly  this  is  not  without  a  definite  purpose.  What  is 
it?  Obviously,  at  first  glance,  it  is  to  make  upon  us  a  more  ade- 
quate impression  of  the  inexhaustible  love  of  God,  which,  even 
after  the  most  profound  research,  "jjasseth  knowledge."  It  is 
to  open  to  our  view  some  of  the  otherwise  closed  avenues  of 
bliss  which  God  has  in  store  for  those  who  love  him.  It  is  to 
cast  some  rays  of  liglit  upon  the  fixthomless  meaning  of  our  Lord, 
when  to  his  troubled  disciples  he  declared :  "  I  go  to  prepare  a 
place  for  you."     This  is  a  part  of  that  preparation;   a  part  of 


CORDS  OF  LOVE.  585 

what  he  has  been  doing  during  the  long  centuries  in  which  he 
has  been  in  the  regions  of  glory  preparing  for  his  people  a  home 
of  unspeakable  blessedness. 

We  see  from  it  all  how  fully  the  heart  of  our  Lord  is  set  upon 
the  endless  happiness  of  his  blood-bought  followers.  The  full 
body  of  that  bliss  cannot  as  yet  be  seen  or  comprehended  by  us, 
but  he  would  give  us  these  glimpses  thereof.  He  would  reveal 
to  us  some  of  its  various  aspects,  that  we  may  form  a  right  con- 
ception of  the  full  body  of  that  heavenly  glory  which  is  here- 
after to  be  revealed.  Mortal  eye  has  not  seen  it  all,  nor  could 
it  endure  the  sight,  were  the  full  blaze  of  its  glory  opened  before 
it;  but  here  its  various  elements  are  exposed  with  such  jDrogres- 
sive  brightness,  that  we  can  look  upon  them,  gaze  steadfastly, 
wonder,  and  adore.  Be  it  now  our  blessed  effort  to  study  these 
successive  stages  of  promised  glory,  as  we  find  them  announced 
in  these  messages. 

I^irst  degree  of  jjromised  glori/ :  Immortalifij.  The  loss  of  man's 
immortality  was  the  great  disaster  of  the  Fall,  and  the  symbol 
and  seal  of  that  loss  was  in  the  exclusion  of  the  fallen  race  from 
eating  of  the  tree  of  life.  The  warning  by  which  life  eternal 
had  been  guarded  was  concerning  the  tree  of  the  knowledge 
of  good  and  evil:  "In  the  day  that  thou  eatest  thereof,  thou 
shalt  surely  die."  They  disobeyed,  they  ate,  they  were  lost,  their 
immortality  was  gone;  and  the  seal  of  their  doom  was  affixed 
in  their  banishment  from  the  tree  of  life:  "So  he  [God]  drove 
out  the  man,  and  he  placed  at  the  east  of  the  garden  of  Eden 
cherubim,  and  a  flaming  sword  which  turned  every  way,  to  keep 
the  way  of  the  tree  of  life.''''  That  was  their  si^iritual  death.  They 
fell,  were  excluded  from  Paradise,  and  of  the  tree  of  life  they 
would  never  more  be  allowed  to  eat.  Tlie  essence  and  emblem 
of  the  original  curse  of  death  was  exclusion  from  the  tree  of  life. 
That  was  death  itself.  Then  the  tree  of  life  disappears  and  re- 
mains unseen  for  centuries  of  sin,  while  the  fallen  race,  though 
spiritually  dead,  sinned  and  suffered  on  in  their  lost  estate. 

Meantime,  however,  the  purposes  of  God  ripened,  and  the 
promised  Deliverer  appears,  teaches,  suffers,  dies,  and  rises  again 
as  the  Conqueror  of  death — and  the  ruin  of  the  Fall  is  repaired. 
That  gracious  achievement  is  announced  in  proclamation  from 
the  divine  throne  that  the  seal  is  broken,  and  the  way  to  the 
tree  of  life  is  open  again.  It  was  hidden ;  but  now,  in  the  first 
of  these  seven  messages,  is  heard  the  promise:  "  Jb  Itim  that 
overcometh   icill  I  give  to  eat  of  the  tree  of  life.''    Thus  was   the 


586       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

loss  of  the  Fall  to  be  repaired.  Immortality  was  lost,  but  thus 
was  it  restored.  The  j)romise  was  a  very  simple  one:  "He  shall 
eat  of  the  tree  of  life."  That  is  the  whole  promise.  It  is  brief; 
but  it  is  significant  and  complete.  With  the  loss  of  the  tree  of 
life  comes  the  loss  of  immortality.  Whatever  may  have  been 
the  connection  between  them,  it  is  certain  that  the  two  events 
came  together.  Then,  on  the  contrary,  the  animating  fact  is 
manifest  that  the  restoration  of  the  two  was  simultaneous;  the 
l^romise  of  restored  immortality  is  signalized  by  restored  access 
to  the  tree  of  life.  To  eat  of  the  tree  of  life  is  to  live  for  ever- 
more. But  that  life  carries  with  it  the  concomitants  of  life,  such 
as  joy,  and  love,  and  activity,  and  all  else  which  its  glorious 
Author  established  as  the  very  essence  of  life.  All  these  are 
included  in  the  first  blessed  engagement — "will  I  give  to  eat  of 
the  tree  of  life  which  is  in  the  midst  of  the  paradise  of  God." 

Second  degree :  "  He  that  overcometh  shcdl  not  be  hurt  of  the  second 
death.''''  The  second  death  is  the  death  of  the  soul — the  death 
which  is  to  be  the  doom  of  the  lost  after  that  first,  temporal 
death  of  which  we  are  now  witnesses;  that  awful  death  to 
which  there  will  never  be  an  end.  Its  character  is  made  terribly 
jjlain  in  two  passages  of  Holy  Writ  the  meaning  of  which  it  is 
not  possible  for  us  to  mistake.  One  of  them  was  uttered  by  our 
gracious  Lord  himself:  "And  fear  not  them  which  kill  the  body, 
but  are  not  able  to  kill  the  soul;  but  rather  fear  him  which  is 
able  to  destroy  both  soul  and  body  in  hell."  The  other  is  to 
be  the  dreadful  doom  of  the  enemies  of  God,  made  known  as 
a  warning  to  every  soul  of  mankind:  "But  the  fearful,  and 
unbelieving,  and  the  abominable,  and  murderers,  and  whore- 
mongers, and  sorcerers,  and  idolaters,  and  all  liars,  shall  have 
their  part  in  the  lake  which  burnetii  with  fire  and  brimstone; 
which  is  the  second  death."  The  meaning  and  intent  of  this 
cannot  be  mistaken.  The  horrors  implied  cannot  be  exaggerated, 
especially  when  it  is  remembered  that  the  words  come  from 
the  heart  of  Him  who  wept  so  bitterly  over  the  threatened 
doom  that  was  impending  over  the  irreclaimable  Jerusalem. 

Such  was  the  second  death,  and  the  great  promise  made  to 
the  faithful  in  Smyrna  was  that  they  sliould  not  even  receive 
any  hurt  tlierefrom.  It  was  a  promise  peculiarly  significant  to 
that  i:)eople  who  were  bleeding  from  the  cruel  wounds  of  the 
persecutors.  How  full  of  comfort  it  must  have  been  to  them  as 
they  saw  neighbors  and  relatives  slaughtered  without  mercy 
because    they    would    not    deny    their    Lord;    their    beloved    and 


CORDS  OF   LOVE.  587 

venerated  bishop  Polycarp  roasted  in  the  flames  because  he 
would  not  insult  the  memory  of  that  gracious  Saviour  who  was 
all  in  all  to  him.  What  to  them  were  a  few  pangs  for  a  few 
moments  only,  while  they  had  the  assurance  from  the  God  of 
infinite  truth  himself  that  not  one  pang  for  even  an  instant  would 
come  upon  them  from  the  second  death.  A  few  moments  of 
suffering  might  be  endured,  but  then  would  follow  perfect  and 
endless  joys,  which  Omnipotence  itself  would  guard,  and  endless 
ages  would  never  dim.  Let  them  lie  faithful  but  for  a  few  brief 
moments,  and  then  all  the  malice  of  8atan,  and  all  the  plans 
of  the  j)0wers  of  darkness,  could  never  harm  them  even  for  an 
instant.  Their  safety  would  be  perfect  and  endless.  They  could 
not  be  destroyed— they  would  not  even  he  liuH  by  the  second  death. 
But  this  was  not  all;  it  was  not  even  the  real  point  and  zest  of 
the  engagement  made  to  this  faithful  people.  It  was  the  deliver- 
ance wrought  in  the  extreme  moment  of  danger,  the  snatching 
from  the  very  brink  of  the  pit,  the  safety  brought  at  the  last  instant 
when  all  hope  seemed  gone,  the  triumph  when  all  seemed  lost — it 
was  this  which  was  embodied  in  this  promise  so  marvelous;  per- 
fect immunity  f^t  the  instant  when  it  seemed  certain  that  friend 
or  help  there  could  be  none.  The  three  righteous  heroes  who 
were  cast  into  the  fiery  furnace  of  Babylon  are,  perhaps,  the  best 
scriptural  illustration  of  it.  The  enemies  were  malignant;  the  king- 
was  in  a  fury  and  without  restraint;  the  furnace  was  heated  into 
seven  times  greater  rage;  not  a  friend  was  to  be  found ;  the  servants 
of  God  were  thrown  by  the  mightiest  men  of  the  empire  into  the 
merciless  flames.  The  heavenly  Deliverer  comes.  "Behold,  four 
men,  loose,  walking  composedly  in  the  midst  of  the  fire" — no  hurt 
of  any  kind  upon  them  !  The  fire  had  no  power  over  their  bodies; 
a  hair  of  their  heads  was  not  singed!  Their  clothing  was  not 
touched;  not  even  the  smell  of  fire  had  passed  upon  them. 

This  glorious  deliverance  for  the  faithful  people  of  God  is  thus 
most  impressively^  set  before  us  in  this  blessed  promise  to  the 
church  of  Smyrna.  In  the  immediate  future  there  lay  before 
them  a  dreadful  prospect.  Satan  was  plotting  against  them  with 
all  his  malignant  artifice.  He  would  have  some  of  them  cast 
into  prison.  Their  fidelity  would  be  tested  to  the  very  utmost. 
For  a  time  they  would  be  in  the  greatest  tribulation.  Many  of 
them  would  be  slain,  and  that  in  a  manner  most  cruel.  Nothing 
is  concealed  from  them ;  they  were  to  know  all.  All  that  the 
flesh  dreaded  was  before  them  ;  but,  wif/i  the  trial  icoukl  also  come 
the  deliverance.     They  needed    not   to  dread   the   sufferings;    for 


588       INAUGUEAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

their  triumphant  escape  would  be  certain  and  complete,  according 
to  the  pledge  of  their  Lord  of  infinite  power  and  truth. 

This  it  is  that  constitutes  the  very  essence  and  rapture  of  the 
second  promise  of  the  seven,  that  raises  it  to  a  degree  above  the 
preceding  one,  and  that  gives  it  its  position  in  the  ascending  pro- 
gress. The  speedy  and  sure  deliverance,  when  all  else  would 
seem  hopeless,  and  the  unexpected  triumph  which  breaks  out  in 
the  shout  of  victory:  "O  death,  where  is  thy  sting?  O  grave, 
where  is  thy  victory?" — this  it  is  which  constitutes  its  peerless 
glory.  This  it  is  which  puts  on  it  its  crown— the  crown  of  joy, 
and  truth,  and  glory. 

Third  degree:  Sacred,  inviolable,  and  everlasting  friendship.  We 
consider  this  promise  to  the  church  of  Pergamos  the  sweetest  and 
most  precious  of  all  the  seven,  if  not,  indeed,  in  th<*  whole  Bible. 
Its  tenderness,  its  fathomless  affection,  and  its  pledge  of  perpetual 
endearment  to  the  blessed  Son  of  God  are  unsuri:)assed  by  any 
words  ever  uttered,  or  that  could  possibly  be  imagined. 

It  was  doubtless  the  tessera  hospitalis  which  was  intended  by 
the  white  stone  with  the  new  and  secret  name.  This  was  the  fare- 
well remembrance  given  to  a  departing  guest,  to,. be  borne  away 
by  him  as  a  memento  of  blessed  days  of  hospitality  and  sweet 
interchange  of  soul;  as  a  pledge  of  friendship  which  death  only 
could  ever  violate;  as  a  sacred  token  which  could  be  interpreted 
by  no  other  than  that  dearest  of  all  friends  of  whose  true-hearted 
friendship  it  was  the  pledge;  as  a  seal  binding  the  parties  and 
their  children  and  their  children's  children  in  inviolable  cove- 
nant. It  was  the  counterpart  of  the  other  i>ortion  of  the  white 
pebble  cut  in  two  to  be  a  memento  of  a  time  of  communion  of 
soul,  and  retained  by  the  host  also,  bearing  that  secret  word 
that  would  serve  as  a  passport  never  to  be  neglected  or  violated. 
Nothing  could  possibly  be  more  sacred  or  binding  than  this  tessera 
hospitalis.  Exhibited  by  either  party,  it  was  recognized  by  the 
other,  opened  the  door  of  hospitality,  and  established  a  confidence 
and  interchange  of  friendly  oifices  which  neither  time,  nor  change, 
nor  adversity  of  any  kind  could  ever  wear  away.  All  other  bonds 
might  be  weakened,  or  broken,  but  this  never.  Personal  interest 
or  relationship,  or  pledges,  or  legal  ties  could  be  severed,  but  this 
was  more  enduring  tlian  life  itself,  for  it  went  down  to  future  gen- 
erations. And  not  this  only,  but  there  was  no  token  of  affection 
it  would  not  offer,  no  gift  it  would  not  present,  no  sacrifice  it 
would  not  make,  no  kindness  it  would  not  extend,  to  the  dear 
object  with  whom  the  priceless  pledge  had  been  interchanged. 


CORDS  OF  LOVE.  ,589 

Such  was  the  emblem  chosen  by  our  glorified  Lord  through 
which  to  pledge  the  tenderness  and  endurance  of  his  affection  to 
his  faithful  followers.  It  is  his  promise  of  boundless  and  ever- 
lasting love  to  them.  It  is  the  same  divine  affection  which  he 
had  of  old  pledged  them  in  the  memorable  words:  "Can  a  woman 
forsake  her  sucking  child,  that  she  should  not  have  compassion 
on  the  son  of  her  womb?  Yea,  they  may  forget,  yet  will  I  not 
forget  thee.  Behold,  I  have  graven  thee  upon  the  palms  of  my 
hands;  thy  walls  are  continually  before  me."  The  same  inex- 
pressible tenderness  was  indicated  in  the  precious  pledge:  "Thus 
saith  the  Lord  of  Hosts,  After  the  glory  hath  he  sent  me  unto 
the  nations  which  spoiled  you;  for  he  that  toucheth  you,  toucheth 
the  apple  of  his  eye." 

It  is  very  easy  to  understand  how  this  third  promise  is  a  great 
advance  on  the  other  two  which  went  before  it.  The  first  is  a 
pledge  to  the  faithful  that  they  would  never  die;  by  the  second 
they  are  made  certain  that  they  would  be  granted  a  triumi:)h 
over  the  second  death  ;  but  in  the  third,  the  gracious  Lord  comes 
much  nearer,  and  offers  himself  as  a  personal,  intimate,  and  never- 
failing  friend.  The  other  promises  were  general,  and  made  to 
all  believers,  in  all  times  and  places,  as  a  class ;  but  this  is  addressed 
to  individual  saints  as  directly  and  as  certainly  as  if  their  names 
were  named,  and  as  if  there  were  no  other  believers  in  all  the 
world  to  receive  them.  It  is  not  now  the  fruit  of  the  tree  of  life, 
or  the  conquest  over  the  horrors  of  death  eternal,  which  our  Lord 
engages  to  give  them ;  but  Hi iuse(f— hhnself,  with  all  his  glories 
and  riches  and  powers.  Not  only  should  such  believers  not  die,  or 
even  be  in  danger  of  death  eternal;  but  they  should  evermore 
receive  a  new  influx  of  life  and  strength,  from  their  ever-present 
heavenly  Friend,  which  would  be  to  them  as  hidden  manna  enrich- 
ing their  souls.  Of  this  would  they  receive  a  white  stone  as  a 
symbol  and  pledge— a  stone  that  would  bear  on  it  a  new  name 
secret  and  beloved,  as  if  constantly  whispered  into  the  soul  from 
heaven  by  the  living,  loving  Friend  who  would  never  leave  them. 
In  the  other  two  promises  are  the  assurance  of  immortality  and 
triumph  over  the  second  death  ;  but  here  is  the  pledge  of  immortal 
glory  and  joy  flowing  from  the  very  heart  of  the  celestial  Friend. 

Fourth  degree:  /^/iaring  loifh  Christ  in  his  ride  over  the  ncdions. 
The  Bible  abounds  with  promises  to  Christ  that  he  shall  have 
dominion  over  all  the  nations  of  mankind. 

The  promise  to  the  church  of  Thyatira  is  that  the  obedience 
of  that  church  would  be  rewarded  by  their  "receiving  power  over 


590.      INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

the  nations."  This  blessing,  implying  the  promised  rule  of  the 
saints,  holds  a  most  conspicuous  place  in  all  the  Scriptures,  both 
Old  Testament  and  New,  Very  clear  and  comprehensive  is  the 
divine  decree  as  announced  in  the  Second  Psalm:  "I  have  set 
my  king  upon  my  holy  hill  of  Zion.  I  will  declare  the  decree: 
the  Lord  hath  said  unto  me,  Thou  art  my  Son ;  this  day  have  I 
begotten  thee.  Ask  of  me,  and  I  shall  give  thee  the  heathen  for 
thine  inheritance,  and  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth  for  thy 
possession." 

In  this,  as  in  all  similar  cases,  the  dominion  is  first  engaged  to 
be  given  to  Christ  as  the  head  and  representative  of  the  body 
of  his  people.  Then,  in  addition  to  this  formal  decree  of  the 
Father,  we  have  the  pledge  to  the  exalted  Lord:  "According 
to  the  working  of  his  mighty  power,  which  he  wrought  in  Christ, 
when  he  raised  him  from  the  dead,  and  set  him  at  his  own  right 
hand  in  the  heavenly  places,  far  above  all  principality  and  power, 
and  might,  and  dominion,  and  every  name  that  is  named,  not 
only  in  this  world,  but  also  in  that  which  is  to  come;  and  hath 
put  all  things  under  his  feet,  and  gave  him  to  be  head  over  all 
things  to  the  Church."  To  the  same  purport  also  is  the  declaration 
of  our  Lord  to  his  disciples  when  leaving  them  as  to  the  flesh: 
"All  power  is  given  unto  me  in  heaven  and  in  earth."  Then  be 
it  ever  kept  in  the  mind  that  these  grants  were  his  as  Head  of  the 
Church  and  of  all  his  ransomed  followers.  All  was  put  into  his 
hands  to  be  held  by  him  in  trust  for  his  redeemed  people. 
As  affirmed  in  Daniel:  "And  the  kingdom  and  dominion,  and  the 
greatness  of  the  kingdom  under  the  whole  heaven,  shall  be  given 
to  the  people  of  the  saints  of  the  Most  High,  whose  kingdom  is 
an  everlasting  kingdom,  and  all  dominions  shall  serve  and  obey 
him."  Let  it  be  noticed  here  that  the  people  and  the  King  are 
used  interchangeably,  the  one  being  the  representative  of  the  other. 
Thus  is  it  on  earth,  and  so  will  it  also  be  in  heaven.  The  song 
of  the  ransomed  in  glory  will  be:  "Unto  him  that  loved  us  ...  . 
and  hath  made  us  kings  and  priests  unto  God  and  his  Father." 
Thus  it  is  throughout  all  that  is  made  known  concerning  the 
mediatorial  dominion  of  our  Lord — the  power  and  authority  are 
given  to  him  as  the  sovereign  King. 

This  power  over  the  nations  is  jDromised  the  saints  both  for 
time  and  for  eternity.  In  the  language  by  which  the  promise 
is  given,  sometimes  one  is  intimated,  sometimes  the  other,  and 
sometimes  both.  Such  is  a  very  common  feature  of  the  pro- 
phetical   language   of  Scripture.       Frequently  there   are   two,  or 


COEDS  OF  LOVE.  591 

even  more  accomplishments  intended  by  the  same  words.  The 
first,  or  immediate,  fulfillment  is  given  as  an  intimation,  a  pledge 
of  that  which  is  more  remote  in  the  future  and  more  glorious 
in  itself.  Eminently  so  is  it  in  reference  to  the  predicted  reign 
of  the  saints.  Through  the  inherent  power  and  influence  of  the 
gospel  they  will  gain  an  ascendency  over  the  enemies  of  the 
kingdom  at  the  present  time,  and  that  will  become  the  pledge 
as  well  as  the  type  of  a  grander  victory  over  all  foes  in  the  ages 
that  are  to  come.  Their  reign  is  to  begin  here  •  it  is  to  be  j)er" 
fected  hereafter.  Now,  on  earth,  shall  the  kingdom  be  granted 
to  the  saints  of  the  Lord ;  but  hereafter  in  the  world  to  come 
'will  be  heard  their  song  of  praise  to  Him  who  washed  them 
in  his  own  blood  and  made  them  kings  and  priests  to  their 
omnipotent    Lord. 

The  thought  that  our  glorified  Lord,  the  supreme  King  of  his 
ransomed  Church,  will  share  his  dominion  with  his  redeemed 
people  is  one  of  inexpressible  glory.  In  some  way,  as  yet  unre- 
vealed  to  us,  he  will  associate  his  blood-bought  servants  with 
himself  in  his  dominion  over  the  nations.  In  this  respect  they 
are  represented  as  his  brilliant  army,  who  follow  him  on  to  vic- 
tory and  rule;  and  this  is  their  appearance  as  described  in  the 
Apocalypse:  "And  he  was  clothed  with  a  vesture  dipped  in 
blood;  and  his  name  is  called  The  Word  of  God.  And  the 
armies  which  were  in  heaven  followed  him  upon  white  horses, 
clothed  in  fine  linen,  white  and  clean.  And  out  of  his  mouth 
goeth  a  sharp  sword,  that  with  it  he  might  smite  the  nations; 
and  he  shall  rule  them  with  a  rod  of  iron :  and  he  treadeth  the 
wine-press  of  the  fierceness  and  wrath  of  Almighty  God.  And 
he  hath  on  his  vesture  and  on  his  thigh  a  name  written:  ^^ King 
of  kings,  and  Lord  of  lords^  And  not  in  victory  alone,  but 
in  ruling  also,  would  they  be  associated  with  him,  according  to 
his  engagement  with  his  disciples:  "And  Jesus  said  unto  them. 
Verily  I  say  unto  you.  That  ye  which  have  followed  me,  in  the 
regeneration  when  the  Son  of  man  shall  sit  on  the  throne  of 
his  glory,  ye  also  shall  sit  upon  twelve  thrones,  judging  the  twelve 
tribes  of  Israel."  Just  as  the  Father  had  shared  the  supreme 
throne  with  him,  the  Son,  so  also  would  he  share  his  throne 
with  his  followers.  It  would  seem  almost  as  if  the  very  vocabu- 
lary of  promise  and  hope  were  exhausted  in  order  to  find  expres- 
sions sufficiently  strong  for  this  glorious  prospect  before  the  re- 
deemed of  the  Lord.  Take  this  example:  "Let  the  saints  be  joy- 
ful in  glory;   let  them  sing  aloud  upon  their  beds.    Let  the  high 


592       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

praises  of  God  be  in  their  moutli,  and  a  two-edged  sword  in 
tlieir  hand;  to  execute  vengeance  upon  the  heathen,  and  punish- 
ments upon  the  people;  to  binds  tlieir  kings  with  chains,  and 
their  nobles  with  fetters  of  iron  ;  to  execute  upon  them  the  judg- 
ment written:  this  honour  have  all  his  saints." 

Mortal  tongue  cannot  utter,  nor  can  mortal  mind  conceive  the 
exalted  prospect  of  glory  which  is  implied  in  this  promise  of 
dominion  over  the  nations.  It  would  seem  as  if  it  had  exhausted 
the  whole  treasury  of  words  by  which  such  blessedness  could  be 
described.  There  is  one  most  sublime  engagement  which  con- 
tains all;  and  with  that  to  plead  we  need  have  no  fear  of  ex- 
aggerating. To  make  it  the  more  impressive,  it  is  introduced 
by  a  special  assurance  that  it  comes  from  the  divine  Spirit  of  all 
truth  and  holiness.  Its  well-known  words  are:  "The  Spirit  it- 
self beareth  witness  with  our  spirit,  that  we  are  the  children  of 
God:  and  if  children,  then  heirs;  heirs  of  God  and  joint-heirs 
with  Christ:  if  so  be  that  we  suffer  with  him,  that  ice  may  be 
also  glorified  together. ^^  Joint-heirs  with  the  Son  of  God! — who  can 
imagine  the  unspeakable  glory?  Joint-heirs  with  him  of  his  media- 
torial dominion,  secured  for  him  and  for  us  by  the  merit  of  his 
death,  and  for  which  he  was  crowned  as  his  pre-eminent  glory. 
In  this  way,  both  omnipotence  and  infinite  wisdom  were  exerted 
in  preparing  the  mediatorial  crown  for  the  brow  of  our  ever-blessed 
Immanuel.  "  I  go  to  prepare  a  place  for  you,"  was  the  consolatory 
valedictory  to  the  disciples  from  their  departing  Lord— and  little 
did  they  know  of  the  infinite  depths  of  glorious  promise  which 
his  words  implied. 

This  dominion  over  the  nations  which  is  hereafter  to  be  given 
to  the  saints  is  a  sublime  though,  as  yet,  a  mysterious  promise. 
Early  in  their  ministry,  our  Lord  gave  it  to  his  disciples  for 
their  encouragement  under  the  great  sacrifices  which  they  would 
be  called  upon  to  make  for  his  cause  which  they  had  espoused. 
That  original  engagement,  standing  alone  at  the  time,  is  exceed- 
ingly impressive.  In  addition  to  that  part  of  it  already  cited, 
"Ye  also  shall  sit  upon  twelve  thrones,  judging  the  twelve  tribes 
of  Israel,"  there  follows:  "And  every  one  that  hath  forsaken 
houses,  or  brethren,  or  sisters,  or  father,  or  mother,  or  wife,  or 
children,  or  lands,  for  my  name's  sake,  shall  receive  an  hundred- 
fold, and  .shall  inherit  everlasting  life."  They  were  appointed  to 
be  ivitnesses  for  him  while  they  would  be  on  earth,  but  thereafter, 
when  they  should  have  entered  the  portals  of  glory,  by  a  marvelous 
transformation  they  would  become  judges.     All  through  the  days 


CORDS   OF  LOVE.  593 

of  their  ministry  on  earth  tliis  promise  migiit  well  ring  in  their 
ears.  Never  would  they  be  called  to  bear  a  cross,  never  to  make 
a  sacrifice,  but  this  promised  dominion  over  all  their  enemies 
might  well  cheer  and  encourage  them. 

The  full  meaning  of  the  promise  is  of  course  as  yet  unknown 
to  us;  but  its  general  intent  it  is  not  difficult  to  comprehend. 
When,  as  supreme  Judge  of  the  quick  and  the  dead,  the  Lord 
of  glory  shall  be  seated  upon  his  judgment  throne,  his  disciples, 
as  his  most  exalted  officers  of  state,  shall  surround  him  to  concur 
in  his  decisions  and  to  ratify  his  words  of  doom.  Long  before 
that  illustrious  day  of  the  final  Judgment,  the  saints,  as  one 
with  their  Lord,  and  identified  with  him  in  all  his  mediatorial 
work,  shall  judge  the  world ;  as  they  will  also  be  one  with  him 
in  subduing  and  ruling  over  a  rebellious  world.  Pie  would 
conquer,  and  they  with  him.  He  would  overcome  the  nations 
and  govern  them  by  a  rod  of  iron ;  and  here  is  the  promise 
g'ven  that  his  faithful  followers  should  be  associated  with  him 
in  that  glorious  achievement. 

What  a  blessed  announcement  must  this  have  been  to  the 
faithful  Christians  of  Thyatira  to  whom  it  was  first  made !  They 
were  opposed  and  persecuted  to  the  death  by  the  remorseless 
enemies  of  Christ  and  his  Church ;  but  here  is  the  pledge  of 
their  omnipotent  Lord  that  he  would  stand  by  them,  and  their 
eiiemies  should  yet  be  broken  and  scattered  as  if  by  a  rod  of 
iron.  Through  his  infinite  power  they  would  be  enabled  to- 
dash  in  pieces  every  foe  to  that  truth  and  righteousness  which 
they  had  been  ordained  to  proclaim  and  uphold. 

From  all  this  it  is  easy  to  see  that  this  promise  of  power  over 
the  nations  is  a  degree  of  exaltation  higher  than  the  one  which 
went  before  it;  and  so,  of  course,  higher  than  all  the  previous 
ones.  When  we  survey  the  successive  stages  of  the  progress, 
we  become  lost  in  wonder.  xVssurance  of  certain  immortality ; 
of  perfect  safety  from  even  any  danger  from  the  second  death ; 
of  the  dearest,  tenderest  and  most  inviolable  friendship  with  the 
supreme  Lord  ;  and  now,  of  a  share  with  him  in  his  dominion 
over  the  nations  of  the  world; — is  there  anything  that  can  rise 
higher  than  these?  Yes;  a  higher  glory  still  is  promised  to 
those  who  shall  remain  brave  and  faithful  amid  an  atmosphere 
of  hypocrisy ! 

Fifth  degree:  Special  troiohies  of  His  mediatorial  achievement. 
This  is  that  higher  degree  of  glory  pledged  to  those  who  prove 
faithful  and  true  in  the  midst  of  the  spiritual  blight  and  hypocrisy 

38 


594       INAUGUKAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

prevailing  in  the  eliurch  of  Sardis.  Its  prospect  of  unspeakable 
glory  is  opened  in  the  blessed  words:  *'He  that  overcometh,  the 
same  shall  be  clothed  in  white  raiment,  and  I  will  not  blot  out  his 
name  out  of  the  book  of  life,  but  I  will  confess  his  name  before 
my  Father,  and  before  his  angels."  This  promise  surpasses  all 
that  was  ever  seen  on  earth  by  mortal  eyes,  or  conceived  of  by 
mortal  mind. 

We  behold  the  august  assembly  gathered  around  the  throne  on 
which  is  seated  the  exalted  8on  of  man,  who  has  come  "  in  his 
glory,  and  all  the  holy  angels  with  him."  There,  too,  are  collected 
the  most  pure  and  noble  of  all  creatures,  angels  and  archangels, 
cherubim  and  serai)him,  principalities  and  powers — all  the  most 
exalted  of  celestial  beings,  as  well  as  the  most  renowned  of  the 
ransomed  saints  from  every  land  of  earth,  and  every  age  of  time. 
All  are  there.  The  universe  has  never  witnessed  such  an  assem- 
blage. It  is  the  Day  of  days.  The  day  of  the  espousals  of  our 
gloriiied  Mediator  has  come.  The  "exceeding  greatness  of  his 
power"  and  of  his  majesty  is  now  to  be  manifested.  Having 
subdued  sin,  and  Satan,  and  hell,  and  death,  and  the  grave,  he  had 
ascended  up  on  high,  leading  captivity  captive,  and  been  placed 
at  the  right  hand  of  the  supreme  Majesty  "  in  the  heavenly  places, 
far  above  all  principality  and  power,  and  might,  and  dominion, 
and  every  name  that  is  named,  not  only  in  this  world,  but  also 
in  that  which  is  to  come;  and  God  hath  put  all  things  under 
his  feet,  and  gave  him  to  be  head  over  all  things  to  the  Church." 

In  the  midst  of  that  glorious  assembly,  according  to  this  special 
promise,  the  faithful  follower  of  his  Lord  upon  earth  is  now  to 
be  presented,  as  an  honored  trophy  of  Christ's  sublimest  achieve- 
ment upon  earth.  Long  ago  had  his  name  been  written  in  inefface- 
able characters  on  the  pages  of  the  Lamb's  book  of  life.  And  now, 
on  the  great  Day  of  the  Lord,  it  is  sought  for  and  found,  and  the 
blessed  saint  is  to  be  glorified  before  the  assembled  universe.  He 
is  arrayed  in  white  robes  for  presentation  amid  the  holy  ones  gath- 
ered around  the  Great  White  Throne.  In  the  days  of  temptation 
on  earth,  and  amid  the  defilements  of  an  atmosphere  of  corrup- 
tion, he  had  not  soiled  the  garments  with  which  his  Lord  had 
adorned  him.  This  was  not  forgotten,  but  he  is  now  arrayed  in 
the  pure  robes  of  the  heavenly  sanctuary  into  which  he  is  to  be 
admitted. 

Then  is  he  brought  into  that  Presence  where  the  angels  bow, 
and  the  archangels  veil  their  faces:  but  he  does  not  fall  doivn  in 
shame,  crushed  and  abashed ;— for  he  is  led  by  the  hand  of  that 


CORDS  OF   LOVE.  595 

adorable  Lord  whom  he  had  been  enabled  to  confess  when  all 
others  had  denied  him  upon  earth.  He  is  introduced  by  Him 
whose  majesty  is  there  supreme.  By  that  adorable  one,  the 
highest  and  holiest  of  all,  the  King  of  kings  and  Lord  of  lords, 
he  is  presented  as  a  trophy  of  the  grandest  victory  of  time.  The 
Victor  leads  him  forward  in  rapture,  and,  naming  his  name  in 
that  congregation  where  every  other  voice  is  hushed,  and  every 
soul  is  tilled  with  reverence,  his  heavenly  Lord  proclaims:  "Here 
is  one, of  tiie  ransomed  for  whom  I  shed  my  blood  on  the  cross; 
one  whom  I  have  rescued  from  death  and  hell,  one  who  was 
faithful  and  true  to  me  when  all  else  had  denied  me,  one  -who, 
having  cleansed  his  robes  in  my  blood,  has  come  up  out  of 
great  tribulation,  and  is  now  to  take  his  place  amid  the  holy 
and  the  glorious  ones  by  my  most  honored  throne." 

Oh  the  rapture  of  the  saint  at  that  supreme  moment  of  glory  and 
bliss!  Oh  the  thrill  of  joy  unspeakable  that  will  take  possession 
of  his  whole  being!  Oh  the  ecstatic  greeting  from  the  heavenly 
hosts  that  will  welcome  him  to  their  holy,  blissful,  and  unending 
companionship ! 

Scarce  a  word  need  be  added  to  prove  that  this  is  a  degree  of 
blessedness  far  in  advance  of  all  that  had  gone  before  it.  Glon/ 
is  the  one  word  which  gives  its  character  to  all.  Glory  in  the 
sublime  event — glory  in  the  celestial  companionship,  glory  that 
cannot  be  described  or  imagined,  in  Him  who  is  the  centre,  the 
source,  and  the  sum  of  all.  There  is  glory  unspeakable  in  each 
degree  of  the  promises  whicli  have  gone  before,  but  in  none  of 
them  is  that  glory  so  ineffable  as  in  this. 

Sixfh  degree:  Oruaments  and  supports  of  the  celestial  Kingdom. 
"  I  will  make  him  a  pillar  in  the  temple  of  my  God,  and  he 
shall  go  no  more  out."  The  pillar  of  a  teniple  is  its  most  distinct- 
ive and  most  honored  object.  All  the  peculiarity,  distinction, 
beauty,  and  glory  of  a  temple  are  concentrated  in  its  columns. 
On  these  the  special  skill  and  most  earnest  study  of  the  architect 
are  put  forth.  The  style  of  these  was  what  gave  name  and  char- 
acter to  the  splendid  structures  of  old.  Corinthian,  Doric,  Ionic, 
Composite,  and  others  were  the  names  by  which  the  most  cele- 
brated temples  were  known;  and  these  were  in  their  pillars. 
Epochs  in  architecture  were  designated  by  the  prevalence  of  one 
or  other  of  these  forms.  Tlien,  considering  that  in  any  given  tem- 
ple thei'e  were  ordinarily  only  a  few,  perhaps  but  five  or  six,  of 
these,  we  can  readily  understand  why  they  should  be  such  cele- 
brated objects  in  the  sacred  structure. 


596       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

Most  celebrated  they  sometimes  were.  Its  pillars  in  any  tem- 
ple were  that  which  gave  it  name  and  character,  and  which  often 
drew  admirers  to  the  renowned  building  from  distant  regions  of 
the  world.  Such  was  it  with  the  pillars  of  the  beautiful  colon- 
nade which  made  the  Parthenon  of  Athens  the  wonder  and  ad- 
miration of  mankind.  So  was  it  also  with  the  columns  of  Diana's 
temple  in  Ephesus,  each  of  which  was  the  gift  of  some  king  in 
Asia  and  which  were  considered  of  such  priceless  value  that,  when 
the  building  fell  into  ruins,  some  of  them  were  transported  for  hun- 
dreds of  miles,  and  guarded  with  such  sacred  care  that  even  to  this 
day  they  are  among  tlie  most  valued  ornaments  of  such  buildings 
as  St.  Sophia  in  Constantinople  and  St.  Mark's  in  Venice.  Such, 
too,  was  it  with  that  solitary  surviving  pillar  which  now  towers 
over  the  ruins  of  Sardis,  the  masterpiece  of  Doric  architecture. 
Because  of  their  beauty,  their  perfection,  and  their  fame,  these 
were  the  ornaments  which  our  Lord  chose  by  which  to  describe 
the  honor  that  he  would  bestow  upon  his  faithful  servants  of 
Philadelphia. 

Nor  is  this  all.  The  pillars  were  objects  most  admired  in  tem- 
ples because  of  their  beauty,  and  their  power  of  awakening 
thought;  but  they  were  also  most  important  in  that  they  were 
the  supports  of  the  structure.  Who  can  describe  the  dignity 
of  the  believer  in  being  thus  honored  by  comparison  with  an 
emblem  so  esteemed  in  the  sight  of  God?  Take  one  of  the  old 
cathedrals  of  England,  and  gaze  upon  its  venerable  columns  that 
support  its  splendid  ceilings,  and  then  consider  that  such  is  the 
symbol  chosen  to  describe  the  glory  awaiting  tlvose  holy  men 
Avho  have  been  the  stay  of  the  Church.  An  unspeakable  honor 
would  this  be  in  any  case;  but  how  much  more  so  in  Philadel- 
phia, when  every  other  structure  has  been  shattered  by  the  con- 
vulsions of  earthquakes,  and  only  one  old  pillar  remains  as  a 
trophy  which  even  time  itself  could  not  destroy.  The  upheavals 
of  nineteen  centuries  have  shaken  it,  and  yet  it  stands  unmoved. 
So  is  it,  and  so  will  it  for  ever  be  with  the  faithful  servant  of 
the  Lord.  The  promise  is  here  made  him  that  he  shall  be  raised 
to  the  unspeakable  dignity  of  being  evermore  an  honored  sup- 
port of  the  celestial  temple.  Like  that  immovable  pillar  amid 
tlie  ruins  of  Philadelphia,  he  shall  abide  through  ages— shall 
stand  unmoved  and  immovable  I  A  support  in  the  Church  above, 
appointed  and  upheld  by  the  arm  of  Omnipotence:  what  peerless 
glory!  As  if  alone  and  most  honored  of  all,  he  is  to  abide  for 
ever  in  dignity  and  glory.      He  "shall  go  no  more  out"  from 


CORDS  OF  LOVE.  597 

the  temple  of  his  God.  What  matchless  bliss  and  honor  these 
words  imply,  even  though  they  are  conveyed  in  terms  of  mys- 
tery, the  depths  of  which  we  amnot  fathom ! 

We  need  scarcely  indicate  that  this  is  a  vast  increase  over  all 
that  goes  before  in  the  glory  which  is  promised  to  all  the  faithful 
followers  of  the  Lord.  In  these  peculiar  words  there  is  at  once 
a  promise  and  an  emblem  of  the  richest  reward  that  is  in  store 
for  the  honored  servants  of  their  King.  We  cannot  but  be  im- 
pressed with  the  higher  dignity  that  is  indicated  by  a  pillar  tow- 
ering above  all  other  splendid  objects.  Its  position,  its  eminence 
above  other  things,  its  history,  its  sacredness,  its  symbolical  char- 
acter, and  its  own  peerless  beauty,— all  conspire  in  making  it  an 
object  whose  antitype  must  be  most  exalted  even  amid  these 
marvelous  promises.  The  glory. which  God  has  in  store  for  the 
faithful  of  his  followers  is  that  which  it  is  intended  to  describe, 
and  assuredly  nothing  else  which  we  have  thus  far  considered 
can  compare  with  it. 

Add  to  all  this  the  distinction  guaranteed  to  it  of  bearing 
aloft  the  glorious  names  of  the  supreme  God,  and  the  name  of 
God's  heavenly  city,  the  new  name  of  the  mediatorial  King 
himself — a  name  that  is  above  every  name  that  thought  ever 
conceiv^ed  or  tongue  ever  uttered.  And  now  it  would  seem  that 
the  highest  imaginable  point  had  been  reached  of  which  promise 
could  be  given  or  hope  excited.  If  the  engagement  has  been 
entered  into  that  the  saint  shall  be  immortal,  that  he  shall  be 
placed  beyond  the  reach  of  harm  from  the  second  death,  that 
he  shall  be  made  the  most  intimate  and  honored  friend  of  the 
Son  of  God,  that  he  shall  be  associated  with  the  Lord  Jesus  in 
ruling  over  all  the  nations  of  the  world,  that  he  shall  be  openly 
presented  before  the  assembled  universe  as  a  trophy  of  our  Lord's 
greatest  victory  over  sin  and  Satan  and  death,  and,  as  if  the  very 
masterpiece  of  divine  skill,  he  would  be  most  honored  in  the 
heavenly  temple— then  surely,  after  all  this,  nothing  higher  could 
be  promised,  or  even  conceived  of.  And  yet,  a  higher  degree 
of  promise  still  remains.  It  is  the  very  highest  of  all — and  even 
it  is  not  kept  back  from^  our  astonished  view,  as  the  very  sunnuit 
of  the  glory  in  which  the  ransomed  will  hereafter  be  allowed 
to  share. 

Seventh  degree:  A  seat,  with  the  Father  and  the  Son,  in  the  tJirone 
of  supreme  glory.  The  very  thought  of  this — much  more  the 
naming  of  the  words— seems  an  aspiration  far  too  daring  for 
mortals  of  our  sinful  race!    "To  him  that  overcometh  will  I  grant 


598       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

to  sit  with  nie  in  my  throne  even  as  I  also  overcame  and  am 
sat  down  witli  my  Father  in  his  throne." 

This  is  tlie  i)romise  of  our  glorified  Redeemer  given  from  the 
seat  of  supreme  glory  to  which  he  had  ascended,  after  he  had 
passed  through  the  scenes  of  Gethsemane  and  Calvary.  The 
words  are  true  and  plain  and  never-failing.  They  are  the  more 
emphatic  in  that  they  were  among  the  first  words  our  exalted  Lord 
uttered  as  he  ascended  into  his  mediatorial  dominion.  They  are 
the  more  impressive  still  as  being  the  climax  of  this  marvelous 
catalogue  of  promises  which  we  have  followed  u])  as  we  have  found 
them  on  the  sacred  pages.  AVe  have  here  the  crowning  triumph, 
beyond  which  there  can  be  nothing  further  of  dignity  or  of  bless- 
ing, for  the  summit  has  been  reached,  the  very  presence  of  Him 
who  sits  upon  the  throne,  not  only  within  reach  of  him  at  all  times, 
but  as  it  were  leaning  on  his  breast:  "To  him  that  overcometh 
will  I  give  to  sit  with  me  in  my  throne."  When  we  have  readied 
the  throne  here,  we  have  reached  that  point  towards  which  every- 
thing else  has  tended  from  the  beginning,  and  in  which  all  else 
that  can  be  desired  culminates.  All  power,  majesty,  authority 
and  glory  are  concentrated  in  the  throne.  Every  sublime  effort 
that  is  made,  and  all  the  plans  of  infinite  wisdom  that  are  ever 
devised  are  fixed  around  the  throne.  Every  trophy  of  divine 
majesty  that  is  gathered  from  all  worlds  and  all  ages  is  brought 
in  triumph  and  laid  down  at  the  throne.  AH  creatures  of  noblest 
form,  most  sublime  powers,  and  most  transcendent  glory,  in  ecstasy 
of  adoration  gather  around  the  throne.  Every  crown  of  princi- 
palities and  powers  in  heavenly  places  is  brought  from  regions 
of  space  the  most  distant,  and  from  scenes  of  life  the  most  active, 
and  are  cast  down  before  the  heavenly  throne.  There  the  light 
of  celestial  glory  is  never  dimned,  and  the  strains  of  the  heavenly 
song  are  never  hushed.. 

Who  shall  fully  interpret  for  us  the  marvelous  revealings  con- 
cerning that  great  white  throne  from  the  opening  siglits  and  sounds 
of  that  glorious  Apocalypse  by  which  the  supreme  Lord  first 
l)roelaims  his  coronation  over  all  worlds  and  jiotentates  of  heaven 
and  earth?  Only  Pie  who  raised  that  throne  and  is  himself  seated 
thereon  can  impart  to  creatures  any  adequate  conception  of  its 
indescribable  magnificence.  And  this  he  does,  amid  scenes  the 
most  sublime  that  ear  ever  heard,  or  eye  ever  beheld.  He  opens 
a  door  for  us  into  the  heavenly  world,  and,  as  with  a  trumpet 
sound,  he  summons  us  up  to  gaze  within  and  behold  that  throne 
M'ith  all  its  celestial  wonders.    We  look,  and  our  eyes  rest,  now 


CORDS  OF  LOVE.  599 

upon  that  great  white  throne;  now  upon  the  celestial  Majesty 
seated  thereon,  dazzling  as  the  light;  and  now  upon  the  divine 
glorj',  bright  as  the  diamond  and  soft  as  the  carnelian ;  now  upon 
a  rainbow,  splendid  in  its  usual  coloring,  but  distinguished  by  the 
prevalence  of  its  emerald  hues, — a  rainbow  that  surrounds  all  with 
hope  and  promise;  now  upon  seven  brilliant  lamps  evermore  blaz- 
ing before  the  throne;  now  upon  a  sea  of  glass  clear  as  crystal,  on 
whose  ripples  are  sparkling  the  rays  of  the  divine  glory;  now  upon 
four-and-twenty  crowned  elders  on  their  radiant  seats,  in  robes  of 
snowy  whiteness, — the  appointed  emblem  of  the  ransomed  Church, 
with  its  twelve  renowned  patriarchs  and  twelve  apostles ;  and  now 
upon  the  glorious  "living  beings,"  the  brilliant  cherubim,  with 
their  faces  of  a  man,  an  ox,  a  lion,  and  an  eagle,  symbolic  of  their 
intelligence,  their  strength,  their  courage,  and  their  rapidity  as 
messengers  of  the  Deity.  And  now,  as  they  spread  their  wings, 
full  of  eyes,  is  heard  the  rapturous  acclaim  which  ceases  neither 
day  nor  night:  "Holy  holy,  holy,  Lord  God  Almighty,  which 
was,  and  is,  and  is  to  come!"  And  now  the  crowned  elders 
arise  from  their  radiant  seats,  and  casting  down  their  crowns 
before  the  Majesty  on  the  central  throne,  exclaim,  in  sounds  that 
till  all  heaven:  "Thou  art  worthy,  O  Lord,  to  receive  glory  and 
honor  and  power:  for  thou  hast  created  all  things,  and  for  thy 
pleasure  they  are,  and  were  created." 

Such  is  the  Throne  of  God  described  by  the  pen  of  inspiration. 
It  is  the  mediatorial  throne  which  was  given  to  the  glorified  Son 
of  man  as  his  reward,  and  on  which  he  took  his  seat  of  supreme 
dominion  after  he  had  finished  the  work  of  human  redemption. 
It  is  the  throne  concerning  which  this  promise,  which  is  the  climax 
of  all  the  seven,  and  concerning  which  the  words  are  written: 
"To  him  that  overcometh  will  I  grant  to  sit  with  me  in  my 
throne,  even  as  I  also  overcame  and  am  set  down  with  my 
Father  in  his  throne." 

Thei'e  is  one  aspect  of  the  revealed  descriptions  of  the  mediatorial 
throne  which  is  well  worthy  of  our  most  profound  consideration. 
It  is  the  oft-repeated  fact  that  the  glory  of  that  throne  is  so 
alluring,  even  in  the  sight  of  the  incarnate  Son  of  God,  that  it 
stimulated  and  sustained  him  in  the  moments  of  his  sorest 
sufferings  and  deepest  woes:  "Looking  unto  Jesus,  the  author 
and  finisher  of  our  faith ;  who  for  the  joy  that  was  set  before 
him  endured  the  cross,  despising  the  shame,  and  is  set  down 
at  the  right  hand  of  the  throne  of  God."  That  joy  ineffable 
he  beheld  as  awaiting  him  at  the  close  of  his  toils  and  agonies. 


600  INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

and  as  the  reward  of  all  he  was  endurinj^,  and  on  it  his  intense 
desire  was  fixed,  so  that  he  was  borne  up  by  it  even  in  ascending 
by  the  cross  towards  the  crown. 

Then,  if  it  were  thus  with  Him  who  was  God  as  well  as  man, 
how  may  it  be  with  us  whose  infirmities  require  such  incentives 
to  carry  us  forward  through  the  great  tribulations  of  our  earthly 
struggles!  In  our  darkest  and  most  discouraging  trials  it  is 
our  privilege  to  raise  our  eyes  up  to  the  grand  future  and  fix 
them  on  the  great  white  throne.  Our  very  tribulations  may 
thereby  become  most  glorious  experiences.  We  can  think  of 
the  heavenly  reward,  and  be  strengthened  by  the  thought,  and 
yet  be  neither  selfish  nor  extravagant  in  our  motives.  If  the 
thought  of  the  glorious  throne  was  a  motive  that  bore  up  tlie 
human  nature  of  our  Lord,  what  may  it  not  be  to  us?  Oh  the 
thought  of  that  throne!— our  sorrows  all  ended,  our  sufferings 
all  over,  and  then  the  infinite  and  endless  reward  of  standing 
hard  by  that  centre  of  Infinite  majesty  and  bliss! 

The  very  idea  and  word,  throne^  carry  with  them  the  thought 
of  supreme  and  boundless  empire.  The  throne  in  this  promise 
brings  before  us  the  scene  of  all  creatures  on  earth  and  in  heaven 
bowing  at  the  command  of  Omnipotence  and  yielding  unquestion- 
ing obedience  before  Jehovah.  Believers  on  earth  and  saints  and 
angels  in  heaven  all  hearken  and  hasten  as  glorious  messengers 
to  carry  the  commands  of  the  Most  High.  Subjects  of  that 
empire,  they  wing  their  flight  over  every  region  of  the  boundless 
creation  of  which  their  Lord  is  the  King.  This  is  the  recompense 
which  was  promised  and  granted  our  Redeemer  when,  "  for 
the  joy  set  before  him,  he  endured  the  cross,  despising  the  shame," 
and  the  proclamation  sounded  :  "  Wherefore  God  also  hath  highly 
exalted  him,  and  given  him  a  name  which  is  above  every  name, 
that  at  the  name  of  Jesus  every  knee  should  bow,  of  things  in 
heaven,  and  things  in  earth,  and  tilings  under  the  eartli ;  and 
that  every  tongue  should  confess  that  Jesus  Christ  is  Lord,  to 
the  glory  of  God  the  Father." 

We  must  also  contemplate  the  throne  as  the  centre  of  all  glory, 
as  well  as  of  all  empire  and  power.  Most  subliinely  is  this 
proclaimed  in  the  Epistle  to  the  church  of  Ephesus:  "The  ex- 
ceeding greatness  of  his  power  to  us-ward  who  believe,  accord- 
ing to  the  working  of  his  mighty  power,  which  he  wrought  in 
Christ  when  he  raised  him  from  the  dead,  and  set  him  at  his 
own  right  hand  in  the  heavenly  places,  far  above  all  principality, 
and  power,  and  might,  and  dominion,  and  every  name  that  is 


COEDS  OF  LOVE.  601 

named,  not  only  in  this  world,  but  also  in  that  which  is  to  come ; 
and  hath  put  all  things  under  his  feet,  and  gave  him  to  be  head 
over  all  things  to  the  church." 

The  language  of  this  final  promise  not  only  justifies  us  in  so 
doing,  but  even  demands  that  we  should  elevate  our  thoughts 
and  fix  them  upon  the  glories  which  surround  the  sublime  dwelling- 
place  of  the  Most  High,  where  angels  adore  and  the  seraphim 
sound  forth  the  praises  of  the  infinite  Jehovah.  By  this  marvelous 
series  of  promises  we  have  been  led  forward  and  upward,  step 
by  step,  until  the  summit  of  all  glory  and  majesty  has  been 
reached  at  the  supreme  throne.  The  Throne!— it  is  the  crown 
and  centre  of  victory  over  every  enemy  of  earth  and  hell ;  of 
power  to  which  there  is  no  limit  or  end;  of  authority  to  the 
behests  of  which  every  creature  must  reverently  bow ;  and  of 
glory  the  brightness  of  which  it  is  not  in  the  power  of  tlie  highest 
imagination  to  conceive! 

Such  is  the  throne 'of  God,  the  Most  High,  upwards  towards 
which  we  have  been  conducted,  degree  after  degree,  by  the 
teachings  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  In  the  sublime  intercourse  of 
the  Deity,  through  some  mysterious  arrangement  into  which  it 
is  not  given  for  creature  to  penetrate,  and  of  which  we  are 
permitted  to  know  only  through  the  most  wonderful  engagement 
that  our  Lord  will  hereafter  share  his  very  throne  with  the 
heirs  of  salvation— an  engagement  which  is  made  still  more 
marvelous  by  the  assertion  that  the  elevation  of  the  victorious 
saint  to  the  heavenly  throne  would  be  like  his  own  elevation,  as 
conquerer  over  all,  to  the  mediatorial  throne  of  supreme  glory. 
At  every  step  here  there  is  divine  mystery,  tlie  depths  of  which 
we  shall  in  this  world  never  be  able  to  penetrate,  and  the  exploring 
of  which  will  be  one  of  the  greatest  raptures  of  eternity. 

Our  bliss  and  our  glory  now  are  that  in  this,  the  final  one, 
we  have  the  most  exalted  promise  that  could  be  given.  Beyond 
this  there  is  not  another  that  could  be  named.  It  verily  appears 
to  be  too  great  to  be  believed,  or  even  comprehended!  This  is 
the  glorious  destiny  that  is  awaiting  every  brave  follower  of  the 
Lord  who  shall  prove  faithful  in  the  conflict  with  sin  and  Satan 
to  which  all  believers  are  called:  "To  sit  with  me  in  my  throne, 
even  as  I  also  overcame  and  am  set  down  with  my  Father  in 
his  throne!"  Sharers  in  Christ's  own  peculiar  mediatorial  throne 
—the  highest  seat  of  divine  glory  and  power!  A  blood-washed 
saint,  coming  up  out  of  an  atmosphere  of  corruption,  and  con- 
test,   and    wretchedness,    and    welcomed    to    a    place    amid    the 


602       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

central  glory!  We  cannot  fathom  the  mystery,  nor  can  any 
creature.  We  can  but  receive  it  as  coming  from  the  lips  of  Him 
who  is  the  Truth,  and  there  rest,  wondering  and  adoring.  It  is 
not  a  dream;  it  is  not  a  mere  indetinite  hope;  it  is  a  marvelous 
fact,  yet  to  be  experienced  by  every  ransomed  and  conquering  soul, 
and  made  sure  by  this  inviolable  engagement  of  the  Son  of  man. 

We  are  now  prepared  to  take  a  full  review  of  the  vvliole  field 
of  goodness  and  wisdom  which  is  covered  by  the  manner  in  which 
these  gracious  promises  are  announced  to  the  faithful  followers  of 
our  Lord.  In  themselves  they  are  separately  and  unit(;dly  of  won- 
drous glory;  but  the  form  in  which  they  are  presented  is  calcu- 
lated to  bring  them  home  to  us  in  still  more  niarvelous  force.  The 
most  cursory  review  makes  it  evident  that  they  were  not  merely 
thrown  togetiier  amidst  a  blaze  of  glory;  but  that  there  was  a 
loving  design  in  so  arranging  tliem  that  they  would  make  the 
deepest  possible  impression  upon  the  minds  of  those  to  whom 
they  were  pledged.  That  there  is  a  gracious  plan  in  the  man- 
ner of  iDresenting  them,  and  that  plan  the  devising  of  divine 
love  and  wisdom,  becomes  more  and  more  certain  the  more  they 
are  considered.  At  first  view  it  is  caught  in  dim  outline,  but 
every  additional  aspect  brings  out  the  lines  more  distinctly,  and 
reveals  its  exact  filling  up  in  more  wondrous  beauty. 

The  principles  of  that  divine  arrangement  cannot  but  first  im- 
press us.  We  become  confident  that  it  could  not  have  been  a 
mere  accident  that  in  these  engagements  to  the  faithful  there 
should  have  been  two  distinct  promises  to  each  church;  that  all 
the  promises  should  be  diverse  from  each  other;  that  in  them 
we  should  find,  all  through,  germs  of  glorious  fruition  that  are 
developed  throughout  the  body  of  the  Apocalypse;  that  each  one 
of  them  should  be  revealed  by  means  of  some  emblem  found  in 
the  locality  of  the  church ;  that  they  should  all  be  presented  in 
the  form  of  rewards;  that  the  peculiar  nature  of  the  promises 
should  be  determined  by  the  character  of  the  church  to  which 
they  were  each  addressed,  and  that  there  should  be  such  a  sur- 
prising progress  in  the  degrees  of  blessedness  engaged— from  the 
lowest  degree,  step  by  step,  up  to  the  highest  that  is  possible 
or  even  conceivable.  This  could  not  simply  have  so  happened ; 
it  must  have  been  the  planning  of  the  infinitely  wise  and  benevo- 
lent mind  of  our  loving  Lord! 

And  still  more  interesting  grows  the  review  as  we  trace  the 
upward  stages  of  the  degrees  of  the  heavenly  progress.  As,  by 
the  peculiarity  of  the  divine  pledges,  we  are  undoubtedly  war- 


CORDS  OF  LOVE.  603 

ranted  in  doing,  personifying  tlie  upward  progress  of  tlie  con- 
quering saint,  we  see  him  assured  of  a  blessed  immortality;  he 
is  made  sure  of  inniumity  from  all  hurt  by  the  second  death;  he 
is  received  into  the  intimate  confidence  and  friendship  of  the  Lord 
of  glory;  he  is  associated  with  the  triumphant  Messiah  in  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  nations  of  the  world ;  he  has  opened  to  him  the 
rapturous  pros^iect  of  an  honored  presentation  in  the  glorious  as- 
sembly of  all  the  celestials ;  through  the  everlasting  ages  he  is 
to  be  honored  as  one  of  the  liighest  ornaments  and  supports  of 
heaven's  temple ;  he  is  to  be  admitted  to  a  seat  in  the  very  midst 
of  the  throne  of  the  supreme  Deity.  Beyond  this,  neither  can 
heart  desire  nor  mind  conceive. 

Evidently  ail  this  is  intended  to  win  our  hearts,  and  to  fill 
our  souls  with  adoring  gratitude;  for  nothing  is  left  undone 
which  could  have  any  effect  in  exciting  our  hope,  establishing 
our  confidence,  or  exacting  our  supreme  gratitude  and  love.  The 
beauty  of  this  plan  in  \\hich  the  promises  are  presented  cannot 
but  fill  the  beholder  with  wonder  and  delight.  The  impression 
it  is  calculated  to  make  must  be  very  deep. 

THE   "MOENIXG  STAR"   AS  THE   FINAL  EMBLEM  OF  HOPE 
AND   PROMISE. 

It  might  be  imagined  here  that  all  of  promise,  of  hope  and 
of  encouragement  that  could  be  conceived  of  liad  been  already 
presented  for  the  comfort  and  stimulation  of  the  tempted  chil- 
dren of  God — that  the  climax  of  the  promises  was  reached,  when  a 
seat  was  pledged  to  the  faithful  in  the  very  throne  of  the  Deity; 
but  another  view  is  opened  up,  Avhich  reveals  the  prospect  of  the 
saints  as  without  limit,  and  without  the  possibility  of  a  limit,  how- 
ever far  its  investigation  may  be  extended.  One  single  emblem 
opens  up  that  most  entrancing  view— an  emblem  which  our  glori- 
fied Lord  claims  as  peculiarly  his  own  when  he  asserts:  '■'•  lum  the 
brig/if  and  Morning  /Star.''^  What  does  the  expression  import?  Evi- 
dentl3%  it  does  not  simply  mean  a  brilliant  point  of  light  amid  a 
world  of  darkness.  That  thought  would  be  more  forcibly  expressed 
by  sun  or  moon.  It  means  not  merely  an  ordinary  star,  however 
brilliant,  but  it  is  splendidly  described  as  "the  bright  and  morn- 
ing star."  As  to  Christ,  of  whom  it  is  the  intended  symbol,  it 
is  not  the  simple  harbinger  of  his  near  approach — that  is  done 
directly  by  the  promise,  "  I  come  quickly."  Not  these  merely, 
or  anything  like  them,  can  be  signified  by  "the  bright  and  morn- 
ing star,"  as  used  here;  but  it  is  the  emblem  of  brightness  as  sue- 


G04       INAUGUEAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

ceeding  darkness;  of  freshness,  reviving,  novelty,  reanimation, 
progress,  hope  of  a  clear  day  as  yet  to  come.  Of  all  these  Christ, 
in  himself,  is  the  glorious  image.  All  these  are  elements  of  the 
morning  star  when  used  as  an  emblem  of  our  Lord.  He  is  the 
embodiment  of  them  in  a  glorious  figure.  In  the  enjoyment 
of  all  tliat  heart  could  desire,  whether  on  earth  or  in  heaven, 
we  would  be  prone  to  become  satiated  by  the  long-continued 
and  oft-repeated  pleasure;  but  against  this  he  is  the  Heaven- 
ordained  antidote.  He,  as  the  very  essence  and  emblem  of  reviv- 
ing, freshness,  newness  and  hope,  for  ever  imparts  a  zest  that 
neither  repetition   nor  length  of  use  can  cloy. 

Such  is  the  emblem  itself  in  its  own  significance.  But  this 
Is  not  all,  as  it  stands  here  in  the  Apocalypse.  Its  peculiar  loca- 
tion is  calculated  to  impart  to  it  a  special  meaning.  It  is  placed 
at  the  very  close  of  the  inspired  volume,  and  that  not  as  arising 
out  of  the  immediate  connection,  but  as  a  closing  declaration, 
as  a  seal  or  stamp  to  be  placed  on  every  element  of  the  sacred 
Book  which  had  come  from  God.  It  is  the  one  expression  which 
was  intended  to  impart  a  peculiarity  to  every  part  which  had 
gone  before.  This  view  of  the  closing  emblem  becomes  pecu- 
liarly significant  when  it  is  cai'efully  considered.  There  must 
be  special  meaning  in  it  that  Christ  as  "the  bright  and  morn- 
ing star"  is  the  closing  thought  of  the  whole  Bible.  In  the  last 
chapter  of  the  New  Testament,  and  the  sixteenth  verse,  we  find 
this  expression,  "  I  am  the  bright  and  morning  star,"  and  clo^ 
examination  discovers  that  it  is  the  very  end  of  the  sacred  volume. 
A  few  brief  sentences  follow  it,  but  it  is  easily  seen  that  they  do 
not  belong  to  the  substance  of  the  revelation;  they  are  only  a 
concluding  guard  affixed  to  the  Apocalypse  closed  by  this  emblem 
— inviting  to  the  blessings  jiromised  in  the  volume,  warning  against 
either  adding  to  or  taking  from  the  sacred  Book,  affirming  the 
nearness  of  our  Lord's  second  coming,  and  pronouncing  the  divine 
benediction  upon  all.  The  deeply  significant  thing  is  that  this 
proclamation  of  Christ  and  by  Christ  as  "  the  bright  and  morn- 
ing star  "  is  the  close  proper  of  the  glorious  Revelation. 

Can  we  help  believing  that  this  peculiar  characteristic  of  Christ 
is  given  this  prominent  place  at  the  close  to  intimate  that  it  is 
the  character  of  the  whole  revealed  Word  in  the  Scriptures?  The 
essential  thought  of  the  morning  star  is  to  be  the  essential  spirit 
of  the  Bible,  and  all  pertaining  thereto.  The  morning  star,  with 
its  freshness,  and  promise,  and  newness,  and  hope,  as  a  glorious 
light  is  raised  up  so  high  as  to  send  backward  its  brightness  over 


COEDS  OF  LOVE.  605 

all  the  past  revealings,  and  forward  to  give  light  and  hope  over 
all  that  was  to  come.  Standing  just  where  it  does,  at  the  close 
of  the  inspired  vohuiie,  the  grand  significance  of  this  emblem 
of  Christ  cannot  be  mistaken.  The  closing  assurance  it  gives  is 
that  he  will  evermore  be  with  its  inspired  words,  to  keep  them 
fresh,  and  clear,  and  new,  and  alwayt*  applicable  to  the  devout 
reader.  The  histories  will  be  preserved  as  vivid  as  if  they  were 
the  occurrences  of  the  present  day.  The  laws  will  never  become 
obsolete,  but  continue  from  age  to  age  as  plain  and  binding  as 
if  the  finger  of  God  were  seen  inscribing  them.  The  sacred  songs 
will  never  lose  their  charm,  but  evermore  enrapture  the  soul  as 
sweetly  as  when  at  first  wafted  on  the  breezes  of  the  Judean 
hills.  The  sublime  predictions  of  ages  long,  past  shall  never  wax 
old,  and  never  lose  their  soul-stirring  appeals.  Tlie  divine  utter- 
ances of  our  Lord,  the  marvelous  works  of  his  hands,  and  the 
gracious  influences  that  went  out  from  his  presence,  can  never 
lose  that  halo  of  glory  which  surrounds  his  memory.  The  mys- 
teries of  redemption,  the  doctrines  of  godliness,  and  the  astound- 
ing truths  which  made  the  proudest  and  wisest  of  men  to  tremble, 
are  just  as  marvelous  to-day  as  when  they  were  first  uttered,  and 
will  still  continue  so  throughout  all  the  ages  of  both  time  and 
eternity.  Not  only  will  all  these  sublimities  of  salvation  never 
lose  their  impressiveness,  but  beyond  them  and  above  them  will 
there  evermore  rise  up  new  wonders  in  the  divine  plan  of  redemp- 
tion. For  ever  has  our  glorious  Lord  himself  been,  and  evermore 
will  he  be,  the  ^'■bright  and  Morning  /S'tor"— the  light,  and  the 
hope,  and  the  promise  of  all  that  is  revealed  in  the  sacred  pages, 
and  of  all  that  is  yet  to  be  developed  in  the  counsels  of  the  Deity  ! 
It  is  a  great  marvel  and  an  unspeakable  bliss  to  us  that  in  the 
study  of  the  Bible  we  are  at  all  times  sure  of  having  with  us 
the  presence  of  our  Lord  as  the  bright  and  morning  star.  That 
sacred  volume  comes  to  us  from  him,  and  his  presence  gives  it 
freshness,  and  zest,  and  an  animating  hope  of  brighter  and  better 
things  as  still  coming.  The  grand  announcement,  "I  am  the 
bright  and  morning  star,"  standing  as  it  does — the  closing  word 
— gives  assurance  that  he  is  to  accompany  every  sentence  that 
has  gone  before.  By  his  cheering  and  vivifying  Spirit  he  is  to 
be  with  every  history,  and  counsel,  and  song  of  praise;  every 
prayer,  prediction  and  promise  growing  brighter  and  brighter. 
He,  with  his  animating  Spirit,  and  joyous  light,  will  cover  the 
utterances,  and  send  forward  a  hope  that  will  be  unspeakable 
and  full  of  glory. 


GOG       INAUGUEAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

From  this  it  comes  to  pass  in  the  experience  of  believers  that 
no  earnest  student  of  the  divine  word  ever  opens  its  pages  but 
he  finds  something  new,  something  as  fresh  as  the  morning  star, 
something  that  fills  his  soul  with  bright  anticipations  of  richer 
joys  that  are  yet  coming.  Its  songs  of  praise  never  grow  stale, 
or  fail  to  awaken  raptures  as  yet  unimagined.  The  Bible  tells 
us  much,  but  it  hints  at  far  more  than  tongue  can  utter  or  even 
imagination  anticipate.  It  evermoi-e  reiterates  the  old  story 
of  redeeming  love,  and  its  final  strains  are  of  the  "  new  song," 
the  sweetness  of  which  awakens  the  raptures  of  celestial  and 
immortal  blessedness.  Its  source  and  its  soul  is  the  great  Teacher 
who  has  come  from  God,  and  his  very  name  and  nature  is  the 
Morning  Star,  soaring  above  all  else  with  a  freshness  of  glory 
which  is  beheld  in  every  region,  and  which  tinges  every  event 
of  history,  and  every  point  of  time  in  the  coming  ages. 

That  our  Lord,  by  his  abiding  presence,  will  evermore  give 
zest  and  promise  to  the  blessings  of  his  gospel  is  the  unspeakably 
precious  assurance  of  this  emblem  which  closes  the  heavenly 
revelation,  and  irradiates  every  promise  and  prospect  that  is 
held  out  to  the  saints  of  the  Lord  both  for  time  and  eternity. 
We  cannot  make  this  blessed  truth  too  emphatic.  It  cannot  be 
reiterated  too  frequently.  So  it  is,  and  so  it  will  ever  be  in  all 
Christian  experience;  in  the  language  of  the  Eastern  queen: 
"I  believed  not  the  words,  until  I  came  and  mine  eyes  had 
seen  it;  and,  behold,  the  half  was  not  told  me!"  The  fullness 
of  the  bliss  which  God  hath  prepared  for  his  faithful  people  hath 
never  been  told,  and  never  can  be.  The  richness  of  its  promises 
can  never  be  understood  excepting  through  experience. 

We  have  followed  up  the  gracious  promises,  stage  after  stage, 
until  we  have  reached  a  climax  whence  neither  language,  nor 
thought  can  go  farther.  Must  we  then  cease?  Is  that  the  end? 
Is  it  not  rather  as  if  there  stretched  an  abyss  beyond,  the 
immeasurable  leagues  of  which  cherubic  wing  had  never  ranged, 
and  created  mind  had  never  imagined?  On  tlie  brink  of  that 
abyss  of  glory,  even  specific  promises  must  leave  the  saint,  while 
conducted  and  cheered  on  by  Christ  as  "the  bright  and  morning 
star,"  he  soars  onward,  through  regions  of  celestial  blessedness 
which  eternity  only  can  reveal. 

The  wealth  of  this  emblem  of  our  Lord  as  the  INIorning  Star 
is  not  exhausted  when  it  has  been  applied  to  the  believer's  various 
wants,  and  trials,  and  aspirations  on  this  side  of  the  grave.  No, 
not  here,  on  earth,  does  its  significance  end ;  but  it  hi\s  a  grander 


CORDS  OF  LOVE.  607 

mission,  and  a  more  sublime  place  in  the  celestial  firmament— and 
even  concerning  this  it  contains  hints  and  intimations  to  which 
we  can  but  listen  while  bewildered  with  the  promised  glory  that 
is  to  be  revealed.  After  all  that  we  can  hear,  or  imagine,  we 
must  still  confess,  in  the  language  given  us  by  the  Holy  Ghost: 
"Now  are  we  the  sons  of  God,  and  it  doth  not  yet  appear  what 
we  shall  be." 

There  is  one  view  of  this  whole  subject  which  opens  up  to  us 
a  theme  of  most  ennobling  contemplation.  The  promises  to  the 
victorious  believer  pass  before  us,  one  after  another,  stage  after 
stage,  higher  and  higher,  until  the  summit  is  reached,  and  thought 
or  language  has  nothing  farther  to  offer.  AVhat  then?  Must  the 
apocaly[)se  close?  No.  As  if  the  process  were  to  be  prolonged  into 
infinitude,  our  Lord  appears  above  all  and  far  beyond  all  as  the 
bright  Morning  Star  illuminating  vistas  new,  and  grander,  and 
boundless  for  evermore.  Not  in  time  alone  is  he  the  Morning  Star, 
but  in  a  still  more  sublime  sense  will  he  be  so  to  the  ransomed 
saints  in  tlie  heavenly  paradise.  The  emblem  gives  assurance 
that  there  cannot  be  any  satiety  in  the  enjoyment  of  the  raptures 
of  that  blessed  world.  Its  joys,  though  constantly  repeated,  age 
after  age,  will  not  surfeit  or  ever  lose  their  zest  to  the  happy 
participants.  The  presence  with  them  of  their  glorified  Lord  will 
prevent  that;  for  as  tlie  Morning  Star,  even  in  eternity,  he  will 
impart  fresh  rapture,  and  envelop  all  the  future  in  the  brightness 
of  new  hopes  that  will  never  disappoint.  He  will  be  to  the  saints 
all  in  all,  and  that  with  the  freshness  and  fullness  of  the  promised 
"morning  star."  Because  of  this,  the  heavenly  joys  will  be  for 
ever  new.  The  light  of  its  glory  will  never  grow  dim  ;  the  ecstasy 
of  its  bliss  will  ever  be  as  great  as  in  the  first  rapturous  moments ; 
its  fields  will  ever  be  as  green,  its  groves  will  ever  be  as  vernal, 
and  the  beauty  of  its  flowers  will  ever  be  as  full  of  charms  as  when 
the  ransomed  were  first  permitted  to  behold  them. 

Nor  is  this  emblem  a  promise  merely  that  the  zest  of  heavenly 
joj's  will  continue  in  all  its  freshness, -but  it  is  also  an  intimation 
of  endless  increase  in  the  happiness  of  the  blessed.  The  morning 
star  ever  tells  of  a  brighter  day  that  is  coming,  and  as  Jesus  is  ever- 
more the  Morning  Star  of  promise,  his  presence,  from  age  to  age, 
will  be  the  pledge  of  new  joys  to  be  revealed.  He  will  himself 
be  the  sure  and  steadfast  hope  of  a  perpetual  increase  in  the 
coming  glory.  He  will,  with  his  own  hand,  lead  his  ransomed 
people  by  the  banks  of  the  river  of  his  pleasures,  ever  fresh  and 
ever  increasing  in  volume,  as  they  flow  out  from  God's  right  hand. 


608       INAUGUKAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

From  this  revealed  characteristic  of  our  glorified  Lord  there  comes 
to  us  an  undoubted  promise  of  endless  increase  in  all  the  glories 
of  the  future  world.  Then  what  new  avenues  of  knowledge  will 
continue  to  open  up  before  the  saint  as  he  comprehends  more  and 
more  fully  the  successive  perfections  of  Jehovah,  as  the  marvels 
of  providence  evolve  more  fully  in  his  sight,  and  as  he  soars,  from 
star  to  star,  from  world  to  world,  and  continually  finds  fresh  traces 
of  his  Father's  infinite  love  and  wisdom  and  power!  Who  shall 
fully  explain  to  us  the  increasing  brightness  and  joy  that  are  implied 
in  the  prophetic  revealing:  "  They  rest  not  day  and  night,  saying, 
Holy,  holy,  holy.  Lord  God  Almighty,  which  was,  and  is,  and  is  to 
come!" 

We  have  now  reached  the  close  of  this  list  of  the  special  promises 
made  to  each  of  the  sev^en  churches — a  list  which  has  filled  us  with 
wonder  and  delight  from  first  to  last.  Before  writing  the  final  word, 
however,  we  must  reiterate  our  admiration  of  the  unspeakable 
goodness  and  wisdom  which  selected  this  strangely  expressive 
emblem  by  which  to  close  the  prospect  opened  before  the  sorely- 
tried  followers  of  the  Lord.  We  very  greatly  doubt  whether  any 
other  form  of  expression  could  have  been  selected  so  suitable,  so  full 
of  hope  and  promise,  and  so  sacredly  inspiriting  to  the  militant  but 
true-liearted  Church  of  the  passing  ages.  The  various  promises 
come  one  after  another  with  transcendent  and  ever-increasing 
grandeur  and  cheer.  Like  a  tide  of  glory  they  swell  and  flow  on 
as  if  continually  receiving  new  accessions  from  the  rivers  of  the 
heavenly  paradise. 

The  climax  has  been  reached,  the  highest  promise  recei\'ed,  the 
most  exalted  prospect  opened,  the  sum  of  all  the  divine  revelations 
communicated.  What  then?  is  the  next  anxious  question  which 
presses  for  answer.  And  the  response  which  spontaneously  arises 
in  every  devout  mind  is  that,  amid  these  glorious  mysteries  accom- 
panying the  dawn  of  eternal  blessedness,  the  next  and  the  all-absorb- 
ing oi>ject  must  be  the  ascended  Lord,  in  all  his  infinite  majesty  then 
entering  upon  the  reward  the  prospect  of  which  sustained  him 
even  amid  the  agonies  of  the  cross.  Nothing  but  the  glorified  Jesus 
will  do  for  these  majestic  scenes — Jesus  the  All  in  all,  Jesus  the 
Beginning  and  the  End;  Jesus  the  Alpha  and  the  Omega.  On 
Jesus  alone  must  we  throw  ourselves;  but  in  what  majestic  aspect 
shall  he  be  seen,  as  the  sacred  volume  closes,  the  celestial  revealings 
end,  the  promises  reach  their  climax,  and  we  launch  away  into  the 
unknown  glories  of  eternity  ? 

He   alone— because   he   alone   can— gives  us  the  answer.     His 


COEDS  OF   LOVE.  609 

answer  comes  in  the  form  of  this  one  sublime  symbol,  which  closes 
the  divine  volume,  and  casts  its  light  forward  and  upward  through 
the  infinite  heights  of  the  endless  ages:  "J  am  the  Bright  and 
Morning  Star^  Who  can  imagine  anything  more  significant,  more 
sublime,  or  more  rich  in  information  concerning  God's  revealed 
purposes  as  to  his  kingdom— but  especially  concerning  those  ever- 
lasting counsels  the  developments  of  which  are  to  come  after  the 
Bible  closes,  the  promises  are  completed,  and  the  saints  have  entered 
ujjon  the  enjoyment  of  the  glory  prepared  for  them  from  the 
foundation  of  the  world — than  is  this  marvelous  emblem? 

It  is  the  one  expression  which,  forming  the  immortal  symbol 
emerging  from  the  dark  abyss  of  the  future,  becomes  the  pledge 
of  the  blessedness  of  all  the  ransomed,  when  they  shall  be  permitted 
to  share  with  the  Son  of  God  in  his  mediatorial  throne.  As  far 
as  thought  can  conceive  or  words  express  it,  is  to  be  the  glory 
which  God  has  prepared  for  those  who  love  him.  When  the 
successive  promises  of  the  messages  had  ascended  up  to  the 
utmost  limit,  this  is  a  divine  intimation  of  both  the  fact  and 
the  manner  in  which  it  is  to  be  continued  for  evermore.  It 
describes  our  glorified  Lord,  as  he  will  be  to  the  redeemed  in 
the  eternal  world,  through  an  emblem  which,  from  its  very 
nature,  can  have  no  limits.  Marvelously  expressive,  it  represents 
him  as  being  to  them  an  earnest  of  an  ever-increasing  glory  as 
the  endless  ages  roll.  No  other  words  of  which  we  can  conceive 
would  express  such  an  embodiment  and  pledge  of  growing 
brightness  and  freshness  and  hope.  It  intimates  that,  not  for 
one  brief  blessed  period  merely,  but  throughout  the  everlasting 
ages,  will  he  be  the  same  '"''Bright  ayid  Morning  Stary  Most 
sublimely  does  it  tell  of  a  brilliant  light  kindled  at  the  heavenly 
throne,  and  flashing  afar  forward  and  upward  over  the  infinite 
abyss  of  endless  ages  and  boundless  space.  Hence  this  magnif- 
icent climax  of  the  sublime  promises  and  celestial  revelation  is 
the  glorified  Son  of  man  himself,  in  his  unspeakable  brightness, 
eternal  vigor,  everlasting  freshness,  and  inextinguishable  hopes. 
Could  it  be  otherwise?  Would  any  other  close  be  proportionate 
to  the  marvelous  chain  of  promises,  where  language  fails  and 
created  imagination  can  go  no  farther? 
39 


CHAPTER    XXII. 

MORTAL   ATTENTION  SUMMONED;    OR,   CHARGE  TO 
GIVE   EARNEST   HEED. 

NATURE   OF  THE    CHARGE. 

Our  gracious  Lord  having,  in  the  messages,  covered  the  whole 
field  of  instruction,  advice,  admonition,  menace,  and  promise, 
closes  all  by  the  old  formula  of  appeal  so  often  found  in  arousing 
attention  to  solemn  and  momentous  things:  "He  that  hath  an 
ear,  let  him  hear  what  the  Spirit  saith  unto  the  churches."  Where- 
ever,  throughout  the  sacred  pages,  this  obligation  is  imposed,  it 
is  designed  to  awaken  attention  to  matters  of  extraordinary  im- 
portance. "  The  kingdom  of  heaven  suffereth  violence,  and 
the  violent  take  it  by  force."  "Then  shall  the  righteous  shine 
forth  as  the  sun  in  the  kingdom  of  their  Father,"  "  There  is 
nothing  hid  that  shall  not  be  manifested."  "And  all  that  dwell 
upon  the  earth  shall  worship  him,  whose  names  are  not  written 
in  the  book  of  life  of  the  Lamb  slain  from  the  foundation  of  the 
world."  All  these  are  associated  with  the  solemn  charge:  "He 
that  hath  an  ear,  let  him  hear."  In  many  other  scriptural  con- 
nections is  this  significant  injunction  to  be  found;  but  nowhere 
in  such  a  striking  form  as  here.  It  closes  and  as  it  were  seals 
each  of  the  seven  messages.  As  directly  as  if  it  stood  alone, 
may  the  finger  of  our  enthroned  Lord  be  seen  pointing  to  eacli 
separate  message,  and  pressing  it  upon  the  closest  attention  of 
every  reader. 

This  great  earnestness  on  the  part  of  the  celestial  King  in  arous- 
ing the  attention  of  the  churches  is  one  of  the  marvels  of  these 
marvelous  communications.  Only  when  we  closely  analyze  the 
subject  point  after  point,  as  it  is  presented  in  the  body  of  the 
messages,  and  so  discover  the  evident  purpose  of  our  Lord  to 
make  the  deepest  impression  upon  his  churches,  do  we  realize 
the  greatness  of  the  stress  laid  upon  this  charge. 

In  attempting  to  study  it,  we  shall  find  it  lying  on  the  very 
surface  that,  in  the  sight  of  God,  the  charge  is  one  of  the  deepest 
moment.    His  heart  was  manifestly  set  upon  it.    He  makes  use 

610 


MORTAL  ATTENTION  SUMMONED.  611 

of  the  most  earnest  effort  to  arouse  attention  to  these  solemn 
warnings  and  counsels  and  promises,  and  all  other  interests  of 
the  kingdom.  He  knows,  as  mere  creatures  could  not  know, 
the  superlative  value  of  these  things;  and  here  we  have,  laid 
open  to   us,   his  mind  concerning  them. 

In  this  last  element  of  all  the  messages  to  the  seven  churches 
^ye  see  how  strong  is  the  purpose  to  arouse  their  members  to  a 
more  than  ordinary  attention  to  these  special  communications 
from  the  heavenly  throne.  A  very  special  obligation  is  laid  on 
them  to  give  earnest  heed  to  his  words  of  warning  and  promise. 

(1)  Our  LorcVs  opinion  of  it  is  the  first  and  most  satisfactory 
way  through  which  we  can  arrive  at  an  adecpiate  estimate  of  this 
momentotis  charge  to  his  people.  His  mind  concerning  this  or 
any  other  communication  to  us  is  of  prime  importance,  inas- 
much as  his  knowledge  is  perfect,  and  his  concern  for  his  Church 
is  boundless.  To  know  what  his  mind  is  should  ever  be  with  us 
the  first  effort.  On  this  particular  point  he  has  left  us  without 
question  or  doubt.  The  earnestness  of  his  utterances,  the  various 
Mays  in  which  they  are  exj)ressed,  and  his  manifest  solicitude  to 
awaken  the  attention  of  his  people,  show  plainly  the  great  im- 
portance which  he  attaches  to  this  closing  charge.  Without  a 
shadow  of  doubt,  our  glorified  Lord  and  King  summons,  in  the 
most  impressive  terms,  every  soul  to  give  good  heed  to  this 
solemn  admonition   with   which   the  messages  are  closed. 

(2)  The  second  reflection  which  shows  the  transcendent  moment 
of  these  closing  wortls  of  the  messages  is  the  high  estimation  in 
which  they  have  always  been  held  by  the  greatest  and  best  of 
God's  true  children.  The  universal  experience  of  the  most  sincerely 
pious  and  most  intelligent  of  believers  is  the  best  interpretation  of 
the  mJnd  of  our  Lord.  AVhat  their  faith  has  nnide  them  is  the 
testimony  of  the  Church  as  to  the  meaning  of  the  AVord  delivered 
to  the  saints.  Two  or  three  instances  drawn  from  different  ages 
and  circumstances  may  serve  to  illustrate  as  well  as  prove  the 
principle.  The  Rev.  Archibald  Alexander,  I).  D.,  was  wont  to 
say  to  his  classes,  as  we  often  heard  him:  '■^  I  consider  it  as  a  pecu- 
liar cluti/  and  privilege  to  read  the  first  three  chapters  of  the  Apoca- 
lypse, seeing  that  they  are  preceded  by  the  assurance,  '  Blessed  is  he 
that  readeth,  and  they  that  hear  the  trords  of  this  prophecy,  and 
keep  those  things  ivhich  are  written  therein :  for  the  time  is  at  hand.''  " 
Sir  Isaac  Newton  once  wrote:  "I  do  not  find  any  words  in  any 
other  part  of  the  New  Testament  so  strangely  introduced  and 
commended    as  those  of  the  charge:   'He  that  hath  an  ear,  let 


612       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

him  hear  what  the  Spirit  saith  unto  the  churches.'"  Bengel,  in 
his  riper  years,  frequently  admonished  his  cliildren  diligently  to 
study  these  epistles  to  the  churches,  asserting:    "Scarce  anything 

is  so  fitted  to  affect  and  purify  us Whoever  wishes  to  hear 

the  Apocalypse  properly  ought  to  observe  the  admonitions  of 
these  seven  epistles."  One  of  his  children  wrote  concerning  him: 
"I  remember  that,  just  at  the  last  hours  of  his  pilgrimage,  my 
sainted  parent  earnestly  commended  to  his  family  the  frequent 
reading  and  study  of  the  epistles  in  the  Apocalypse;  adding  as 
the  reason  :  '  Tliere  is  scarce  am/thing  that  can  j)^"ess  to  the  deptlis 
of  one^s  nature  with  such  purifying  power.^ " 

(3)  A  third  evidence  of  the  emphasis  laid  upon  this  charge 
to  the  churches  is  seen  in  the  peculiar  structure,  language,  im- 
pressive words,  and  special  form  in  which  it  is  presented  in  each 
instance.  Stronger  language  could  not  be  used;  the  structure 
of  the  expression  could  not  be  more  striking.  Not  a  word  that 
is  superfluous;  not  a  syllable  but  must  tell.  The  whole  structure 
has  the  same  manifest  intent  of  arousing  the  entire  being  to  hear 
and  heed  the  call  to  make  the  things  of  the  soul,  of  God,  and 
eternity  the  first  business  of  life.  This  call  had  been  reiterated 
in  many  a  form  all  through  the  current  of  the  sacred  volume; 
it  had  become  more  and  more  urgent  as  the  pages  were  revealed ; 
but  now',  as  the  end  ai)proaches,  its  importunity  grows  to  be 
almost    boundless. 

(4)  A  fourth  peculiarity  which  manifests  the  earnestness  of  the 
Spirit's  call  is  the  very  remarkable  fact  that  in  the  epistles  taken 
as  one  body  this  charge  is  repeated  no  less  than  seven  times,  and 
that  in  the  very  same  words.  It  is  made  to  close,  and,  as  it  were, 
seal  the  ol)ligation  imposed  upon  each  separate  church. 

(5)  The  very  structure  of  the  epistles  seems  intended  for  the 
same  purpose.  The  i:>eculiar  manner  in  which  the  communica- 
tion from  the  divine  throne  is  imparted;  the  strangely  systematic 
form  in  which  the  various  items  are  introduced ;  the  novelty  of 
the  plan  on  which  the  messages  are  arranged ;  the  unexpected 
and  strangely  attractive  character  of  the  metaphors  that  are  used ; 
and  the  utter  dissimilarity  from  any  other  method  of  making 
known  to  men  the  mind  of  the  heavenly  King, — all  these  pecu- 
liarities cannot  fail  of  leaving  the  iinpression  that  the  purpose 
was  to  awaken  unusual  attention  to  a  special  communication 
which  the  Church  ought  to  know,  carefully  ponder,  and  apply 
to  its  faith  and  life.  This  great  purpose  of  the  epistles'  pecu- 
liarity of  form  cannot  be  mistaken.    Who  can  peruse  these  com- 


MOETAL  ATTENTION  SUMMONED.  613 

munications  coming  down  directly  from  tlie  celestial  throne — now 
describing  the  marvelous  attributes  of  the  glorified  King  in  his 
mediatorial  dominion;  now  commending  what  was  faithful  and 
loyal  in  his  followers;  now  rebuking  the  shortcomings  in  any 
of  the  churches;  now  giving  warning  of  what  would  be  the 
dreadful  consequences  of  all  transgressions  even  in  those  who 
bore  his  holy  name;  and  now  promising  to  all  who  would  con- 
tinue faithful  that  they  should  receive  rewards  of  glory  and  honor 
and  immortality — in  all  using  symbols  of  wondrous  beauty,  and 
all  arranged  according  to  a  scheme  more  impressive  than  ^^'as 
ever  planned  by  created  mind ; — who  can  study  all  this  without 
coming  to  the  assured  conviction  that  it  was  intended  to  pro- 
duce an  attention  that  would  be  deep  and  abiding? 

(0)  It  is  a  significant  and  solemn  thought  that  this  appeal  for 
earnest  attention  is  made  by  the  Holy  Ghost.  He  appeals  to 
all  the  churches  in  infinite  love,  and  care,  and  v/isdom,  and 
authority.  Let  it  be  distinctly  noticed  that  at  each  one  of  the 
seven  repetitions  of  the  charge,  "He  that  hath  an  ear,  let  him 
liear,"  it  is  announced  that  the  Spirit  is  the  speaker — "what 
the  Spirit  saith  unto  the  churches."  Nor  can  we  pass  over  the 
thought  either  of  the  overwhelming  monaent  of  the  communica- 
tion from  the  stress  laid,  or  of  the  messenger.  Now  it  is  Jesus 
Christ  who  delivers  it ;  now  it  is  an  angel  from  the  throne ; 
now  it  is  the  beloved  disciple,  who  once  lay  upon  his  Lord's 
breast;  and  seven  times  over  it  is  the  Holy  Spirit.  It  passed 
through  each  of  these  in  coming  down  to  make  its  impress  upon 
the  churches  of  all  time.  So  supremely  important  was  it,  that 
man,  angel,  and  Deity  were  all  concerned  in  securing  for  it  the 
deep  attention  that  it  deserved.  And  what  a  charge  it  must 
have  been  that  bore  the  stamp  of  such  authority!  Surely  no 
words  would  have  come  with  such  emphasis  from  the  Holy 
Spirit,  were  it  not  to  convey  a  message  of  infinite  moment!  How 
earnestly  he  appeals  to  his  people  through  the  great  Teacher,  and 
by  a  charge  so  wise  and  true!  As  the  "Spirit  of  Wisdom,"  he 
knows  how  to  reach  the  earnest  soul;  "of  Understanding,"  the 
kind  of  appeals  that  will  be  effectual;  "of  Counsel,"  the  plans 
and  the  motives  that  will  best  succeed;  "of  Might,"  the  power 
that  may  not  be  resisted ;  "  of  Knowledge,"  the  things  that  are 
niost  needed;  and  "of  the  Fear  of  the  Lord,"  all  that  is  high,  and 
sacred,  and  divinely  wise.  It  is  this  very  Spirit  of  "wisdom  and 
understanding,  the  Spirit  of  counsel  and  might,  the  Spirit  of 
knowledge  and  of  the  fear  of  the  Lord,"  that  makes  such  earnest 


614       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHKOKED  KING. 

appeal  to  each  of  the  seven  churches.  Who  can  resist  such  love, 
turn  away  in  indifierence  from  such  divine  entreaty,  and  risk  the 
danger  of  neglecting  such  compassionate  and  holy  tenderness? 

(7)  The  tinal  consideration  is  that  the  charge  was  sent  down 
from  the  throne  of  our  Lord.  It  is  worthy  of  most  earnest  con- 
sideration that  this  admonition  came  down  to  us  from  tlie  heart 
of  our  triumphant  Lord  just  as  he  was  taking  his  seat  upon  his 
mediatorial  throne.  It  was  a  behest  to  us  from  the  dwelling- 
place  of  divine  and  everlasting  Love.  It  was  heralded  to  the 
Church  of  all  time  from  amidst  the  throng  of  blood-washed  saints 
and  unfallen  angels.  From  the  ranks  of  the  glorified,  who,  day 
and  night,  unite  in  the  ceaseless  song:  "Unto  him  that  loved  us, 
and  washed  us  from  our  sins  in  his  own  blood,  and  hath  made  us 
kings  and  priests  unto  God  and  his  Father;  to  him  be  glory  and 
dominion  for  ever  and  ever:  amen,"  was  sent  down  to  the  militant 
church  on  earth,  the  earnest  call :  "  He  that  hath  an  ear,  let  him 
hear  what  the  Spirit  saith  unto  the  churches."  From  the  celestial 
walls  were  witnessed  the  trials,  and  toils,  and  poverty,  and  suffer- 
ings of  the  faithful  as  they  still  struggled  on  with  sin;  and  then 
were  they  cheered  on  by  the  earnest  summons  from  the  celestial 
throne.  How  thrilling  that  charge  as  descending  from  the  Lord 
of  glory  to  every  region  of  earth  and  every  age  of  time ! 

When  this  significant  appeal  which  closes  each  one  of  the  seven 
messages  is  considered  in  the  light  of  all  the  accompanying  circum- 
stances, we  must'see  how  infinitely  important  it  is,  as  was  also  the 
obligation  which  it  was  intended  to  impress.  Not  one  item  in 
them  was  superfluous.  Not  one  of  these  reasons  is  exaggerated. 
It  would  not  be  possible  to  exaggerate  the  importance  of  the 
Church  as  such,  or  of  its  individual  members,  giving  heed  to 
this  closing  charge.  We  see  it  deeply  impressed  by  our  Lord's 
urgency  concerning  it;  by  the  high  estimation  in  which  it  has 
ever  been  held  by  the  holiest  and  wisest  of  men ;  by  the  marvel- 
ously  strong  language  used  in  expressing  it;  by  its  significant 
repetition  seven  times  over;  by  the  strangely  systematic  manner 
in  which  it  is  pressed  home  on  every  hearer;  by  the  precious  fact 
that  it  is  urged  in  the  words  of  the  Holy  Ghost;  and  by  the  fact 
that  it  was  sent  down  to  each  of  the  churches  from  the  very  throne 
of  the  Deity.  Every  one  of  these  considerations  might  well  secure 
for  this  charge  the  most  profound  attention  from  those  for  whom 
it  was  intended ;  but  when  they  are  all  put  together,  who  can 
conceive  of  the  weight  of  the  motive  for  giving  heed  thereto 
which  they  form?    It  has  been  most  truthfully  said  by  a  devout 


MORTAL  ATTENTION  SUMMONED.  615 

writer:  "In  every  case  these  words  usher  in  or  commend  truths 
of  the  deepest  concernment  to  all,  as  we  gather  from  a  comparison 
of  all  the  passages  of  greatest  significance  where  they  are  used. 
The  form  of  expression,  '  He  that  hath  an  ear,  let  him  hear  what 
the  Spirit  saith  unto  the  churches,'  always  is  used  of  radical  and, 
as  it  were,  generative  truths,  great  principles,  and  most  precious 
promises,  most  deep  fetches  from  the  secrets  of  God— being,  as 
it  were,  eyes  of  truth,  seeds  and  kernels  of  knowledge." 

From  all  these  considerations  how  is  it  possible  to  overestimate 
the  importance  of  the  careful  study  of  these  messages?  The  bur- 
den of  the  charge  so  earnestly  repeated  is  that  we  give  to  the 
epistles,  so  wonderful  in  themselves  and  so  deeply  stamped  by 
the  impress  of  Heaven,  that  intense  study  which  they  so  emi- 
nently deserve.  They  are  too  significant  to  be  passed  over  or 
slighted.  There  is  much  in  them  which  claims  far  more  than 
ordinary  attention.  It  is  required  of  us  that  we  heed  them  with 
reverent  attention. 

EXISTING  SPIRITUAL   EVILS. 

As  a  pressing  motive  for  our  giving  heed  to  the  call  in  these 
communications  from  the  heavenly  throne,  it  may  be  urged  that 
they  would  prove  a  panacea  for  the  great  spiritual  evils  of  the 
present  day.  No  devout  heart  that  beats  true  to  the  interests  of 
Zion  but  must  feel  the  need  of  such  a  remedy.  The  low  state 
of  piety  in  all  the  churches  is  an  evil  which  cannot  be  contem- 
plated without  pain  to  every  soul  that  is  sensitive  to  the  glory 
of  our  Lord  and  the  well-being  of  men.  The  prevalence  of  world- 
liness  in  its  most  alarming  forms  is  a  cause  for  intense  anxiety.  So 
great  is  the  indifference  of  the  masses  to  their  immortal  interests 
that  the  cry  may  well  go  up  to  the  throne  with  the  deepest  solici- 
tude: "It  is  time  for  thee.  Lord,  to  work;  for  they  have  made 
void  thy  law!" 

Then  dangers  still  greater  prevail  from  the  insidious  attacks 
which  are  made  upon  the  very  foundations  of  our  holy  religion. 
It  is  as  if  there  was  a  deadly  canker  gnawing  at  the  roots  of  all 
that  was  tried,  and  fair,  and  hopeful.  We  are  pained  by  seeing 
many  of  the  most  splendid  intellects  straining  their  powers  to 
impair  confidence  in  the  God-given  directory  to  virtue  and  knowl- 
edge and  peace;  to  defiice  and  destroy  all  that  is  venerable  and 
holy;  to  pull  down  what  the  centuries  have  proved  most  stable, 
to  bring  the  discoveries  of  the  age  to  bear  with  all  their  force 
against  the  bulwarks  of  Zion.    Why  such  reckless  and  cruel  as- 


616       INAUGUKAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

saults  against  a  faith  that,  for  so  many  centuries,  has  strengthened 
and  borne  up  the  hearts  of  the  most  loyal  and  true  to  God  and  to 
their  fellow  men !  Who  can  help  sorrowing  that  the  Sabbath, 
with  all  its  sanctifying  influences,  is  assailed  cruelly  and  per- 
sistently, that  preaching  and  preachers  are  misrepresented  and 
mocked ;  that  newspapers  on  the  Lord's  day  are  crowding  out 
the  Bible  and  taking  up  the  attention  and  time  which  should 
be  given  to  God,  and  the  soul,  and  eternity;  that  crime  and  dis- 
honesty and  immorality  are  tilling  up  and  depraving  so  much 
of  the  daily  press ;  that  a  contest  between  labor  and  capital,  most 
ominous  in  its  possible  issues,  is  waxing  more  and  more  fierce, 
and  filling  every  thoughtful  mind  with  dread  as  to  the  future. 
The  most  stout  and  faithful  are  becoming  discouraged.  Truth 
is  slighted  and  wickedness  exalted.  It  is  possible  that  we  exag- 
gerate the  gloomy  i^rospect  that  is  settling  down  upon  the  face 
of. society;  still,  it  cannot  be  concealed  that  there  is  much,  very 
much,  to  discourage  every  lover  of  God  and  Zion.  After  making 
allowance  for  the  propensity  to  exalt  the  jDast  and  decry  the 
present,  we  cannot  but  dread  the  lowering  evils  of  the  times  in 
which  we  live. 

WHAT  IS  TO  BE    DONE? 

Then  what  is  to  be  done?  Where  are  the  true  and  loyal  friends 
of  the  kingdom  to  look?  It  cannot  be  endured  tliat  no  voice  shall 
be  heard,  and  no  helping  arm  shall  be  raised.  Many  human  con- 
trivances are  resorted  to;  but  very  little  advance  in  reaching  the 
dense  mass  of  ignorance  and  irreligion  can  as  yet  be  seen.  Societies 
of  every  kind  are  organized,  temperance  efforts  are  pressed.  Chris- 
tian skill  exerted,  missions  established,  and  plans  of  collecting  funds 
for  benevolent  purposes  contrived;  places  of  worship  are  made  at- 
tractive, seats  for  the  poor  are  set  apart,  and  sensational  preaching 
which  would  cause  a  blush  to  good  sense  and  good  taste  is  tried: 
all  these  efforts  are  made,  yet  still  as  a  dark  pall  the  evils  rest 
upon  the  face  of  society.  The  evils  under  which  humanity  itself 
is  groaning  are  not  removed,  nor  even  much  abated  ;  and  churches 
are  not  filled.  Sabbath  desecration,  and  gross  intemperance,  and 
abominable  uncleanness,  and  shameless  frauds  which  shake  the 
very  foundations  of  society,  are  still  cursing  the  community  with 
very  little  check.  The  masses  are  not  evangelized,  and  little  im- 
pression is  made  upon  the  deep  gloom  and  sorrow  which  reigning 
sin  has  produced. 


MORTAL  ATTENTION   SUMMONED.  617 


GOD'S  OEDAINED    REMEDY. 

Is  this  sad  moral  state  to  continue  for  ever?  Must  tlie  masses 
of  mankind  remain  bound  hand  and  foot  by  sin  and  Satan  wliile 
no  effectual  deliverance  is  to  be  found?  Ye  that  love  God,  and 
Zion,  and  your  suffering  fellow  men,  can  you  bear  to  see  this 
darkness  and  misery  and  despair  still  crushing  out  happiness 
and  virtue  and  hope?  Alas,  so  it  would  seem — and  must  seem,  so 
long  as  we  look  on  the  human  side,  and  rely  on  mere  human 
wisdom !  Here,  however,  a  method  of  deliverance  is  opened — 
a  method  devised  in  heaven  and  offered  to  mankind ;  but  never 
as  yet  appreciated,  and  never  fairly  tried.  As  an  infallible  panacea 
for  the  moral  and  spiritual  evils  of  the  times  these  messages  from 
heaven  are  a  mine  unworked,  a  treasure  unexplored.  As  such, 
they  are  i)laced  at  the  close  and  climax  of  God's  revealed  plan 
for  saving  the  lost  race  of  men.  As  if  the  wisdom  of  all  the  ages 
were  gathered  together,  and  the  experience  of  all  the  past  centuries 
were  concentrated  in  one  point,  and  all  as  one  blazing  light  were 
held  up  on  high  to  be  seen  by  all  the  ages,  so  this  heavenly,  never- 
failing  remedy  has  been  prepared  and  is  offered  for  tbe  scattering 
of  darkness,  the  cheering  in  des^iair,  and  the  upraising  of  the  race, 
that  is  sinking  in  sin  and  misery. 

This — how  can  we  give  it  suflftcient  emphasis? — is  the  Heaven- 
ordained  antidote  for  the  spiritual  ills  of  the  days  in  which  we 
are  now  living.  Our  glorious  God  and  Father,  Jehovah,  the  All- 
wise  and  Everlasting,  has  j^lanned  it  for  us  and  made  it  known 
in  all  Scripture,  but  especially  in  this  most  precious  portion  of  the 
messages;  how  can  it  possibly  fail  of  accomplishing  his  most 
gracious  purpose?  The  experience  of  more  than  a  hundred 
generations  has  proved  its  efficacy;  assuredly  it  may  be  relied 
upon,  and  that  without  fear.  Framed  in  accordance  with  the  per- 
fections of  our  Creator,  and  the  sinful  tendencies  of  the  creature, 
there  can  be  no  doul)t  of  its  adaptation  to  the  purpose  for  which 
it  was  intended.  Placed  here  at  the  very  climax  of  the  divine 
revealings  for  the  weal  of  the  race  which  was  regarded  with  such 
infinite  compassion  by  the  loving  Lord,  it  will  carry  with  it  a 
most  effectual  deliverance.  Given  amid  the  anticipated  evils  of 
the  ages  of  sin  and  sorrow,  there  can  be  no  mistake  as  to  its  being 
the  providential  remedy  which  may  be  applied,  now,  as  the  one, 
the  only,  and  the  infallible  cure  for  our  deepest  miseries.  All 
else  has  been  tried,  but  only  to  leave  in  despair,  while  here  is 


618       INAUGUEAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

one  that  bears  the  stamp  of  the  divine  perfections;   and  shall  it 
not  be  used  with  the  utmost  alacrity? 

How  wonderful  is  the  gift  of  such  a  remedy  for  our  worst 
evils,  held  up  as  a  Beacon  of  promise  and  hope  of  deliverance, 
and  adapted  and  intended  for  this  age  of  so  much  irreligion  and 
apostasy  from  faith  and  righteousness !  Our  gracious  King  in  this 
earnest  charge  to  his  churches  has  opened  the  door  of  deliverance 
from  sins  and  sorrows.  Is  not  this  the  very  aid  that  is  needed? 
Is  not  this  divine  plan  the  best?  Has  it  not  been  tested  in 
instances  sufficiently  numerous  to  prove  that  it  will  be  efficacious 
whenever  it  shall  be  faithfully  used? 

SADLY  IGNORED. 

Without  a  doubt  this  is  the  great  remedy  which  the  sinful  age 
needs,  and  yet  how  deplorably  it  is  overlooked  and  neglected! 
All  other  plans  and  organizations  are  resorted  to ;  but  tliis  one, 
which  God  himself,  in  his  infinite  grace  and  wisdom,  has  sent 
us  on  a  special  mission,  is  slighted.  Tliis  may  be  seen  by  even 
the  most  casual  observer.  Where  is  there  a  determined  looking 
into  the  signiticance  of  this  portion  of  Scripture  which  is  so  peculiar 
and  so  well  adapted  to  our  present  spiritual  state?  Where  is  the 
throwing  of  ourselves,  with  all  our  immortal  interests,  upon  this 
God-provid.'d  remedy,  through  prayer  and  the  earnest  study  of 
its  nature  and  efficacy?  Where  is  the  resolute  taking  of  our 
Lord  at  his  word  of  warning  and  promise?  Where  is  the  faithful 
following  of  this  word  as  our  lamp  and  guide,  our  light,  and 
joy,  and  only  hope?  Where  is  that  earnestness  of  spirit,  that 
wrestling  with  God  day  and  night,  as  Jacob  wrestled  for  life 
and  safety — as  Knox  wrestled  for  his  beloved  Scotland — as 
Luther  wrestled  for  the  truth  and  for  Germany,  with  an  eager- 
ness that  would  die  or  be  heard?  Where  is  the  boldness  of 
importunity  that  pleads  God's  own  plans  and  promises?  Where 
is  the  gazing  up  with  streaming  eyes  upon  the  bright  Beacon 
which  tells  of  tlie  only  hope  remaining  for  the  lost  race?  Why 
are  all  other  remedies  so  eagerly  resorted  to,  while  God's  is  so 
sadly  neglected?  Would  that  now — with  every  element  of  the 
messages  lying  before  them,  and  the  charge,  "He  that  hath  an 
ear,  let  him  hear  what  the  Spirit  saith  unto  the  churches,"  urged 
so  strongly  ui)on  the  churches — the  sound  were  not  only  heeded, 
but  every  counsel  it  gives  followed ! 

The  great  comfort  and  hope  of  the  world  is  that  in  this  Beacon 
of  the  ages  our  Lord  has  made  just  that  promise  which  is  needed 


MORTAL   ATTENTION   SUMMONED.  619 

for  such  a  lime  as  tliis.  Here  is  the  very  remedy  that  will  meet 
the  spiritual  state  of  the  community,  over  which  the  loyal  heart 
of  the  believer  cannot  but  bleed.  It  is  adapted  to  the  present  as 
directly  as  if  there  were  no  other  time  or  wants  to  be  met  by  it,  and 
does  this  not  rise  up  as  the  one  great  hope  of  the  church  and  the 
world?  This  panacea  has  only  to  be  faithfully  used,  and  mankind 
is  saved.  We  must  be  in  earnest  in  giving  heed  to  this  method 
of  escape  which  God  has  provided.  That  it  is  God's  ordained  way 
of  delivering  us  from  our  present  low  state  of  piety,  and  all  the 
evils  connected  therewith,  is  evident.  It  is  the  Beacon  raised  high 
as  the  revelation  closes,  and  which  sends  abroad  a  light  that  is  most 
significant.  It  is  evident  from  its  care  to  include  every  condition 
of  spirituality  in  every  church ;  the  cooling  of  its  love  in  Ephesus, 
the  hypocrisy  in  Sardis,  the  worldliness  in  Pergamos,  the  sensuality 
in  Thyatira,  and  the  lukewarmness  in  Laodicea,  all  are  rebuked  with 
special  earnestness.  It  is  evident  from  this  earnestness  w'ith  which 
warnings  and  promises  are  all  pressed  liome,  and  the  charge  to  give 
good  heed  repeated;  from  the  manifest  application  of  the  words 
to  all  hearers  of  the  messages;  and  from  the  location  of  the  charge 
at  the  opening  of  the  Apocalypse — indicating  that  it  was  intended 
to  be  the  great  law  or  principle  that  would  pervade  and  influence 
all  the  developments  of  the  Church's  history. 

The  experience  of  all  the  generations  that  since  then  have  passed 
away  has  proved  that  in  these  messages  was  contained  the  remedy 
which  has  saved  the  Church  in  all  seasons  of  danger  and  depression. 
The  charge  comes  home  to  us  with  all  that  is  venerable,  humane, 
and  wise.  It  is  prepared  for  every  emergency,  it  is  held  aloft  to  be 
seen  by  every  eye,  and  offered  for  every  crisis  of  sutfering  and  fear, 
as  if  God's  own  finger  M^ere  seen  pointing  to  it  and  indicating  it  to 
be  his  divine  and  never-failing  antidote  for  all  the  evils  that  are 
crushing  out  happiness  and  hope. 

EFFECT,    IF  THE  CHURCH   HEEDED. 

Convinced  that  all  the  contrivances  of  merely  human  origin 
would  be  in  vain,  let  the  friends  of  Christ  and  his  cause  resort 
with  full  purpose  to  the  unfailing  remedy  which  God  himself  has 
devised, — and  the  whole  prospect  of  society  is  soon  changed.  This 
is  the  great  point  toward  which  all  our  studies  have  been  aiming 
from  the  beginning.  We  are  able  to  find  no  hope  from  all  devices 
of  men — we  stand  in  despair;  and  then  the  Beacon  of  tlie  ages 
flashes  out  before  ns  in  all  its  promises  of  deliverance.  Our 
gracious  Lord  had  it  prepared  for  that  very  crisis  which  he  knew 


620       IXAUGUKAL  OF  THE  ENTHKONED  KING. 

would  certainly  come.  Our  own  utter  helplessness  and  hopelessness 
are  reached,  and  with  them  has  come  a  crushing  despair.  \\'e 
behold  our  wretchedness  and  danger,  and  are  ready  to  abandon 
all  effort ;  but  just  then  we  realize  that  our  Lord  has  been  providing 
for  us,  by  maturing  this  remedy,  well  tried  through  many  ages, 
and  adapted  to  our  every  want  and  woe.  Then  do  our  souls  become 
filled  with  hope  and  joy  as  we  see  the  almighty  arm  made  bare  for 
our  deliverance. 

Such  would  most  undoubtedly  be  the  experience  of  the  people 
of  God,  if  this  remedy — "He  that  hath  an  ear,  let  him  hear  what 
the  Spirit  saith  unto  the  churches" — so  urgently  pressed  upon  us, 
were  lieeded  as  thoughtfully  as  it  deserves.  Then  would  crushed- 
down  and  despairing  Zion  awake  to  new  hopes  and  brightest 
prospects.  The  appeals,  warnings,  promises,  and  counsels  in  the 
messages  would  rise  up  as  stirring  realities.  The  whole  body  of 
believers  would  be  moved  by  this  stirring  call  as  it  sounded  down 
from  the  heavenly  throne.  Each  member  of  the  Church  would 
listen,  as  to  a  charge  that  was  made  directly  to  himself.  As  if  his 
name  were  pronounced,  and  his  place  and  work  indicated,  he 
would  rush  with  glad  alacrity  to  his  assigned  post  of  duty  and 
sacrifice,  and,  assured  of  aid  from  the  Almighty  in  that  pre-eminent 
work,  his  prayer  woidd  ascend  as  fragrance  from  the  smoking  altar. 
Each  individual  believer  being  thus  aroused,  and  every  post  of 
duty  and  danger  instantly  filled,  the  general  movement  would 
become  radical,  and,  pressed  on  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  the  whole 
moral  and  religious  aspect  of  society  would  soon  be  changed,  and 
become  most  promising.  God's  almighty  arm  having  been  made 
bare,  the  heavenly  jjanacea  is  used,  darkness  and  despair  are  driven 
away,  and  the  Church  is  saved.  Despairing  of  all  human  con- 
trivances, she  has  listened  to  the  heavenly  call :  "He  tliat  hath  an 
ear,  let  him  hear  what  the  Spirit  saith  unto  the  churches."  Believers 
are  sure  that  they  are  using  the  best,  and  only  effectual,  because 
the  divine,  remedy  ;  and  know  that  they  have  only  to  pray,  and 
work,  and  wait,  until  darkness  and  despair  shall  be  gone,  and  the 
Beacon  of  the  ages,  shining  out  brighter  and  more  attractive,  shall 
thrill  every  believing  soul  with  the  confidence  and  the  strength 
which  can  come  from  the  God  of  Zion  only.  What  a  scene  of 
ecstatic  joy  will  then  be  witnessed,  as  the  charge,  "He  that  hath 
an  ear,  let  him  hear  what  the  Si)irit  saith  unto  the  churches,"  shall 
be  heeded  by  every  ransomed  child  of  God,  and,  as  if  in  a  glorious 
cloud  of  incense,  the  whole  Church  shall  send  up  the  prayer  and 
the   praise,    which,    the   Spirit   prompting,    the   Intercessor   shall 


MORTAL  ATTENTION   SUMMONED.  621 

receive,  and  present  at  the  throne;  and  the  whole  world,  throbbing 
under  the  mighty  joys,  shall  soon  be  delivered. 

THE  PRESENT   AN   ERA   FOR  TESTING   IT. 

We  have  been  led  to  consider  the  present  as  a  period  of  deep, 
widespread,  and  lamentable  spiritual  depression  with  all  its  con- 
comitant evils.  We  have  seen  that,  in  the  teachings  of  these 
messages  to  the  churches,  the  Lord  of  Zion  has  provided  a  remedy 
for  it  that  will  never  ftul  in  its  efficacy.  Moreover,  we  can  dis- 
tinctly hear  from  him  the  urgent  call  upon  us:  "He  that  hath 
an  ear,  let  him  hear  what  the  Spirit  saith  unto  the  churches." 
Why  shall  we  not  heed  it — heed  it  with  an  earnestness  that  shall 
be  proportioned  to  the  momentous  interests  that  are  at  stake? 
Why  shall  we  not  as  individuals,  and  as  a  branch  of  the  great 
brotherhood  of  ransomed  men,  determine  that,  among  us,  the 
present  shall  become  celebrated  as  an  epoch  wherein  the  divine 
remedy  for  the  sorest  evils  of  humanity  shall  have  been  fully 
proved?  We  have  everything  to  awaken  our  interest,  to  stimu- 
late our  zeal,  to  direct  our  efforts,  and  to  assure  us  of  success. 
Never  was  there  a  period  wherein  such  deliverance  was  more 
needed,  or  a  people  who  had  more  facilities,  or  circumstances 
wherein  everything  was  more  ripe.  Why  then  do  we  not, 
l^rompted  by  a  holy  ambition  and  deep-felt  consciousness  of  need, 
determine  that,  in  tbe  strength  of  the  almighty  King  of  Zion, 
we  will  arouse  every  motive  and  press  every  agency,  until  we 
reach  the  great  blessedness  of  beholding  an  era  of  deliverance 
and  spiritual  .joy? 

We  find,  even  in  a  cursory  review,  that  in  God  and  his  Word 
there  has  been  provision  made  for  every  emergency  and  time  of 
need  which  can  ever  arise  in  the  history  of  the  Church.  A  few 
instances  will  serve  both  to  prove  this  and  to  illustrate  what  we 
mean.  The  Israelitish  people  were  forming  into  a  separate  nation, 
and  were  in  need  of  divine  guidance,  and  of  laws  and  customs 
suited  to  them  as  a  people  who  would  have  the  Lord  Jehovah  as 
their  King:  these  were  truly  established  by  their  witnessing  the 
scenes  of  Sinai,  and  by  the  laws  provided  for  them  by  God's  own 
infinite  wisdom.  A  crisis  came  when  they  needed  an  unerring 
directory  of  worship  in  the  grand  mission  to  which  as  a  nation 
they  were  appointed:  their  divine  Lord  had  it  ready  for  them 
in  the  inspired  book  of  sacred  songs.  The  Church  needed  to 
know  the  nature  of  that  glorious  Messiah  who  had  been  prom- 
ised them,   and  on  whom  their  whole  future  depended :  the  in- 


622  INAUGURAL  OF  TPIE   ENTHRONED  KING. 

formation  was  provided  in  the  marvelous  prophecy:  "The  chas- 
tisement of  our  peace  was  upon  him ;  and  with  his  stripes  we 
are  liealed."  The  new  l\ingdom  of  Christ  had  just  been  set  up 
in  the  world — every  eye  was  loolving,  and  every  heart  asliing, 
What  is  it  to  be?  The  answer  was  ready,  in  the  wondrous 
Sermon  on  the  Mount,  of  wliich  the  substance  was:  "Blessed 
are  the  poor  in  spirit;  for  theirs  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven." 
Thus  it  is  that  evermore  in  his  Word  and  in  his  providence 
our  heavenly  Father  provides  the  precise  remedy  which  shall  be 
needed  by  his  people  in  all  their  trials  and  dangers.  It  is  so 
in  the  case  before  us.  The  present  is  a  period  of  sore  evils 
to  the  Church;  but  in  these  messages  is  the  antidote  to  meet 
them  all. 

Here  is  the  panacea  which  is  needed  by  both  the  church  and 
the  world.  The  urgent  call  of  God  in  the  messages  is  that  which 
is  suited  to  all  similar  states  of  spiritual  depression  and  danger; 
and  now  is  an  age  in  which  to  test  'its  efficacy  in  restoring  safety 
and  prosperity.  May  it  prove  to  be  so  in  the  history  of  the 
kingdom ! 

To  that  end,  the  first  step  is  for  us  to  consider  our  prevailing 
evils,  and  their  divinely  provided  remedy.  Each  period  must 
study  the  momentous  subject  for  itself,  inasmuch  as  the  call  to 
hear  the  message  is  manifestly  intended  for  each  and  all  times. 
Such  study  will  very  quickly  reveal  that  the  special  wants  of 
the  age  are  provided  for  here.  The  remedy  is  here,  and  all 
depends  on,  whether  the  Church  shall  heed  or  ignore  the  pro- 
vision which  God  has  made  for  her.  Every  motive  of  which 
we  can  possibly  conceive  presses  hard  upon  us  to  awaken  our 
souls  to  his  divine  voice.  Our  heavenly  Father  knows  what  we 
need  ;  and  here  it  is,  pressed  home  upon  us,  in  the  most  earnest 
tones.  Shall  he  call  so  earnestly;  shall  the  spiritual  evils  which 
face  us  on  every  side,  call;  shall  the  solemn  warnings  and  prom- 
ises of  the  messages  that  sound  down  to  us  from  heaven,  call;— 
shall  all  these  call,  and  yet  we  turn  away  from  them  in  heedless 
indifference,  as  if  we  would  provoke  the  old  reproach,  "Is  it 
nothing  to  you,  all  ye  that  pass  by?" 

Sliall  not  this  heavenly  summons  be  at  least  listened  to?  It 
is  a  special  behest  from  our  compassionate  Lord,  and  should  it 
not  receive  special  attention?  If  the  Church  is  ever  to  be  deliv- 
ered from  the  calamities  which  are  now  imi)ending  over  her,  she 
must  heed  the  means  appointed  of  God  for  her  deliverance.  The 
method  of  escape  must  be  diligently  considered  by  the  awakened 


MORTAL  ATTENTION  SUMMONED.  623 

soul.  Languid  thought  and  lifeless  efforts  will  not  do.  The  peo- 
ple of  God  must  be  in  earnest  in  heeding  the  divine  voice,  and 
seeking  the  kingdom  of  God  as  if  Avith  sacred  violence.  As  for 
life  immortal  must  we  heed  the  call  of  God,  and  search  for  Him 
who  is  the  Way,  the  Truth,  and  the  Life.  The  charge  of  our 
Lord  is  unrepealed:  "Search  the  Scriptures;  for  in  them  ye  think 
ye  have  eternal  life,  and  they  are  they  which  testify  of  me."  So, 
especially,  and  with  every  faculty  keenly  alive,  must  we  give 
the  most  earnest  attention  to  this  charge  upon  which  the  heart 
of  our  Lord  was  so  earnestlj^  fixed.  We  are  in  spiritual  dangers 
and  tempests;  and  as,  in  the  raging  storm,  the  captain  of  an 
imperiled  ship  stands  at  his  post,  consults  every  chart,  heeds 
every  shifting  gale,  and  tries  every  art  to  save  his  charge:  so 
must  the  Church  put  forth  every  efibrt  to  save  that  with  which 
no  wealth  of  earth  can  compare.  It  is  now  a  time  of  storm  and 
danger  for  the  Church  of  God,  and  there  comes  to  each  one  of 
her  members  a  call  from  heaven  itself  that  he  consult  every  guide, 
try  every  plan,  strain  every  energy,  call  in  the  help  of  every  mem- 
ber, and  leave  no  effort  untried,  to  arouse  himself  and  all  othei's 
to  awaken  to  the  call  of  duty  and  the  demands  of  the  loresent 
crisis. 

Be  this  an  era  in  the  history  of  the  kingdom  which  shall  be 
celebrated  for  the  earnest  heed  of  God's  people  to  this  his  charge, 
and  for  the  deliverance  which  he  shall  have  wrought  in  response 
thereto !  The  need  of  this  age  is  very  great ;  every  assurance 
is  given,  especially  in  the  seven  messages  from  the  throne,  that 
the  faithful  shall  not  appeal  in  vain  for  aid  to  Him  M'ho  alone 
can  help.  Should  the  old  call  of  Zion,  "  It  is  time  for  thee.  Lord, 
to  work:  for  they  have  made  void  thy  law,"  be  heard  on  every 
hand,  we  might  be  sure  of  soon  seeing  God's  arm  made  bare. 
Evermore  be  this  age  remembered  because  of  God's  manifested 
faithfulness  to  this  engagement! 

HEEDING  THIS  CALL— NOT  HUMAN  CONTEIVANCES. 
It  is  of  prime  importance  that  we  learn  to  resort  to  this  divinely 
appointed  remedy  for  existing  spiritual  evils,  and  not  to  the  iilans 
which  men  may  devise.  There  is  a  strange  proneness,  among  even 
professed  believers,  to  form  new  schemes,  and  make  new  experi- 
ments, in  order  to  meet  the  felt  wants  of  the  Church.  Revivals, 
so  called,  are  gotten  iip,  with  intent  purpose,  as  if  therein  only 
could  conversions  be  looked  for.  Anxious  benches  are  resorted 
to,  as  if  they  were  an  indispensable  part  of  the  spiritual  machinery. 


624       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

Associations  are  contrived  witli  elaborate  plans;  reforms  are  estab- 
lislied,  as  if  they  alone  were  adapted  to  meet  and  counteract  evils 
that  are  felt  and  mourned  over;  and  sensational  preaching  is  prac- 
tised to  startle,  attract,  and  secure  attention. 

All  such  plans  are  devised,  but  this  all-wise  appointment  of  God 
himself  in  these  messages  is  neglected.  But  is  not  he  infinitely 
compassionate  to  feel  for  us  and  to  know  what  we  need,  as  well 
as  to  provide  for  it?  Is  not  his  mercy  boundless  in  devising 
what  his  people  require  for  their  deliverance  fi'om  sin  and  sor- 
row and  danger?  Are  not  his  remedies  in  all  their  fullness  pro- 
vided and  made  known  in  these  gracious  messages  which  he  sent 
to  his  Church?  And  are  they  not  pressed  home  to  the  heart  of 
every  lover  of  Zion  with  the  utmost  earnestness  by  these  warn- 
ings, and  pi'omises,  and  entreaties,  the  substance  of  which  is: 
"He  that  hath  an  ear,  let  him  hear  what  the  Spirit  saith  unto 
the  churches." 

There  come  to  us,  therefore,  the  most  pressing  motives,  that, 
for  our  deliverance  from  the  evils  of  the  low  state  of  religion 
now  prevailing,  we  resort  to  the  Heaven-provided  remedy,  and 
not  to  the  untried  jilans  of  human  fancy.  That  we  should  de- 
pend on  the  fancied  improvements  of  men  is  nothing  less  than 
an  insult  to  our  all-wise  and  all-gracious  Lord,  as  if  our  own 
contrivances  were  better  than  his  wisdom.  The  spirit  of  the  age 
— this  is  the  i>hantom  after  which  the  foolishness  of  men  is  striv- 
ing! Improvements  in  theology,  whether  doctrinal  or  practical — 
for  this  they  aim,  and  of  this  they  boast  as  in  the  application 
of  steam  to  the  moving  of  machinery,  or  of  electricity  to  the 
illumination  of  a  city!  How  could  the  system  of  theology  be 
improved?  AVas  it  imperfectly  made  known  to  us  at  the  first, 
and  must  it  now  be  amended?  How  can  that  which  is  abso- 
lutely true,  and  wise,  and  suitable,  as  was  all  that  came  from 
the  hand  of  God,  be  made  any  better?  Improvement  in  the- 
ology ! — is  not  that  impugning  the  character  of  what  was  at  first 
revealed  ?  Alas,  this  yielding  to  the  sijirit  of  the  age  is  but  yield- 
ing to  the  skeptical  tendencies  abroad  which  would  tear  down 
all  that  is  tried,  and  holy,  and  venerable,  without  leaving  any- 
thing upon  which  the  soul  can  safely  rest!  Improvements  in 
what  God  at  first  revealed,  and  which  has  stood  the  wear  of 
eighteen  hundred  years,  and  made  a  conquering  and  martyr 
Church!  Is  the  experience  of  all  these  centuries  worth  nothing? 
Because  the  world  is  alive  with  the  daily  intelligence  of  discov- 
eries in  the  laws  of  nature,  and  improvements  in  the  arts  of  living, 


MORTAL  ATTENTION   SUxMMONED.  625 

must  the  lovers  of  Zion  be  branded  with  the  stigma  of  senility, 
because  they  will  not  abandon  all  that  is  tried,  and  venerable, 
and  divine,  and  acknowledge  themselves  at  sea  as  to  all  that 
upon  which  tlieir  souls  rely  for  eternity?  Is  it  not  a  grievous 
insult  to  the  perfections  of  our  glorified  Lord  to  place  his  claims 
for  our  earnest  attention  on  a  par  with  the  study  of  the  laws  of 
acoustics  or  the  classification  of  fishes? 

This  plan  of  raising  the  Church  out  of  her  low  and  wretched 
estate  is  of  God's  ordaining,  and  therefore  it  can  never  be  applied 
in  vain.  It  has  already  been  well  tested  and  found  to  be  certainly 
efficacious;  then,  why  are  time  and  thought  and  energy  wasted 
on  scliemes  which  are  the  offspring  of  mere  fancy  and  human 
contriving?  Why  follow  leaders  already  found  to  be  vain  and 
selfish  and  ignorant?  Nothing  but  the  blinding  effects  of  sin 
could  thus  mislead  men  as  to  their  interests  for  eternity! 

When  will  the  people  of  God  learn  the  lesson  of  a  hundred 
generations,  that  no  plans  of  merely  human  contriving  will  ever 
succeed  in  building  up  the  true  interests  of  the  kingdom?  When 
will  the  gracious  call—"  He  that  hath  an  ear,  let  him  hear  what 
the  Spirit  saith  unto  the  churches" — intended  for  just  such  crises 
at  this,  be  heeded  by  the  people  of  God,  and  lead  to  new  life  and 
joy  and  hope?  It  is  an  earnest  call  of  God,  that  we  use  the  Heaven- 
devised  method.  No  improvement  can  possibly  make  better  God's 
method  of  imparting  life  to  his  Church  and  saving  the  souls  of 
men;  why,  then,  neglect  it  for  schemes  that  rest  only  on  founda- 
tions of  sand?  Oh  that  the  people  of  God  could  be  induced  to 
heed  this  most  gracious  summons  from  the  heavenly  throne,  and 
then  would  soon  be  realized  the  efficacy  of  the  prayer:  "O  Lord, 
revive  thy  work  in  the  midst  of  the  years,  in  the  midst  of  the 
years  make  known;  in  wrath  remember  mercy." 

As  for  every  other  age  of  the  kingdom  on  earth,  this  urgent 
call  of  the  messages  is  eminently  the  passage  of  Scripture  for  the 
present  time ;  and  why  not  study  it  and  apply  it,  instead  of  specu- 
lating about  the  vagaries  of  "  higher  life,"  "  Christian  science," 
"  faith  cure,"  and  other  impracticable  schemes,  the  very  lowest 
charge  against  which  is  that  they  hide  God's  most  plain  and 
practicable  plan  of  the  gospel,  and  divert  the  mind  from  the  one 
and  only  condition  of  faith,  simple  and  strong,  in  Christ  and  his 
cross.  The  spirit  of  the  age !  What  is  it,  or  wdiat  can  it  do  for  the 
Church  and  the  world,  compared  with  this  heavenly  remedy,  to 
which  our  gracious  Lord  summons  every  renewed  heart,  and  every 
lover  of  his  race?    Why  do  we  not  resort  to  this  plan  of  God  with 

40 


626       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

true  and  loyal  purpose?  Why,  as  concerning  another  and 
momentous  crisis  of  the  kingdom,  do  we  not  heed  this  most  earnest 
appeal  of  our  dear  Lord,  when  he  cries  concerning  these  messages : 
"  Prove  me  now  herewith,  saith  the  Lord  of  Hosts,  if  I  will  not 
open  you  the  windows  of  heaven,  and  pour  you  out  a  blessing,  that 
there  shall  not  be  room  enough  to  receive  it." 

TRANSCENDENT  IMPOETANCE  OF  THE   MESSAGES,  AND  OF  THE  CALL 
TO   HEED   THEM. 

These  messages  and  this  call  appear  to  us  of  such  unspeakable 
value  that  we  cannot  leave  them.  The  effects  of  the  gospel  when 
it  first  came  in  contact  with  untaught  and  depraved  pagan 
humanity,  as  it  did  in  this  region  of  the  seven  churches — how  can 
we  overestimate  the  value  of  the  event  as  an  example?  What 
light  it  sheds  upon  the  workings  of  the  natural  heart !  What  an 
illustration  of  the  power  of  religion  to  change,  elevate,  and  sanctify 
the  most  hopeless  of  mankind,  whether  as  individuals  or  com- 
munities! In  this  aspect  the  value  of  these  messages  cannot 
possibly  be  exaggerated.  As  an  element  of  the  Beacon  of  the 
ages,  it  cannot  be  raised  too  high  or  made  to  beam  too  brightly. 
For  a  dying,  suffering  church  or  community,  this  gracious  call  of 
her  Lord  is  an  absolute  specific.  Blessed  be  the  glorious  Head  of 
Zion  that  he  has  provided  this  unfailing  and  ever-ready  panacea 
for  the  low  and  suffering  estate  of  his  Church  ! 

It  must  impress  us  very  deeply  to  contemplate  our  Lord's 
interest  in  this  provided  remedy  and  compare  it  with  our  own 
deplorable,  guilty  indifference.  How  he  explains,  repeats,  calls, 
in  words  the  most  urgent  and  emphatic ;  and  yet  it  would  neither 
add  to  nor  diminish  his  glory,  while  it  is  all  in  all  to  us,  involving 
our  bliss  or  misery  for  both  time  and  eternity.  AVhat  means  this 
strange  bewitchery  of  sin  that  keeps  us  from  seeing  and  seeking 
the  undying  interests  of  our  soul?  Not  only  is  the  individual 
soul  at  stake;  the  spiritual  welfare  of  the  Church  and  community 
is  also  involved.  The  messages  are  for  the  whole  Church.  Atten- 
tion to  this  call  will  produce  a  happy  change  in  the  moral  and 
religious  state  of  the  whole  body  of  God's  people:  surely,  then, 
we  should  heed  the  charge  with  which  God  presses  his  messages 
home  upon  our  hearts  and  consciences! 

It  is  very  significant  how  wide  and  general  this  call  is  made 
upon  every  hearer  and  reader:  "He  that  hath  an  ear."  Who- 
ever hears— any  one,  anywhere— is  urged  to  heed  ;  and  there  is 
something  that  is  specially  suited  to  every  case.    No   hearer  of 


MORTAL   ATTENTION   SUMMONED.  627 

these  words  but  will  find  some  part  of  the  charge  addressed  to 
him.  As  on  one  occasion  while  among  men  in  the  flesh,  our  Lord 
virtually  urges :  "  What  I  say  unto  you,  I  say  unto  all."  To  all 
is  the  charge ;  but  especially  to  all  pastors.  "  For  one  who  has 
undertaken  the  awful  ministry  of  souls,  I  know  almost  nothing 
in  Scripture  so  searching — no  threatenings  so  alarming,  no  prom- 
ises so  comforting,  as  are  some  which  these  epistles  contain." 

It  is  a  great  mercy  in  our  Lord,  to  lay  on  his  people  such  a 
solemn  charge  to  give  heed  to  his  teachings.  To  charge  the  Ephe- 
sians  to  return  to  their  first  love ;  the  church  of  Smyrna,  to  suffer 
tribulation  willingly;  of  Pergamos,  to  free  themselves  from  sedu- 
cing teachers ;  and  of  Sardis,  to  shun  hypocrisy — are  all  marks  of 
his  fatherly  care ;  but  more  gracious  than  all  is  the  strong  obliga- 
tion which  urges  that  they  earnestly  heed  the  calls  of  the  Spirit. 
What  blessed  results  would  follow !  Then  would  the  faithful  be 
permitted  to  eat  of  the  tree  of  life;  they  would  not  be  hurt  of 
the  second  death ;  they  would  share  the  dearest  friendship  of 
their  Lord;  they  would  receive  power  over  the  nations;  they 
would  walk  in  white  amid  the  glorified;  they  would  be  pillars 
in  the  heavenly  temple,  and  they  would  share  the  throne  with 
their  exalted  Lord.  Then  also  would  the  children  of  God  hear 
the  stirring  call,  and  realize  the  blessing  most  sublime:  "Arise, 
shine !  for  thy  light  is  come,  and  the  glory  of  the  Lord  is  risen 
upon  thee."  Supposing  the  heavenly  summons  were  heeded  by 
believers  generally,  and  laid  to  heart,  and  obeyed,  what  scenes 
of  new  life,  and  spiritual  joy,  and  blessed  conversions,  would 
soon  be  witnessed !  What  mourning  for  sin !  what  multitudes 
asking  the  way  to  Zion  with  their  faces  thitherward !  what  raji- 
ture  over  souls  snatched  as  brands  from  the  burning!  what  new- 
ness of  hope,  and  life,  and  principles !  what  joy  in  the  [iresence 
of  the  angels  of  God  over,  not  "one,"  but  multitudes  of  sinners 
that  repent.  Then,  only  then,  when  the  faithful  hear  and  heed 
the  Spirit's  earnest  words  thrilling  down  into  their  inmost  souls 
shall  the  bewitchery  of  sin  be  banished,  their  eyes  be  enlight- 
ened, and  they  be  enabled  to  gaze  upon  the  rainbow  around  the 
Great  White  Throne. 

It  is  not  man,  but  an  enthroned  Lord  himself  who  gives  the 
solemn  charge.  He  sends  down  this-  special  and  urgent  message 
to  us;  and  shall  we  not  heed  it  with  all  the  intensity  of  our  souls? 
The  subjects  involved  are  those  into  which  angels  desire  to  look ; 
and  shall  not  we,  whose  immortal  weal  is  at  stake,  give  most  earn- 
est attention?    In  the  Spirit's  words  we  appeal  to  every  reader: 


628       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

Heed,  oh  heed  the  solemn  charge!  It  is  our  Lord  himself  who 
speaks  to  you,  as  urgently  now  as  to  the  seven  churches  of  Asia. 
Hear!  for  upon  our  doing  so  or  not  doing  so  is  suspended  the 
question  whether  the  churches  shall  lie  still  where  they  are — so 
lifeless,  so  cheerless,  so  inconsistent,  so  wretched;  or  arise  to  a 
new,  a  bright,  and  a  holy  future. 


CHAPTER    XXIII. 

KEY-NOTE  OF  THE  APOCALYPSE. 

The  first  six  verses  of  the  book  of  Revelation  are  a  sort  of 
introduction,  not  to  tlie  messages  to  tlie  seven  cliurclies  alone, 
but  also  to  the  whole  Apocalypse.  After  this,  and  the  greeting 
to  the  faithful  of  the  churches,  follows  the  doxology  of  the  ran- 
somed of  every  age  and  nation :  "  Unto  him  that  loved  us  and 
washed  us  in  his  own  blood,  and  hath  made  us  kings  and  priests 
unto  God  and  his  Father;  to  him  be  glory  and  dominion,  for 
ever  and  ever:  amen."  Then  comes  the  fundamental  thought  of 
the  whole  book :  "  Behold,  he  cometh  .'"  This  is  undoubtedly  the 
key-note  of  all  that  follows.  It  is  presented  in  such  form  as 
to  indicate  that  it  is  to  be  the  theme  of  all.  It  stands  at  the 
opening  of  the  most  magnificent  views  of  Christ  and  of  his  king- 
dom, as  that  kingdom  is  yet  to  be  developed  among  the  children 
of  men.  The  words  are  amongst  the  sublimities  of  our  Lord's 
stupendous  plans  in  reference  to  our  race.  They  open  vistas  over 
the  everlasting  hills  and  into  the  gates  of  the  New  Jerusalem  ;  and 
it  is  not  too  bold,  nor  irreverent,  to  gaze  intently  upon  them.  The 
beloved  disciple — the  great  New  Testament  seer,  in  sublime  vision, 
is  so  elevated  in  spirit  that  the  things  that  are  future  and  celes- 
tial are  made  to  pass  before  him  so  far  as  was  needed  for  the  guid- 
ance of  the  people  of  God  in  all  after  ages.  The  name  of  the 
Son  of  God  is  pronounced — in  an  instant  his  eye  brightens,  his 
soul  is  elated.  The  exclamation  breaks  out  from  his  enraptured 
soul:  ^^ Behold,  he  cometh V  This  was  the  substance  of  all.  The 
whole  track  of  his  advent,  from  that  rapturous  hour,  until  the 
climax  of  the  great  Day  of  His  Espousals,  was  then  lying  before 
him.  All  were  concentrated  in  those  arousing  words:  ^'■Behold, 
he  cometh .'" — is  coming.  This  was  the  meaning  of  all  that  was 
to  pass  before  him.  His  second  coming  was  beginning  that  hour, 
its  marvelous  events  were  to  sweep  on,  until  all,  creatures  would 
be  assembled  around  the  great  white  throne  on  the  Judgment- 
day.  The  name  of  Jesus  awakened  the  soul-stirring  exclama- 
tion— it  is  to  be  followed  by  scene  after  scene  of  more  excelling 
glory. 

629 


G30       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

The  enraptured  prophet  cried  out  in  ecstasy,  "  Behold,  He  is 
coming!"  In  that  vision,  more  sublime  than  had  ever  before  been 
witnessed  by  mortal  eyes,  the  highly  favored  seer  first  beheld, 
coming  from  afar,  the  glorified  Son  of  man.  He  gazes  on.  The 
majestic  Lord  draws  nearer  and  nearer.  He  is  approaching.  He 
is  at  hand.  He  beholds  him  coming!  All  else  seems  lost  sight 
of  in  that  enrapturing  vision.  He  sees  the  glorified  Son  of  God, 
with  whom  he  had  spent  such  blessed  hours  in  the  old  days  of 
earth.  He  calls  upon  all  others  to  look,  as  does  one  who  directs 
attention  to  a  new  and  thrilling  fact — as  one  who  was  himself 
bewildered  by  a  scene  of  indescribable  glory.  His  heart-stirring 
words  are:  "He  is  coming!" — not.  He  will  come,  even  in  the 
near  future — but.  He  is  coming— coming  now !  Nearer  and  nearer 
he  approaches.  The  prophet  beheld  him  coming  down  from  the 
heavenly  hills.  He  was  coming  then,  when  these  words  were 
uttered.  He  was  then  on  the  way.  Ever  since  then  he  has  been 
on  the  way.  He  is  so  now.  At  every  moment  of  the  ages,  it 
might  be  said:  "The  Lord  is  at  hand."  At  every  moment,  as  in 
the  text,  might  go  up  the  cry:  ^'Behold,  He  comet /i  P^  Behold,  all 
ye  who  have  eyes  to  see,  and  hearts  to  feel,  or  souls  to  admire! 
— the  Lord  is  coming! 

The  coming  of  ('hrist  is  the  fundamental  thought  of  the  whole 
book  of  Revelation.  Every  part  is  written,  animated,  influenced, 
guided,  and  colored  by  this  great  watchword  found  at  its  opening: 
^'- Behold,  He  Cometh  ! ''''  This  is  the  key  by  which  all  its  mysteries 
can  be  unlocked.  Applying  this  at  every  point  we  shall  have 
unerring  guidance,  and  a  light  that  will  make  all  things  plain. 
Indeed,  there  is  scarcely  a  question  that  the  book  of  Revelation 
is  itself  the  coming  of  Christ.  When  the  scenes  of  that  marvelous 
communication  passed  before  the  eyes  of  the  prophet — that  was 
the  coming  of  Christ  in  his'  providential  and  divine  footsteps. 
His  coming  again  was  this  Revelation.  How  marvelous  the 
thought  and  marvelous  the  glory! — here,  in  the  majestic  vision,  is 
the  coming  of  our  Lord !  These  are  his  footsteps,  as,  through 
the  centuries,  he  draws  nearer  and  nearer!  Both  in  the  providences 
which  guided  to  the  book  of  Revelation,  and  in  tiie  Spirit 
which  inspired  its  writing,  we  have  the  coming  of  Christ  in 
living  and  glorious  fact.  He  is  coming,  and  hence  all  these 
stupendous  movements  both  in  the  Church  and  in  the  world. 

It  is  to  be  lamented  that  this  subject  of  the  coming  again  of 
our  Lord  does  not  receive  from  us  more  earnest  thought  and 
attention.     In  the  whole  of  that  future  which  lies  before  us  there 


KEY-NOTE  OF  THE   APOCALYPSE.  631 

is  nothing  so  momentous  as  this,  and  yet  tliere  is  scarcely  any- 
thing which  is  so  little  in  our  hearts  and  minds.  Alas  that  it 
should  be  so!  The  unspeakable  sublimity  of  the  thought  that 
Christ,  our  Lord,  is  coming  again ;  the  high  and  holy  mysteries 
that  are  connected  therewith,  the  grand  prophetic  scenes  that 
are  associated  with  its  approach,  the  intimate  connection  which 
everything  evinces  that  it  is  to  have  with  all  the  future  destinies 
of  our  race,  and  the  evident  stress  which  is  laid  on  it  in  the 
inspired  page,— all  these  make  it  manifest  that  we  have  sin- 
fully neglected  this  important  subject,  that  it  should  be  far  more 
in  our  thoughts,  that  we  should  live  and  act  with  reference  to 
it,  that  we  should  pray  for  it,  and  look  for  it,  and  prei)are  for  it. 
It  can  scarcely  fail  of  notice  that  in  all  that  is  made  known  to 
us  concerning  the  second  coming  of  our  Lord  we  have  nothing 
more  revealed  to  us  than  the  leading  events  connected  therewith. 
The  more  minute  things  are  generally  omitted,  and  we  have  no 
more  than  the  essential  points.  Little  more  is  conmiunicated 
than,  "  Behold,  he  cometh  with  clouds ;  and  every  eye  shall  see 
him,  and  they  also  which  pierced  him  ;  and  all  kindreds  of  the 
earth  shall  wail  because  of  him:  even  so,  amen."  Nearly  all 
is  here;  and  the  "Amen"  would  seem  to  intimate  that  this  is 
all  that  was  intended  to  be  communicated.  We  are  not  to  know 
the  minute  things;  we  are  to  know  only  the  leading  sublimities, 
and  then  prepare  for  his  coming.  As  to  all  othei-s  we  are  to  ex- 
ercise our  faith,  by  leaving  them  all  to  God,  and  waiting. 

GEEAT   STEESS  UPON   IT  IN   SCEIPTUEE. 

No  one  can  take  even  a  cursory  glance  over  the  New  Testament, 
with  tliis  subject  in  his  mind,  without  being  deeply  impressed  that 
the  coming  again  of  our  Lord  was  an  event  in  the  future  of  the 
very  greatest  moment.  In  no  less  than  eighteen  instances  our 
Lord  himself  refers  to  it  in  most  emphatic  terms.  In  the  mind 
of  our  Lord  himself  it  manifestly  stood  next  to  his  death  and 
ascension  in  the  glorious  achievement  of  redeeming  the  lost  world. 
Not  only  was  it  continually  in  his  own  mind,  but  he  makes  it 
manifest  that  he  would  also  have  his  people  look  forward  to  it 
as  an  event  of  infinite  importance.  He  would  have  them  fix 
their  hearts  upon  it  above  all  else  in  the  future  which  they  were 
to  expect. 

Because  of  the  constant  stress  whicli  our  Lord  laid  on  the  sub- 
ject it  is  clearly  our  duty  as  well  as  interest  to  labor  to  have  our 
minds  filled  with  it— so  filled  with  it  as  to  look  upon  it  as  the  one 


632       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

great  all-absorbing  movement  of  the  kingdom  wbieh  is  to  finisli 
the  enterprise  of  the  Son  of  God  in  redeeming  the  world.  To 
that  end  we  glance  first  at  Christ's  earnest  words  concerning  his 
coming,  which  he  uttered  on  the  memorable  last  night  with  his 
disciples.  "If  I  go  and  prepare  a  place,  I  will  come  again." 
"I  will  not  leave  you  comfortless;  I  will  come  again."  "Ye 
have  heard  how  I  said  unto  you,  I  go  away,  and  come  again 
unto  you."  "  And  again  a  little  while,  and  ye  shall  see  me." 
"But  I  will  see  you  again,  and  your  heart  shall  rejoice."  "I 
will  drink  no  more  of  the  fruit  of  the  vine,  until  that  day  when 
I  shall  drink  it  new  with  you  in  my  Father's  kingdom."  How 
full  his  heart  must  have  been  with  the  thought  of  again  meeting 
his  disciples,  since  he  so  repeatedly  refers  to  it  in  this  farewell 
interview !  And  that  is  not  all ;  but  on  many  other  occasions 
does  the  thought  break  out  from  his  overflowing  heart.  In  a 
rebuke  of  the  impetuous  Peter  by  the  Sea  of  Galilee  he  says: 
"If  I  will  that  he  tarry  fiU  I  come,  wliat  is  that  to  thee?"  Then, 
how  many  of  his  parables  have  this  as  their  great  central  point? 
He  was  as  a  great  King,  Who,  for  a  time,  was  to  be  absent  on  a 
long  journey ;  but  his  heart  was  set  on  his  coming  back  again, 
and  this  was  the  event  for  which  his  people  were  to  be  constantly 
looking.  In  fact  this  was  the  very  fruit  and  core  of  many  of  his 
parables.  Most  remarkable  of  all  is  the  prominence  of  the  sub- 
ject throughout  all  this  book  of  Revelation.  In  the  epistles  to 
the  churches  we  hear:  "But  that  which  ye  have  already,  hold 
fast  till  I  come."  But  in  the  last  chapter — the  closing  chapter 
of  the  whole  Bible — it  becomes  the  most  impressive  of  all.  As 
if  he  was  uttering  his  farewell  to  the  Church  and  world,  no  less 
than  three  times  over  does  he  repeat,  "Behold,  I  come  quickly." 
And  tlien,  the  very  last:  "He  which  testifieth  these  things  saith. 
Surely  I  come  quickly.     Amen,  even  so,  come,  Lord  Jesus." 

Such  are  specimens  of  Christ's  own  earnest  words  concerning 
his  coming  again  to  his  Church  and  the  world.  We  find  the  same 
often  repeated  by  the  inspired  writers.  Among  such  assurances, 
we  hear  from  the  lips  of  the  angels,  as,  with  the  disciples,  they 
gaze  upon  the  ascending  Son  of  man :  "  This  same  Jesus  which 
is  taken  up  from  you  into  heaven,  shall  so  come  in  like  manner 
as  ye  have  seen  him  go  into  heaven."  Most  significantly  did 
the  great  apostle  write  to  the  Corinthian  believers:  "As  often 
as  ye  eat  this  bread,  and  drink  this  cup,  ye  do  show  the  Lord's 
death,  till  he  conwy  To  tlie  Thessalonians  the  same  apostle  writes 
concerning  that  day  "  when  he  shall  come  to  be  glorified  in  his 


KEY-NOTE   OF   THE   APOCALYPSE.  633 

saints,"  and  still  again,   to  the  believing  Hebrews:    "For  yet  a 
little  while,  and  he  that  shall  come,  will  come,  and  will  not  tarry." 

From  all  these  passages,  and  many  others  like  them,  it  is  certain 
that  this  coming  of  Christ  denotes  something  of  vital  interest 
to  Christ  and  his  cause,  something  that  was  resting  on  his 
mind  which  was  of  the  utmost  moment.  So  often  does  he  refer 
to  it  that  it  must  be  connected  with  moSt  solemn  realities. 

WHAT    EVENT  SPECIALLY  IXTI^.IATED. 

There  is  a  characteristic  of  prophecy  which  we  must  endeavor 
to  understand.  It  is  that  the  predictions  of  Scripture  very  fre- 
quently refer  with  equal  directness  to  two  or  more  future  events. 
Sometimes  tlie  same  words  of  promise  or  threatening  are  ai^plicable 
to  various  events  which  lie  in  the  same  line  of  fulfillment.  For 
instance,  the  same  words  at  once  predicted  the  fall  of  Jerusalem, 
the  calamities  of  after  ages,  and  the  final  destruction  of  the  world, 
or  either  one  of  them,  or  all  of  them  at  once.  Sometimes  a 
prediction  refers  to  one  future  event,  sometimes  to  another,  in  an 
established  line  of  events,  sometimes  to  several  of  them  at  once, 
and  sometimes  to  all.  This  is  a  characteristic  of  Scripture  prophecy 
of  vast  importance,  and  we  shall  not  make  much  progress  in  such 
studies  without  understanding  it. 

Let  us  apply  it  to  the  questions  before  us — that  is,  to  the  coming 
of  our  Lord.  In  the  sacred  pages  we  find  predictions  of  that 
event  which  must  refer  to  one  thing  here,  to  another  there,  and 
to  still  others  elsewhere.  At  first  sight  this  appears  to  jjresent 
difliculty  that  is  insurmountable;  but  this  principle  makes  all 
plain.  The  prediction  of  Christ's  coming  we  expect  to  find 
fulfilled  in  several  distinct  events— all  having  the  same  general 
bearing;  all  being  related  to  each  other;  all  having  subordinate 
fulfillments;  and  all  culminating  in  one  sublime  event  for  which 
all  the  previous  ones  were  preparing. 

Using  this  key,  we  find,/r.s(',  that  the  prediction  of  the  coming 
again  of  Christ  means  the  promise  of  his  coming  in  the  gracious 
oufpouring  of  his  Spirit  on  the  day  of  Pentecost.  Of  this  there 
cannot  be  a  doubt.  The  chief  engagement  concerning  it  was: 
"I  will  not  leave  you  comfortless;  I  will  come  to  you."  The 
connection  makes  it  obvious  that  this  meant  his  coming  by  the 
Holy  Ghost.  It  is  in  the  same  line  with  his  other  promise: 
"A  little  while,  and  ye  shall  not  see  me;  and  again  a  little  while, 
and  ye  shall  see  me:  because  I  go  unto  the  Father."  In  accordance 
with  this  engagement,   he  came  gloriously  to  his  infant  Church 


634       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

on  the  day  of  Pentecost;  and  every  other  revival  season  with 
which  his  people  have  ever  been  blessed,  has  been  another  of  his 
comings  in  the  power  of  his  Spirit. 

A  second  fulfillment  of  Christ's  promise  that  he  would  come 
again  was  in  his  providential  visitations,  either  /or  chastisement  or 
for  blessing.  He  gave  utterance  to  this  jjrediction  quite  frequently. 
In  his  messages  to  the  seven  churches  we  find  it  again  and  again. 
To  Ephesus:  "Repent,  and  do  thy  first  works;  or  else  I  will 
come  unto  thee  quickly,  and  will  remove  thy  candlestick  out 
of  his  place,  except  thou  rei^ent."  To  Pergamos:  "Repent,  or 
else  I  will  come  unto  thee  quickly,  and  will  fight  against  thee 
with  the  sword  of  my  mouth."  To  Philadelphia:  "Behold,  I 
come  quickly!"  To  the  church  of  Sardis:  "If  therefore  thou 
shalt  not  watch,  I  will  come  upon  thee  as  a  thief  in  the  night." 
These  passages  show  clearly  that  providential  events,  whether 
prosperous  or  adverse,  are  often  described  as  comings  of  Christ. 
Thus  does  he  often  come  eitlier  to  restrain  or  to  encourage  his 
people. 

In  the  third  place,  Christ  is  often  spoken  of  as  coming  to  his 
people  when  they  die.  We  see  this  in  his  words,  "  Therefore  be 
ye  also  ready;  for  in  such  an  hour  as  ye  think  not,  the  Son  of 
man  cometh."  This  obviously  refers  to  his  coming  at  the  hour 
of  death,  as  the  connection  clearly  manifests.  At  the  moment 
when  the  soul  of  the  believer  sliall  pass  into  glory,  then  shall  it 
behold  the  exalted  Son  of  God  in  all  that  radiant  glory  which 
beamed  out  from  him  on  the  mount  of  Transfiguration. 

A  fourth  coming  of  Christ  is  that  wliich  was  tlireatened  at  the 
destruction  of  Jerusalem.  Of  tliat  we  have  tlie  proof  in  the  pas- 
sage where  the  overthrow  of  tlie  temple  is  foretold,  and  in  con- 
nection therewith  are  the  ominous  words:  "So  shall  also  the 
coming  of  the  Son  of  man  be."  At  that  time  he  manifested  his 
power,  and  justice,  and  truth,  by  destroying  those  who  had  wick- 
edly crucified  him,  rejected  his  mercy,  and  hardened  themselves 
in  their  atrocious  rebellion  against  the  Most  High. 

A  fifth  coming  predicted  will  be  in  the  conversion  of  the  whole 
world.  Of  this  we  have  the  assurance  in  such  passages  as  that 
wherein  it  is  promised:    "He  shall    come  down  like  rain    upon 

the  mown  grass;  as  showers  that  water  the  earth He  shall 

have  dominion  also  from  sea  to  sea,  and  from  the  river  even  to 
the  ends  of  the  earth."  This  is  a  most  impressive  and  beautiful 
promise  of  his  coming  in  the  conversion  of  mankind. 

A  sixth  form  in  which  his  advent  is  predicted  is  in  that  of  a 


KEY-NOTE  OF  THE   APOCALYPSE.  635 

Judge,  at  the  end  of  tlie  world,  to  finish  the  career  of  his  Church 
and  bring  in  everlasting  righteousness.  This  will  be  the  climax 
of  all  other  comings;  and  the  language  used  concerning  it  is  the 
most  solemn  and  awful  of  which  we  can  conceive.  As  a  specimen 
we  may  cite  the  words  of  the  first  evangelist:  "When  the  Son 
of  man  f^hall  come  in  his  glory,  and  all  the  holy  angels  with 
him,  then  shall  he  sit  upon  the  throne  of  his  glory;  and  before 
him  shall  be  gathered  all  nations."  After  this  the  awful  scenes 
of  the  Judgment  are  fully  depicted. 

We  may  thus  see  that  there  are  at  least  six  events  which  are 
described  as  comings  again  of  our  Lord, — all  of  which  are  ex- 
pressed in  the  same  language,  which  are  linked  together  in  a 
series,  which  may  be  regarded  either  separately,  or  in  one  view, 
and  which  all  culminate  in  the  one  final  scene  of  the  Judgment. 
Together  we  may  behold  them  as  his  coming  in  the  destruction 
of  the  doomed  Jerusalem;  in  the  descent  of  the  Spirit  at  Pente- 
cost; in  various  providential  visitations;  in  the  death  of  the  in- 
dividual believer;  in  the  glories  of  the  millennium;  and  in  the 
scenes  of  the  Judgment-day.  All  these  are  distinct  and  moment- 
ous comings  again  of  our  ascended  Lord  Jesus. 

TOTALITY  OF  EVENTS  IN  THE  KINGDOM  FROM  PENTECOST  TO 
THE  JUDGMENT. 

We  have  now  reached  a  point  in  our  investigations  wliere  it 
becomes  necessary,  and  where  we  ought  to  be  prepared  to  answer 
the  question  :  What  event  or  events,  precisely,  are  indicated  on 
the  inspired  pages  by  the  oft-repeated  "  Behold,  he  cometh !"  his 
"coming  again,"  "when  he  com.eth,"  and  other  similar  expres- 
sion? There  are  few  points  which  it  is  of  more  importance  for 
us  to  understand  than  this.  LTnless  we  do  so  understand  its  mean- 
ing it  will  be  impossible  for  us  to  comprehend  the  teachings  of 
the  passages  with  which  they  stand  connected.  All  depends  upon 
our  knowing  what  this  means;  and,  in  most  cases,  it  is  associated 
with  subjects  which  are  of  vital  importance  both  to  individuals 
and  to  the  Church  generally  in  all  its  interests  and  duties. 

At  the  same  time  there  are  few  points  which  it  is  more  difficult 
for  us  to  comprehend  and  on  which  there  are  more  vague  opinions 
— if,  indeed,  we  must  not  add,  concerning  which  most  readers  have 
no  well-defined  conceptions  whatever.  "  Behold,  he  cometh  !"  How 
very  few  there  are  who  can  explain  what  coming  this  denotes— what 
the  event  is  to  be,  when  it  is  to  occur,  and  what  are  to  be  its  accom- 
paniments ! 


636       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

Our  theory^  carefully  wrought  out,  is  that  the  expressions  "Be- 
hold, he  Cometh,"  "  come  again,"  "  when  He  shall  appear,"  and  all 
similar  phrases,  do  not  refer  to  any  one  special  event  exclusively, 
but  to  the  whole  mass  of  movements  in  the  divine  kingdom  of  which 
our  Lord  is  the  centre,  from  his  ascension  back  to  the  bosom  of  his 
Father  -until  all  culminate  in  the  last  Judgment.  '■'■Behold,  he 
Cometh  r''  The  whole  tissue  of  occurrences  regarded  as  one  glorious 
body  of  providences,  whether  great  or  small,  but  measuring  out 
the  progress  of  the  divine  kingdom,  and  beginning  on  the  day 
when  our  Lord  ascended  in  the  clouds,  and  reaching  its  climax 
when  he  returns  to  receive  the  homage  of  the  universe, — this 
is  his  "  coming."  It  is  the  entirety  of  all  these  taken  in  the  mass. 
They  are  taken  as  one  grand  accumulation  of  providences,  some 
portion  of  which  is  transpiring  at  every  instant  of  the  included 
ages,  and  so  making  strictly  true  that  he  is  coming  every  moment. 
From  this  comes  to  pass  the  most  marvelous  thing  that,  at  any 
moment  of  the  passing  ages,  it  may  be  said  with  absolute  sin- 
cerity: '■''Behold,  he  cometli!''^  To  us,  without  question  this  is 
the  key  which  unlocks  the  meaning  of  the  words.  It  opens  the 
meaning  at  every  point,  gives  significance  to  every  view  of 
the  sublime  announcement,  enables  us  to  open  every  mystery, 
and  introduces  us  into  glory  after  glory  which  our  blessed  King 
has  in  store  for  his  people. 

Professor  Kurtz,  of  the  University  of  Dorpat,  Germany,  in  his 
Manual  of  Sacred  History,  presents  the  subject  in  a  form  that 
is  most  satisfying— so  much  so  that  we  give  his  views  in  full: 
"The  'coming'  of  the  Lord,  when  he  shall  hold  the  judgment, 
and  perfect  all  things,  is  not  an  isolated  event,  but  is  much  rather 
the  culminating  point  of  a  '■''coming''^  which  is  felt  throughout  the 
entire  history  of  the  ages.  Every  interposition  of  the  omnipotent 
Ruler  and  Judge  of  the  world  who  sits  on  the  right  hand  of 
Omnipotence,  every  progressive  movement  of  his  kingdom,  every 
victory  which  he  gains  over  his  enemies,  and  every  judgment 
which  overtakes  them,  is  a  coming  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
All  that  shall  be  completed  by  his  coming  on  the  day  of  Judgment 
is  prepared  and  developed  in  the  progress  of  the  preceding 
centuries  by  his  uninterrupted  and  continued  coming.  It  began 
with  his  ascension  to  heaven ;  it  closes  on  the  day  of  Judgment. 
The  former  or  gradual  coming  is  distinguished  from  his  final 
coming  by  the  peculiar  mode  of  his  appearance.  The  former 
is  hidden  and  invisible  action,  of  which  the  eye  of  liiith  alone 
can  obtain  a  glimpse  or  a  full  view ;    the  latter  is  the  action  of 


KEY-NOTE  OF  THE  APOCALYPSE.  637 

the  Lord  which  shall  be  revealed  and  be  made  visible  to  the 
whole  world.  The  former  merely  designs  to  open  tlie  way, 
and  is  consequently  often  hidden  in  its  form;  the  second  coming 
designs  to  fulfill  and  complete,  and  is  consequently  characterized 
by  infinite  splendor  and  glory,  is  preceded  by  startling  and 
impressive  signs,  is  full  of  majesty  when  it  occurs,  and  is  both 
unspeakably  glorious  and  unspeakably  terrible  in  its  efl'ects." 

Dean  Alford  of  England  says:  "  The  coming  again  of  the  Lord 
is  not  one  single  act — as  his  resurrection,  or  the  descent  of  the 
Spirit,  or  his  second  personal  advent,  or  the  final  coming  to 
judgment:  but  the  great  complex  of  all  these,  the  result  of  which 
will  be  his  taking  his  people  to  himself,  to  be  where  he  is." 

Such  we  believe  to  be  the  deep  spiritual  import  of  the  expression 
"Behold,  He  cometh ! "  In  brief,  we  look  upon  it  as  the 
expression  for  the  totality  of  all  the  leading  events  in  the  king- 
dom of  Christ  from  the  day  of  Pentecost  to  the  day  of  Judgment. 
It  is  not  his  simple  return  to  his  Church  after  his  ascension  amid 
the  glories  of  Olivet — take  this  in  what  view  we  may — nor  any, 
nor  all,  of  his  appearances  until  the  Judgment,  nor  his  marvelous 
proclamation  in  Patmos,  heralding  to  all  his  people,  "I  am 
alive  for  evermore,"  nor  the  starting  of  the  Rider  upon  the 
white  horse,  for  the  conquest  of  death  and  hell ;  it  was  not  any 
one  of  these  scenes,  magnificent  as  we  may  conceive  them  to 
have  been,  but  it  was  the  whole  mass  of  the  events  which  pertain 
to  our  glorified  Lord  and  his  kingdom,  beginning  with  his  triumph 
over  death,  the  grave,  hell,  and  Satan ;  and  then  advancing 
onward  and  upward,  until  the  promised  day  of  redemption, 
when,  as  the  High  Priest  of  our  profession,  and  divine  Prophet, 
before  whom  all  worlds  and  ages  lie  clearly  exposed,  and  supreme 
King,  before  whom  every  knee  is  bending,  he  shall  triumphantly 
take  the  throne  over  the  universe,  and  reign  supreme  and  ever- 
more. This  is  the  significance  of  the  glorious  mystery,  "  Behold,  he 
cometh ! " 

SPECIAL   CONNECTION  WITH   THE   SEVEN   EPISTLES. 

Without  a  doubt  there  is  some  peculiar  relation  existing  here 
between  the  messages  and  this  announcement  of  the  coming  of 
our  Lord  in  his  glory.  There  is  such  a  remarkable  juxtaposition 
of  the  two  and  such  an  infusion  of  their  parts  into  each  other, 
that  there  must  have  been  an  intentional  connection  and  depend- 
ence upon  each  other.  The  close  of  the  one  seems  the  opening 
of  the  other,  as  if  they  were  bound   together  in  the  closest  and 


G38  INAUGUEAL  OF  TflE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

strongest  bonds.  In  the  two  chapters  which  contain  the  messages 
to  the  churches  the  coming  again  of  our  Lord  is  referred  to  no 
less  than  six  times.  Wliat  tlie  nature  of  tliat  connection  is,  and 
what  the  process  of  the  thought  which  it  involves,  it  is  not  very- 
difficult  for  us  to  interpret.  When  we  attempt  its  analysis,  we 
first  encounter  the  radical  fact  that  the  coming  again  of  Christ 
is  the  key-note  of  the  whole  passage.  Every  point  is  and  must 
be  grouped  around  this.  It  is  the  centre  which  gives  coherence 
to  every  part,  and  by  means  of  which  all  must  be  interpreted. 
"Behold,  he  cometh!"  stands  at  the  opening  of  the  Apocalypse, 
and  from  it  we  must  look  away  over  every  point  in  our  investi- 
gations. It  is  the  head,  the  preface,  the  sum  of  all ;  and  the 
more  closely  we  study  it,  the  more  impressed  shall  we  become 
that  it  is  woven  into  the  whole  tissue  of  the  book  of  Revelation. 

Then,  inasmuch  as  the  messages  to  the  churches  are  the  first 
component  division  of  that  book,  we  must  begin  by  investigat- 
ing the  relation  of  the  coming  and  the  messages.  And  the  gen- 
eral statement  of  that  relation  is  that  the  messages  are  the  prepa- 
ration for  the  coming.  The  substance  is  that  in  their  relation 
we  have  the  old  cry  of  our  Lord's  paraljle:  "Behold,  the  bride- 
groom cometh  ;  go  ye  out  to  meet  him."  This  element  of  the 
parable  is  to  meet  a  fulfilhnent  here  in  the  opening  scenes  of  the 
kingdom  as  portrayed  in  the  New  Testament  Apocalypse.  In 
a  word,  the  messages  are  the  embodiment  of  the  preparation 
which  is  needed  for  the  coming  again  of  our  Lord.  All  that 
is  needed  to  ensure  readiness  for  his  appearing  is  contained  here. 
Here  is  tlie  rousing  call  to  Church  and  world  to  get  ready  to  meet 
him.  That  appearing  will  be  the  most  momentous  of  all  coming 
events,  and  the  summons  is  to  get  ready  for  it;  to  awake  and 
realize  its  importance;  to  attend;  to  look  for  its  sublime  develop- 
ments; to  stand  ready,  and  waiting.  He  is  to  come  back  to  our 
sin-cursed  earth — but  now  in  triumph !  When  he  comes  it  will  be 
as  the  Conqueror  who  has  subdued  every  enemy,  and  as  leading 
captivity  captive,  and  with  gifts  of  priceless  value  to  men.  He 
will  come  with  i)ower  and  great  glory,  to  gather  up  the  spoils 
of  the  battle-field,  on  which  the  powers  of  darkness  had  been 
vanquished,  to  triumph  gloriously  and  to  take  the  throne  supreme 
and  eternal.  Such  will  be  that  return  wliose  description  opens 
with  "Behold,  he  cometh  with  clouds;"  its  course,  with  "I  am 
Alplia  and  Omega,  the  Beginning  and  the  End;"  its  climax,  with 
"He  which   testifleth  these  tilings  saith,  Surely  I  come  quickly." 

It  is  very  easy  to  see  how   well  adapted  the  messages  are  to 


KEY-NOTE  OF  THE  APOCALYPSE.  639 

prepare  the  soul  for  the  reception  of  its  Lord  at  his  glorious  re- 
turn. We  can  see  this  in  the  stirring  call  which  so  affected  the 
inspired  seer  that  he  "fell  down  as  one  dead;"  in  the  menace 
to  the  indifferent,  "I  will  come  as  a  tiiief  in  the  night;"  in  the 
promise  to  the  faithful,  "I  will  grant  to  sit  with  me  in  my  throne;" 
and  in  the  earnest  appeals  to  the  love,  the  gratitude  and  the  honor 
of  the  redeemed;  to  the  sublime  attributes  of  Him  who  dwelleth 
amid  the  golden  candlesticks ;  and  to  all  other  high  and  holy 
motives  by  which  the  soul  can  be  influenced. 

In  addition  to  the  motives  which  are  so  well  calculated  to 
arouse  to  the  exalted  work  of  preparation,  the  messages  also 
indicate  the  methods  of  preparing  and  the  attainments  which 
may  be  reached  by  all  those  who  long  for  the  coming  of  their 
Lord.  They  teach  how  we  are  to  prepare  to  meet  him.  They 
are  all  intended  as  a  special  preparation  for  this  marvelous  and 
momentous  event.  The  coming  is  to  be  one  magnificent  process 
of  sublime  incidents,  the  sweep  of  which  is  through  unknown 
centuries,  and  in  the  messages  we  have  the  Spirit's  teachings  as 
to  how  we  may  be  ready  to  meet  them  ;  and  all  are  made  part 
of  the  Beacon  of  the  ages,  as  a  guide  for  every  church  and  for 
every  earnest  soul. 

EVENTS  OF   THE  AGES   THE    FOOTSTEPS    OF  HIS  COMING. 

We  have  repeated  the  opinion  that  the  expression  "  Behold, 
he  Cometh  I "  does  not  refer  to  any  one  distinct  event,  but  to 
the  whole  mass  of  events,  connected  with  Christ  and  his  king- 
dom, beginning  with  Pentecost,  and  running  on  until  the 
great  Day  of  the  Lord,  when  Christ  shall  appear  again  to  judge 
the  world.  In  this  there  are  three  periods  of  the  kingdom  which 
require  distint-t  notice — namely,  the  ascension  of  our  Lord,  with 
his  return  to  the  bosom  of  his  Father;  then,  the  lapse  of  ages 
it  will  require  to  work  out  the  destiny  of  the  Church  ;  and  then, 
the  sublime  consummation  of  all  things,  when  Christ  shall  take 
the  throne.  All  the  three  are  included  in  the  sublime  promise 
that  he  will  come  again.  The  first  and  the  last  come  before 
us  in  other  connections.  For  the  present,  we  are  to  consider 
the  lapse  of  the  long  intervening  ages.  This  also  is  an  essential 
element  of  the  coming  again  of  Christ.  Its  momentous  periods 
are  but  his  footsteps,  from  his  ascent  on  Olivet  to  his  descent 
again  to  take  tlie  throne,  and  judge  the  quick  and  the  dead,  who 
shall  be  gathered  before  him  from  every  region  of  the  world  and 
every  period  of  time. 


640       INAUGUKAL  OF  THE  ENTHKOXED  KING. 

It  is  declared  of  him  that  he  is  "  Alpha  and  Omega,"  the 
beginning  and  the  end— to  each  of  these  it  is  obvious  that  he 
will  come  in  great  glory,  or  that  he  has  come;  but  in  all  the 
intervening  sublimities  he  will  also  be  the  chief  agent,  and 
this  will  constitute  each  of  these  one  of  his  distinct  comings,  and 
form  them,  in  their  mass,  into  his  one  glorious  advent  to  finish 
the  work  of  redemption,  and  bring  in  everlasting  righteousness. 
Regarded  in  one  aspect  as  they  lie  before  the  omniscient  eye  of 
Jehovah,  they  are  the  stupendous  process  of  our  Lord's  return 
again,  and  each  vast  movement  in  the  kingdom  is  a  stage  of 
his  coming.  The  roll  of  the  passing  ages,  the  events  which  thrill 
the  world,  the  principles  which  are  discovered  and  wrought 
out  by  thoughtful  minds,  are  stations  in  the  progress  of  centuries. 
His  coming  footsteps  may  be  traced  by  the  earnest  student  of 
providence— in  the  rise  and  fall  of  kingdoms;  in  the  raising  up 
of  eminent  men  for  the  accomplishing  of  God's  purposes;  in  the 
important  changes  which  come  to  churches;  in  the  establishing 
of  great  institutions  of  learning;  in  the  maturing  of  schemes 
for  the  spreading  abroad  of  the  knowledge  of  the  way  of  life; 
in  great  religious  movements  which  arise  from  time  to  time, 
and  in  innumerable  other  things  by  which,  from  age  to  age, 
tlie  history  of  the  kingdom  has  been  influenced. 

All  these  are  the  footsteps  of  our  Lord  as  he  draws  nearer  to 
his  waiting  Church.  They  mark  the  progress  of  his  coming. 
Moreover,  these  movements  of  the  kingdom  which  mark  the 
coming  of  our  Lord  are  not  only  most  momentous,  but  they 
are  also  linked  together  in  such  a  manner  as  to  show  that  they 
are  all  tending  forward  toward  the  same  grand  manifestation 
of  our  Lord — the  King.  Each  one  of  them  is  preparatory  for 
the  next  in  the  divine  plan.  They  are  not  isolated  or  disconnected 
events,  but  are  linked  together  in  wondrous  magnificence,  and 
work  together  to  prepare  the  way  for  his  coming,  to  which  the 
Church  is  taught  to  look  forward  as  the  culmination  of  all  the 
glories  of  the  kingdom. 

All  the  events  of  the  future  are  appointed  elements  of  this 
glorious  manifestation.  All  the  affairs  of  this  world  are  provi- 
dentially carried  on  with  reference  to  Christ's  coming  again. 
While  he  is  away,  he  has  left  the  interests  of  his  kingdom  in 
the  hands  of  his  servants;  and,  in  due  time,  he  will  return  and 
take  them  back  into  his  own.  All  things  on  earth  and  in  heaven 
are  looking  steadfastly  for  that  return.  All  the  affairs  of  his 
own  spiritual  kingdom  are  ordered  with  a  direct  reference  to  it. 


KEY-NOTE  OF  THE  APOCALYPSE.  641 

All  the  advances  in  arts  and  sciences  and  improvements  are 
carrying  forward  their  parts  of  preparation  for  it.  All  the  kings 
and  kingdoms  of  niankind  are  so  shaping  the  powers  of  the  world 
that  when  he  comes  they  shall  be  ready  to  yield  up  to  him  the 
supreme  throne  over  them  all. 

These  are  his  footsteps  as,  through  the  centuries,  he  draws 
nearer  and  nearer.  Both  in  the  providences  which  guided  to 
the  book  of  Revelation,  and  in  the  Spirit  who  inspired  its 
writing,  we  have  the  coming  back  of  Christ  in  full  and  glorious 
prediction.  He  is  coming,  and  hence  all  these  stupendous  move- 
ments both  in  the  Church  and  in  the  world.  As  we  look  into 
the  subject,  in  this  aspect,  we  cannot  but  be  impressed  that  we 
are  plunged  into  the  midst  of  sublimities  the  most  glorious. 
How  sublime  is  the  thought  that  Christ  our  Lord  is  coming 
again ! — the  thought  of  the  high  and  holy  mysteries  that  are 
connected  therewith ;  of  the  grand  prophetic  scenes  it  will 
reveal;  of  the  intimate  connection  that  everything  evinces  it 
will  in  some  way  have  with  all  the  future  destiny  of  our  race; 
and  of  the  evident  stress  which  is  laid  on  it  in  the  sacred  pages  ;— 
all  these  considerations  make  it  most  manifest  that  this  is  a 
subject  which  it  is  of  the  utmost  moment  for  the  people  of 
God  earnestly  to  study  and  improve. 

CEISIS   OF    HIS  COMING. 

In  our  effort  to  analyze  the  import  of  the  rousing  cry, 
"Behold,  he  cometh!"  we  have  considered  first,  the  starting- 
point  of  that  coming  at  the  ascension  of  our  Lord  back  to  the 
bosom  of  the  Fatlier ;  then  its  sublime  progress  through  the 
intervening  ages;  we  now  direct  our  thoughts  to  its  close,  at 
the  end  of  the  world,  in  his  final  coming  to  receive  his  people 
into  glorious  union  from  which  they  shall  be  separated  no 
more.  Then  shall  be  the  culmination  of  his  comings,  in  which 
the  purpose  of  all  the  intermediate  comings  shall  be  revealed. 

At  that  final  appearance  of  Christ  it  will  be  seen  that  every 
other  manifestation  of  the  Son  of  God,  hcvvever  insignificant  it 
may  have  been  considered  at  the  time,  was  in  preparation  of 
the  way  for  that  one  which  was  the  greatest  and  grandest  of 
them  all.  It  will  be  the  closing,  on  the  day  of  Judgment,  of  that 
wliich  began  with  his  ascension  into  heaven.  It  will  be  the 
completion  of  that  grand  process  of  preparation  which  had  been 
conducted  throughout  the  ages.  That  process,  running  through 
all  the  centuries  of  time,  is  well  defined  and  most  important  in 

41 


G42       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

its  results.  Every  sta^je  of  it  can  be  traced,  step  after  step,  until 
all  culminates  in  this  grandest  manifestation  of  all.  We  can 
see  the  process  very  clearly,  in  the  providing  of  a  people  by  the 
Spirit  on  the  day  of  Pentecost  who  would  constitute  the  kingdom 
of  our  Lord ;  in  the  removing  of  obstacles  by  the  destruction 
of  Jerusalem  and  its  temple;  in  the  training  of  the  elect  through 
the  discipline  of  Providence;  in  the  gathering  home  by  death 
of  the  successive  generations  of  the  saints;  in  the  many  precious 
revival  seasons  which  strengthened  the  kingdom  age  after  age; 
in  spreading  the  Gosi)el  through  the  nations  of  the  world  by 
the  millennial  influences;  and  then  in  the  grandest  event  of  all, 
when  the  Son  of  man  would  appear  in  all  his  glory. 

Such  would  be  the  process  of  preparation  which  would  make 
way  for  the  coming  of  our  Lord;  and  then  would  he  appear 
in  all  his  glory.  The  great  New  Testament  seer,  raised  in  spirit 
into  the  midst  of  coming  glories,  beholds  the  process,  stage  after 
stage,  of  preparation,  until  all  terminates  in  the  one  final  and 
most  glorious  climax,  and  then  in  sacred  ecstasy  cries  out: 
-'Behold,  he  cometh  I  "  "Behold,  he  cometh  !  "  for  whom  the 
people  of  God  had  been  so  long  waiting — "waiting  for  the 
coming  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ;"  anxiously  expecting  "the 
power  and  coming  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  "How  long,  O 
Lord,  how  long?"  had  been  the  earnest  cry  of  the  weary  ages; 
and  now  was  to  be  the  glad  answer  from  the  throne;  now  was 
the  rapturous  sight,  when  the  waiting,  watching  Church  exclaims: 
"Behold,  he  cometh!"  The  long,  long  journey  through  so 
many  ages  is  ended,  and  the  ransomed  are  at  home  with  their 
glorious  Lord. 

All  the  messages  to  all  the  churches  were  framed  with  this 
in  view.  With  this  blissful  announcement  we  get  at  the  inner 
meaning  of  "I  will  come  as  a  thief"  in  the  night;  "I  will 
give  thee  a  crown  of  life ; "  "I  will  confess  his  name  before  my 
Father  and  before  his  angels,"  and  many  another  wonderfully 
marvelous  declaration  of  the  epistles  to  the  churches.  In  this, 
too,  we  have  the  deeper  meaning  of  our  Lord's  words,  "  I  am 
Ali)ha  and  Omega,  the  beginning  and  the  ending" — for  never 
before  was  there  such  a  magnificent  culmination  as  that  which 
shall  be  witnessed  in  the  final  coming  of  our  Lord  to  finish  the 
glorious  work  of  redeeming  the  lost  race  of  mankind;  for  that 
enterprise  will  then  be  completed,  and  the  end  come.  The  end 
reached,  the  Son  of  man  appearing  in  his  glory,  the  great  Day 
of  the   Lord    arrived, — is    not   all    this   a   suiting  climax  of  the 


KEY-NOTE  OF  THE  APOCALYPSE.  643 

advent    of    Plim    who    takes    the   throne   supreme,    as    King   of 
kings  and  Lord  of  lords? 

WHEN  WILL  IT   BE? 

One  of  the  first  questions  concerning  this  event  is:  When  will 
it  come  to  pass?  What  period  of  time  is  indicated  by  the  an- 
nouncement: "Behold,  he  cometh?"  If  the  process  indicated  by 
it  is  already  going  on,  when  will  it  come  to  an  end?  When 
will  be  that  magnificent  clin)ax  in  which  the  glorious  return  of 
our  Lord  shall  be  witnessed?  When  will  that  great  day  arrive? 
"  The  promise  of  his  coming — when  shall  it  be  fulfilled  ?"  has 
been  the  earnest  question  of  the  centuries  long  since  passed  away, 
as  it  is  their  earnest  question  still. 

But  it  is  a  question  the  answer  to  which  God  has  not  seen  fit 
to  reveal  to  any  of  his  creatures.  For  the  wisest  of  reasons,  no 
doubt,  he  keeps  it  hidden  from  the  knowledge  of  both  men  and 
angels.  Not  only  is  the  time  of  our  Lord's  coming  hidden  as  a 
matter  of  fact ;  but  we  are  also  informed  that  it  is  intentionally 
kept  concealed  from  the  kno\\"ledge  of  mortals.  That  great  mys- 
tery is  very  positively  asserted.  Concerning  it  the  divine  record 
is  made:  "But  of  that  day  and  hour  knoweth  no  man,  no,  not 
the  angels  of  heaven,  but  my  Father  only."  Moreover,  there  is 
very  great  stress  laid  on  the  fact  that  the  time  has  not  been  re- 
vealed, and  is  not  even  intended  to  be  revealed ;  for  it  is  often 
repeated,  and  that  in  the  strongest  language,  as  if  it  were- a  matter 
of  much  importance.  Why  it  is  so  important,  we  are  informed 
only  in  part.  What  good  purpose  is  to  be  accomplished  thereby 
we  can  understand  but  imperfectly,  and  as  for  everything  else  in 
the  future,  we  must  wait  God's  good  time  for  making  it  known. 
Certain  it  is  that  if  we  knew  fully  the  time  of  life's  ending  with 
us— especially  if  the  time  were  near,  it  would  tend  to  paralyze 
effort,  and  keep  us  back  in  inactivity.  But  God,  in  his  infinite 
wisdom,  knows  best,  and  so  he  has  kept  this  knowledge  to  him- 
self, as  he  has  all  the  future  excepting  so  far  as  the  highest  in- 
terests of  the  souls  of  men  and  the  vital  interests  of  his  kingdom 
may  demand.  Only  one  reason  does  he  give  us  for  not  revealing 
the  time  of  the  coming  of  our  Lord  in  the  glory  of  the  Last  Day. 
That  one  reason  is  that  we  may  thereby  be  led  to  constant  \ra1ch- 
f Illness;  for  what  is  there  that  would  be  so  likely  to  produce  un- 
tiring vigilance  as  his  oft-repeated— "  iYV^oM,  I  come  quickly  P^ 


644      INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 


"I  COME  QUICKLY!" 

'■'•  I  come  quickly ,''''  is  a  declaration  of  our  ascended  Lord  which 
is  made  so  solemnly,  repeated  so  frequently,  and  always  uttered 
with  so  much  emphasis  that  there  must  be  something  of  very 
great  importance  involved  in  it. 

We  should  first  awake  to  a  realization  of  the  great  prominence 
which  is  given  it  on  the  sacred  pages.  Most  significant  is  it  that 
this  is  the  last  sound  the  inspired  volume  would  leave  in  our  ears, 
as  if  it  was  intended  to  go  on  for  evermore.  "  He  which  testifieth 
these  things  saith,  '  Surely,  I  come  quickly.  Amen.'  "  Our  Lord's 
very  significant  warning  is:  "Watch  ye,  therefore;  for  ye  know 
not  when  the  master  of  the  house  cometh,  at  even,  or  at  midnight, 
or  at  the  cock-crowing,  or  in  the  morning;  lest,  coming  suddenly 
he  find  you  sleeping."  Again,  his  solemn  caution  is:  "There- 
fore, be  ye  also  ready;  for  in  such  an  hour  as  ye  think  not, 
the  Son  of  man  cometh."  In  one  of  Paul's  epistles  we  find 
these  earnest  words:  "For  yourselves  know  perfectly  that  the 
day  of  the  Lord  so  cometh  as  a  thief  in  the  night."  In  the  writ- 
ings of  the  apostle  Peter  we  are  solemnly  admonished:  "But  the 
day  of  the  Lord  will  come  as  a  thief  in  the  night;  in  the  which 
the  heavens  will  pass  away  with  a  great  noise,  and  tlie  elements 
shall  melt  with  fervent  heat;  the  earth  also,  and  the  works  that 
are  therein  shall  be  burned  up."  From  the  lips  of  our  Lord  we 
hear  the  words  :  "  For  as  the  lightning  cometh  out  of  the  east, 
and  shineth  even  unto  the  west,  so  shall  also  the  coming  of  the 
Son   of  man   be." 

It  would  be  easy  to  multii^ly  to  any  extent  such  predictions 
as  these  concerning  the  sudden  and  unexpected  time  and  man- 
ner in  which  our  Lord  shall  appear  when  he  shall  come  again 
to  that  Church  which  he  has  left  for  a  season.  What  means  this? 
How  is  it  that  his  coming  is  always  at  hand?  How  is  it  that 
he  will  come  so  suddenly?  For  full  answer  we  must  wait  for 
future  revealings  of  our  Lord.  These  are  incomprehensible  mys- 
teries for  the  unfolding  of  which  we  must  wait  until  we  shall 
reach  the  clear  light  that  shines  on  the  other  side  of  the  river 
whicii  forms  the  boundary  of  this  land  of  darkness.  But  even 
with  this  obstacle  in  our  way,  there  is  one  thing  we  know  well. 
The  return  of  Christ,  no  matter  how  long  delayed,  will  be  sudden 
and  unexpected  at  the  last.  So  it  always  has  been  in  all  his  ap- 
poarings.  So  it  still  is;  for  we  always  find  that,  no  matter  how 
long  the  fatal  disease  may  linger,  at  last  the  closing  scene  comes 


KEY-NOTE  OF  THE  APOCALYPSE.  645 

in  an  unexpected  moment.  And,  no  doubt,  it  will  be  the  same 
until  the  close  of  all  things.  Every  coming  of  our  Lord  will  be 
at  a  time  when  he  is  least  expected.  This  seems  to  be  the  estab- 
lished rule  of  the  divine  procedure;  and  we  may  be  certain  that 
he  will  not  depart  from  it  in  this  the  most  important  appearing 
of  all. 

There  is  one  aspect  of  this  often-repeated  expression,  "I 
come  quickly,"  which  calls  for  special  consideration,  inasnmch 
as  it  involves  that  which  meets  every  thoughtful  student  of 
the  Bible.  The  difficulty  is  obvious.  The  expression  is  found  in 
so  many  ditterent  connections,  and  refers  to  so  many  different 
events,  that  it  seems  wellnigh  impossible  to  reconcile  them  with 
each  other,  or  to  explain  wliat  the  precise  reference  is,  in  any 
given  connection.  Besides,  it  has  been  associated  with  so  many 
different  promises,  wherein  it  was  not  fulfilled  soon  after  it  was 
made— has  not  even  yet  been  fulfilled,  though  ages  have  passed 
since  then,  and  to  all  appearance  never  can  be  fulfilled — that 
a  solution  of  the  question  becomes  extremely  perplexing.  Then, 
of  course,  skepticism  has  laid  hold  of  the  difficulty  and  pressed 
it  with  all  alacrity.  It  has  been  used  scofiingly,  as  was  the  old 
objection  of  many  centuries  ago,  "Where  is  the  promise  of  his 
coming?"  You  claimed  that  he  would  appear  very  soon.  Did 
he?  Generation  after  generation  has  passed  away,  and  you  have 
still  asserted  that  he  was  at  the  door;  but  where  is  he?  What 
appearance  is  there  that  he  is  any  nearer  now  than  he  was  gen- 
erations ago?  The  fathers  were  born,  lived,  and  fell  asleep  in 
death  ;  but  they  never  saw  him  as  it  had  been  promised  them. 
What  confidence  can  tliere  be  in  such  engagements,  or  in  those 
who  made  them? 

Even  when  the  objection  is  not  pressed  to  such  extremity,  still 
thero  remain  even  to  the  friendly  inquirer  the  difficulties  as  to 
how  such  promises  of  speedy  fulfillment  are  to  be  reconciled.  "I 
come  quickly,"  as  to  the  outpouring  of  the  Spirit;  "I  come 
quickly,"  as  to  the  millennial  glories;  "I  come  cpiickly,"  as  to  the 
appearing  of  the  great  Day  of  the  Lord;  and  others  like  these 
—the  same  words  as  to  such  different  events,  and  still  some  of 
them  even  yet  not  fulfilled,  and,  from  the  nature  of  the  case, 
not  possible  to  be  fulfilled  for  ages  to  come.  How  is  the  diffi- 
culty to  be  met?  Even  the  most  devout  believer  longs  to  find 
the  solution  of  a  question  involving  a  mystery  which  sorely 
perplexes  him. 

In  response  to  those  who  honestly  desire  a  suitable  explanation 


64.Q  INAUGURAL  OF  THE   ENTFIRONED  KING. 

of  the  difficulty  it  may  be  said  that  there  are  three  principles 
involved  in  the  subject,  one  or  other  of  which  will  abundantly 
meet  each  case,  or  all  apj^lied  will  make  the  whole  difficulty  dis- 
appear. (1)  In  the  sight  of  God,  with  whom  "a  thousand  years 
are  but  as  one  day,"  it  will  be  a  fact  that  our  Lord's  coming  on 
the  last  day  will  be  very  quickly  indeed,  after  the  time  when 
he  ascended  up  to,. heaven  from  Olivet.  (2)  As  we  have  already 
seen  that  in  the  track  of  the  ages  between  Pentecost  and  the 
Judgment  there  would  be  many  coniings  of  the  Lord  to  his  peo- 
ple in  either  mercy  or  chastisement;  then  there  would  always  be 
a  certain  nearness  to  each  of  these,  in  which  it  could  be  said,  "  I 
come  quickly."  Every  step  of  the  track  would  be  a  coming,  and 
involve  a  "quickly  "just  before  it.  (3)  Every  coming  of  our  Lord, 
as  we  have  already  seen,  no  matter  how  long  time  may  have  been 
taken  up  in  preparing  the  way  for  it,  would  be  sudden  and  unex- 
pected at  last.  It  can  be  seen  at  a  glance  that  these  three  princi- 
ples abundantly  cover  every  conceivable  case.  Especially  is  this 
true  of  the  last  of  the  three;  for  whether  the  Lord  comes  in  scenes 
of  Pentecost,  or  in  the  death  of  the  individual  believer,  or  at 
the  Judgment,  it  will  be  unexpected,  sudden,  "in  the  twinkling 
of  an  eye" — rendering  most  strictly  appropriate  the  declaration, 
"  I  come  quickly." 

This  illustration  of  the  manner  of  Christ's  coming  as  suddenly 
and  unexpectedly  as  a  thief  in  the  night  is  one  which  he  him- 
self uses  so  frequently  that  it  must  manifestly  have  very  great 
significance.  Two  or  three  times  in  the  Gospel  by  Matthew,  and 
again  in  Luke,  the  very  words  are  used,  or  the  thought  is 
repeated.  Our  Lord  uses  the  expression  again  and  again;  and 
his  servants  warned  repeatedly:  "The  day  of  the  Lord  will 
come  as  a  thief  in  the  night;"  "That  day  shall  overtake  you 
as  a  thief."  As  the  thief  gives  no  notice  of  his  approach,  so 
unexpectedly  will  our  Lord  come  again ;  and  hence  our  solemn 
duty  to  watch  for  him  with  all  intenseness.  Most  appropriate  are 
Augustine's  words:  "The  last  day  is  hidden  from  us,  that  every 
day  may  be  observed  by  us."  The  noiseless  approach  of  the 
last  great  Day  is  well  illustrated  by  the  old  Greek  proverb:  "The 
feet  of  the  avenging  deities  are  shod  with  wool." 
'  The  final  coming  of  Christ  will  be  most  unexpected  and  sudden; 
but  it  will  also  be  most  solemn  in  itself,  and  in  its  eternal  issues, 
and  every  hint  concerning  it,  and  every  allusion  to  it,  through 
the  whole  scope  of  Scripture,  makes  it  more  and  more  impressive 
that  we  should  constantly  watch  for  it  as  possibly  coming  at  any 


KEY-XOTE  OF  THE  APOCALYPSE.  647 

instant.  There  is  nothing  asserted  concerning  his  coming  again 
with  such  strange  emphasis  as  this  sudden  and  unexpected  manner 
in  wliich  it  will  startle,  alarm,  and  utterly  bewilder  and  terrify 
all  who  are  not  watching  for  it. 

What  good  heed  should  be  given  to  the  solemn  fact  of 
revelation  that  it  was  the  purpose  to  make  it  certain  and  im- 
pressive that  the  return  again  of  our  Lord  was  the  greatest 
and  most  momentous  event  that  now  awaited  the  world.  As 
it  will  be  to  consummate  the  glorious  work  of  redemption,  we 
may  be  certain  that  it  fills  the  heart  of  that  Coming  One 
who  for  this  redemption  became  incarnate,  sunk  his  infinite 
riches  into  strange  poverty,  lived  in  humiliation,  endured  shame 
and  sorrow,  and  bled  amid  the  agonies  of  Golgotha.  Oh  how  it 
must  fill  his  soul,  with  the  prospect  of  returning  again  to  finish 
that  work  and  open  the  way  for  its  everlasting  issues!  AVhat  a 
coming  will  it  be  in  itself,  in  its  results,  and  in  the  impression 
it  must  make  upon  the  whole  waiting,  watching  universe!  What 
inexpressible  meaning  there  is  in  it  that  among  the  closing 
verses  of  God's  great  revelation  to  the  world  we  have:  "Behold, 
I  come  quickly  " — "  He  which  testifieth  these  things,  said.  Surely 
I  come  quickly!" 

Worthy  of  the  most  profound  reflection  are  the  words  of 
Dean  Trench:  "This  announcement  of  the  speedy  corning 
of  the  Lord,  the  ever-recurring  key-note  of  this  book,  is  some- 
times used  as  a  word  of  fear  for  those  who  are  abusing  the 
Master's  absence — wasting  his  goods  and  ill-treating  their  fellow 
servants,  careless  and  secure  as  those  for  whom  no  day  of 
reckoning  should  ever  arrive;  but  sometimes  a  word  of  infinite 
comfort  for  those  with  difficulty  and  painfulness  holding  their 
ground ; — He  that  should  bring  the  long  contest  to  an  end ; 
who  should  at  once  turn  the  scale,  and  forever,  in  favor  of 
righteousness  and  truth,  is  ever  at  the  door." 

PEECUESORY    MOVEMENTS. 

Supposing  the  period,  fixed  in  the  infinitelj''  wise  counsels  of 
Deity,  for  the  final  coming  of  our  Lord  to  finish  the  work  of 
redemption  to  have  arrived,  what,  so  far  as  God  has  revealed 
them,  will  be  the  initiatory  events?  They  are  all  unknown, 
and  unknowable,  except  as  thej^  have  been  revealed  on  the 
sacred  pages;  and  ^^•e  must  therefore  adhere  strictly  to  v.hat  we 
can  discover  there.  Imagination,  conjecture,  fancy  must  not  decide 
us  on  any  point.      The    Holy  Ghost    understood   perfectly  what 


648  INAUGURAL  OF  THE   ENTHRONED  KING. 

it  was  suitable  for  us  to  know,  and  revealed  accordingly,  so  that 
his  teachings  alone  are  that  with  which  we  are  concerned.  What 
does  he  tell  us  concerning  the  premonitory  indications  of  our 
Ijord's  return? 

Certainly  the  events  of  the  world  grow  very  solemn,  as  he 
draws  nigh.  Creation  is  getting  ready  for  his  manifestation  as 
he  draws  nearer  and  nearer.  Though  it  is  not  so  asserted  by 
the  Spirit,  yet  the  analogy  of  all  else  that  we  do  know  with 
certainty  would  lead  us  to  expect  that,  at  the  api)roaching 
moment,  the  world  stands  in  awful  silence,  as  nature  stands 
in  mute  expectation  before  the  bursting  out  of  the  gathering 
tempest.  We  may  not  go  any  farther  in  the  investigation  of 
the  scenes  preliminary  to  the  advent  of  our  returning  Lord ;  but 
very  solemn  and  impressive  are  the  revealings  of  the  Spirit 
which  we  have  in  Scripture,  and  which  we  have  simply  to 
repeat.  It  is,  by  them,  made  plain  that  there  will  be  intense 
and  solemn  excitement  among  the  tribes  of  mankind,  in  all  the 
realms  of  nature,  and  even  through  the  ranks  of  the  heavenly 
hosts. 

Among  other  things  it  is  revealed  that  sudden  and  inevitable 
destruction  will  come  upon  all  scorners,  and  they  shall  not  escape ; 
that  "fearful  signs"  in  heaven  and  on  earth  will  announce  the 
appearance  of  the  Judge  of  the  world  as  at  hand.  The  whole 
creation  will  be  conscious  of  inutterable  woe.  The  ungodly  will 
be  filled  with  terror  and  despair;  even  the  righteous  will  fear, 
and  anxiously  look  after  those  things  which  are  coming  on  the 
earth,  and  the  whole  creation  shall  groan  and  travail  with  pain: 
"On  the  earth  there  shall  be  distress  of  nations,  with  perplexity; 
the  sea  and  the  waves  roaring;  men's  hearts  failing  them  for 
fear,  and  for  looking  after  those  things  that  are  coming  on  the 

earth."     But   "the  Spirit  and  the  Bride  say.  Come Even 

so,  come.  Lord  Jesus."  "The  sun  shall  be  darkened,  and  the 
moon  shall  not  give  her  light,  and  the  stars  shall  fall  from 
heaven,  and  the  powers  of  the  heavens  shall  be  shaken;  and 
then  shall  appear  the  sign  of  the  Son  of  man  in  heaven ;  and 
then  shall  all  the  tribes  of  the  earth  mourn,  and  they  shall  see 
the  Son  of  man  coming  in  the  clouds  of  heaven,  with  i)ower  and 
great  glory.  And  he  shall  send  his  angels  with  a  great  sound  of 
a  trumpet,  and  they  shall  gather  his  elect  from  the  four  winds, 
from  one  end  of  heaven  to  the  other." 

Then  "the  Lord  himself  shall  descend  from  heaven  with  a 
shout,  with  the  voice  of  the  archangel,  and  with  the  trump  of 


KEY-NOTE   OF  THE   APOCALYPSE.  649 

God;  and  the  dead  in  Christ  shall  rise  first;  then  we  which  are 
alive  and  remain  shall  be  caught  up  together  with  them  in  the 
clouds,  to  meet  the  Lord  in  the  air;  and  so  shall  we  ever  be 
with  the  Lord."  "The  day  of  the  Lord  will  come  as  a  thief 
in  the  niglit;  in  the  which  the  heavens  shall  pass  away  with 
a  great  noise,  and  the  elements  shall  melt  with  fervent  heat; 
the  earth  also  and  the  works  that  are  therein  shall  be  burned 
up."  In  most  august  vision  did  the  New  Testament  seer  gaze 
upon  the  sublime  developments  of  that  great  Day.  Before  his 
entranced  vision  did  the  preparatory  scenes  become  more  and 
more  sublime;  and  that,  too,  even  though  the  succession  of  the 
i^articular  events  of  the  future  cannot  be  fully  distinguislied  from 
each  other,  or  placed  in  the  exact  order  in  wiiich  they  occurred. 
Indeed,  it  is  not  probable  that  such  order  will  be  observed  in  their 
ultimate  fulfillment.  They  will  most  likely  be  simultaneous.  The 
appearance  of  the  Lord  at  his  final  coming,  the  resurrection 
of  the  dead,  the  change  of  those  that  are  alive  and  remain,  the 
renovation  of  the  earth,  the  Judgment,  the  sentence  and  its  ful- 
fillment, are  all  events  belonging  to  an  indescribably  solemn  and 
holy  hour,  which  will  comprehend  in  itself  the  happiness  and 
misery  of  all  eternity. 

But  all  premonitory  events  having  occurred,  and  all  things 
being  ready,  then  comes  the  decisive  moment  of  His  arriving, 
and  in  an  instant,  unexpectedly  at  last,  as  the  Scriptures  assert, 
and  death-bed  experiences  verify,  he  comes  in  all  his  glory.  The 
Scriptures  are  very  plain  and  very  emphatic  about  the  solemn 
events  which  will  then  be  witnessed.  Mankind  will  stand  in 
awe;  all  nature  will  be  convulsed  as  if  filled  with  unutterable 
terror;  even  the  heavens  shall  be  darkened  with  omens  of  dread 
convulsions.  It  is  more  than  probable  that  all  shall  stand  in 
silent  awe,  as  the  ominous  stillness  precedes  the  breaking  out  of 
the  fearful  hurricane;  and  then  will  come  the  crash  of  the  whole 
universe,  in  a  moment,  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,— He  has  come! 
Heaven  and  earth  pass  away.  The  angels,  sweeping  through  the 
world  on  lightning  wings,  proclaim  to  all  creatures  that  the  glori- 
fied Lord  has  come  again. 

DESIGN  OF  HIS   COMING   AGAIN. 

The  Scriptures  leave  us  very  little  doubt  as  to  what  will  be 
the  leading  purposes  of  that  second  coming  of  our  Lord,  It 
will  be  that,  at  the  end  of  the  world,  he  may  close  the  career 
of  his  Church,  and  bring  in  everlasting  righteousness.    The  pre- 


650       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

dictions  concerning  tiiis  are  very  full  and  very  solemn.  More 
momentous  words  were  never  uttered ;  we  should  lay  them  deeply 
to  heart.  Among  them  we  find  such  words  as  these:  "For  this 
we  say  unto  you  by  the  word  of  the  Lord,  that  we  which  are  alive 
and  remain  unto  the  coming  of  the  Lord  shall  not  prevent  them 
which  are  asleep.  For  the  Lord  himself  shall  descend  from  heaven 
with  a  shout,  with  the  voice  of  the  archangel,  and  with  the  trump 
of  God :  and  the  dead  in  Christ  shall  rise  first ;  then  we  which  are 
alive  and  remain  shall  be  caught  up  together  with  them  in  the 
clouds,  to  meet  the  Lord  in  the  air."  How  sublimely  will  thus 
be  accomplished  the  engagement  of  the  last  supper  in  the  upper 
room  in  Jerusalem :  "  I  go  to  prei)are  a  place  for  you.  And  if 
1  go  and  prepare  a  place  for  you,  I  will  come  again  and  receive 
you  unto  myself;  that  where  I  am,  there  ye  may  be  also." 

This  last  will  undoubtedly  be  the  grand  second  coming  of 
Clirist  for  which  all  previous  comings  had  been  preparing,  and 
in  which  they  will  all  culminate.  He  will  then  come  to  the 
great  Judgment  of  all  the  quick  and  the  dead.  He  will  come 
in  great  glory  to  the  marriage  supper  of  the  Lamb — for  until 
then  it  will  be  only  the  day  of  his  espousals.  Then  will  be  the 
marriage  so  often  celebrated  in  the  sacred  pages,  as  when  the 
enraptured  prophet  cried:  "Let  us  be  glad  and  rejoice,  and 
give  honor  to  him;  for  the  marriage  of  the  Lamb  has  come, 
and  his  wife  hath  made  herself  ready.  And  to  her  it  was  granted 
that  she  should  be  arrayed  in  fine  linen,  clean  and  white;  for 
the  fine  linen  is  the  righteousness  of  the  saints.  And  he  saith 
unto  me.  Write,  Blessed  are  tliey  which  are  called  unto  the 
marriage-supper  of  the  Lamb."  This  marriage  of  the  Lamb  is 
the  splendid  emblem  by  which  the  covenant  and  spiritual  union 
between  Christ  and  his  Church  is  so  often  presented  in  Holy 
Scripture.  This  is  done  because  whatever  power  of  unchanging 
love,  whatever  pledge  of  truth  and  faithfulness,  whatever  obli- 
gation of  provision  and  protection  is  contained  in  the  idea  of 
holy  marriage,  are  all  realized  to  believers  in  Him  who,  as  the 
husband  is  head  of  the  wife,  is  in  a  higher  sense  "  Head  over 
all  things  to  the  Church." 

The  great  purposes  of  his  coming  again  may  easily  be  summed 
up.  He  will  come  in  great  glory  to  receive  from  the  Father  his 
approbation  of  his  redeeming  work,  and  its  acceptance  before  the 
whole  universe;  to  complete  the  salvation  of  all  the  elect;  to 
pronounce  sentence  upon  the  quick  and  the  dead;  to  be  glorified 
in  those  who  shall  have  been  ransomed  from  death  and  hell;  to 


KEY-^'OTE  OF  THE   APOCALYrSE.  651 

be  admired  in  all  those  who  believe;  to  bring  to  light  the  hidden 
things  of  darkness;  to  reign  gloriously  for  evermore  over  the 
kingdom  which  he  sliall  have  jjurchased  by  his  own  blood  most 
precious;  to  destroy  death  and  everything  that  might  lead  to 
death  of  either  body  or  soul ;  to  be  seen  by  every  eye,  and 
adored  by  every  righteous  heart  in  the  universe. 

As  it  is  concerning  the  great  jjurposes  of  his  coming,  so  also 
have  we  some  general  intimations  of  the  manner  of  his  appear- 
ing. He  will  come  in  the  clouds.  He  will  be  surrounded  by 
angels,  and  by  the  glory  of  his  Father— he  will  come  in  his 
own  glory,  more  bright  and  dazzling  than  on  the  mount  of  Trans- 
figuration, in  flanjing  fire  that  will  fill  his  enemies  with  terror, 
and  his  friends  with  holy  awe ;  in  power  and  great  glory,  before 
which  all  op[)osers  shall  shrink  away  in  shame  and  confusion 
efface!  He  will  come  again  as  he  went  up  with  that  sublimity 
which  the  disciples  beheld  on  the  Mount  of  Olives — accompanied 
by  angels  innumerable.  He  will  come  suddenly,  when  not 
expected,  as  a  thief  in  the  night— like  a  flash  of  lighting  coming 
in  an  instant. 

Then  all  the  affairs  of  time  shall  be  filled  up  in  getting  ready 
for  the  solemn  events  that  are  to  follow.  All  the  affairs  of  nations, 
of  churches,  of  families,  of  individuals,  of  grace,  of  providence, 
of  human  powers,  of  inventions,  of  institutions,  of  history:  all 
the  affairs  of  this  world — and,  so  far  as  we  know,  of  all  worlds — 
are  so  directed  as  to  prepare  the  \^ay  for  the  coming  of  our  Lord. 
Of  this  we  are  made  most  certain,  as  we  have  his  own  positive 
assurance;  for  he  asserted,  "All  power  is  given  unto  me  in  heaven 
and  in  earth,"  and  on  this  assurance  is  built  the  confidence  which 
his  followers  may  have  in  going  out  to  win  the  world  to  him,  and 
to  prepare  it  for  receiving  him  whenever  he  shall  return. 

The  whole  scheme  of  redemption  looks  forward  to  Christ's 
coming  again  and  is  guided  with  reference  thereto.  Followers 
are  to  be  gained  over  to  his  cause  that  they  may  be  ready  to  glorify 
him  at  his  appearing.  Such  are  some  of  the  things  which,  we  are 
assured,  will  precede  his  glorious  return.  Many  others  are  also 
on  record.  Among  them,  none  is  made  more  emphatic  than  its 
suddenness.  It  is  often  repeated,  and  many  figures  are  used  to 
make  it  the  more  impressive. 

Another  element  of  the  preparations  which  it  is  foretold  will 
make  ready  for  our  Lord's  appearing  again  will  be  the  gathering 
of  all  men  of  all  generations  and  all  lands,  on  which  so  much 
stress  is  laid.    "The   Son  of  man  shall  come  in  his  glory,  and 


652  INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

all  the  holy  angels  with  him ;  then  shall  he  sit  upon  the  throne 
of  liis  glory.  And  before  him  shaU  be  gathered  all  nations.''''  In 
another  place  the  warning  is:  "_For  we  must  all  apjjear  be/ore, 
the  judgment-seat  of  Christ.''^  In  still  another  place  it  is:  "And 
I  saw  the  dead,  small  and  great,  stand  before  God."  This  awful 
truth,  that  all  the  world  shall  be  witnesses  of  our  Lord's  advent 
and  partakers  in  its  eventful  scenes,  is  made  extremely  emphatic 
in  the  solemn  words:  "And  every  eye  shall  see  him,  and  they 
also  which  pierced  him." 

Still  another  purpose  of  that  glorious  coming  of  the  Son  of 
man  will  be  that  he  may  take  the  sui)reme  throne  over  the 
whole  universe  of  creatures  and  reign  to  all  eternity.  This  is 
made  very  clear  and  positive:  "Then  the  moon  shall  be  con- 
founded, and  the  sun  ashamed,  when  the  Lord  of  hosts  shall 
reign  in  mount  Zion,  and  in  Jerusalem,  and  before  his  ancients 
gloriously."  Elsewhere  it  is  predicted :  "  And  there  was  given 
him  dominion,  and  glorj',  and  a  kingdom,  that  all  people,  nations, 
and  languages,  should  serve  him ;  his  dominion  is  an  everlasting 
dominion,  which  shall  not  pass  away,  and  his  kingdom  that  which 
shall  not  be  destroyed."  Still  again  is  the  prediction:  "And  the 
seventh  angel  sounded ;  and  there  were  great  voices  in  heaven, 
saying,  The  kingdoms  of  this  world  are  become  the  kingdoms 
of  our  Lord,  and  of  his  Christ;  and  he  shall  reign  for  ever  and 
ever." 

Great  stress  is  also  placed  ui)on  every  event  preparatory  to  the 
advent  of  the  omnipotent  and  everlasting  King  as  he  shall  take 
the  throne.  How  awful  must  be  that  appearance  of  which  we 
read:  "He  shall  come  in  the  glory  of  his  Father,"— "in  his  own 
glory,  and  all  the  holy  angels  with  him  " — "  in  flaming  fire  taking 
vengeance  on  them  that  know  not  God  " — in  "  the  sign  of  tlie  Son 
of  man  in  heaven ;  and  then  shall  all  the  tribes  of  the  earth  mourn, 
and  they  shall  see  the  Son  of  man  coming  in  the  clouds  of  heaven 
with  power  and  great  glory ;" — in  all  these  and  many  other  reveal- 
Ings  of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  it  is  made  most  certain  and  emphatic 
that  the  steps  of  our  coming  Lord  shall  be  marked  with  the  utmost 
sublimity  and  awe. 

From  all  those  predictions,  and  many  others  which  we  might 
easily  cite,  it  is  manifest  that  this  great  day  of  Christ's  appear- 
ing will  be  the  Day  of  days.  It  will  be  the  great  day  of  decision 
for  all  the  descendants  of  Adam — a  day  of  woe  or  of  rapture  for 
all  our  race.  The  closing  scenes  will  then  be  witnessed  which 
shall  be  preparatory  to  the  everlasting  ages.      We,  readers  and 


KF.Y-NOTP]  OF  THE   APOCALYPSE.  653 

writer,  shall  all  be  witnesses  and  participants  of  those  prepara- 
tory events.  We  shall  be  participants,  and,  glory  be  to  our  God 
of  all  grace,  we  may  be  ready  for  them !  We  may  be  so  prepared 
that,  when  it  shall  no  longer  be,  "  T//e  Bridegroom  comethV  but 
'•'•The  Bridegroom  has  cotneP^  it  shall  be  to  us  the  most  joyous 
news  that  our  ears  ever  heard. 

SCENES  OF  THE   GREAT  DAY. 

All  the  preparatory  comings  of  the  Son  of  man  having  been 
witnessed  throughout  the  lapse  of  the  ages,  and  all  the  imme- 
diate preparations  having  been  made  just  before  his  appearing, 
then  the  great  Day  fixed  in  the  eternal  counsels  of  the  Deity 
will  dawn,  the  climax  come,  and  the  consummation  of  our  Lord's 
return  be  witnessed  in  all  the  regions  of  the  universe.  This  is 
the  one  momentous  event,  preparations  for  which  had  been  going 
on  throughout  all  the  centuries.  All  heaven  and  earth,  all  men 
and  angels,  all  principalities  and  powers,  had  been  getting  ready 
for  it;  and  now  he  is  to  appear  in  all  his  glory.  It  is  the 
Day  of  all  da^'s — the  culminating  point  of  time;  and  what  mani- 
festations of  Deity,  what  revelations  of  the  mysteries  of  centuries, 
what  momentous  events  for  all  creatures,  in  all  regions  of  space, 
and  all  ages  to  come,  will,  without  any  doubt,  be  disclosed  in 
it!  "Come,  Lord  Jesus,"  had  been  the  cry  of  the  faithful  through 
many  a  weary  period,  and  now  it  is  to  be  answered  in  a  revela- 
tion of  glory  of  which  no  creature  had  ever  dreamed. 

Blessed  be  God  tliat  he  has  not  left  us  in  utter  ignorance  of  what 
some  of  its  wondrous  scenes  are  to  be!  He  has  lifted  the  veil,  at 
least  in  part,  from  some  of  the  momentous  .scenes  which  are  then 
to  transpire,  and  we  are  permitted,  even  now,  to  behold,  wonder, 
and  adore  at  what  is  coming.  Though,  doubtless,  but  few  com- 
paratively of  the  momentous  scenes  of  that  day  have  been  revealed 
to  us,  yet  in  themselves  and  in  their  own  grandeur  they  are  won- 
derful, and  in  their  position  as  parts  of  the  divine  plans  they  are 
sublime.  Even  though  it  may  be  so  briefly  as  if  they  were  a  mere 
catalogue,  we  must  glance  at  a  few  of  them.  When  that  great 
Day  arrives,  then  shall  sin  be  laid  prostrate  in  the  dust,  as  an 
enemy  conquered,  and  to  be  dreaded  no  more;  Satan  shall  be 
punished,  being  bound  by  fetters  in  the  regions  of  darkness  and 
woe;  death  shall  be  conquered,  changed,  and  finally  banished  from 
all  the  habitations  of  men  ;  the  countless  multitude  who  shall  have 
been  ransomed  by  the  blood  of  the  Lamb  shall  all  be  gathered  home ; 
the  ruined  race  of  mankind  shall  be  rescued,  emancipated,  and 


654       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

glorified  as  participants  of  tlie  very  glory  bestowed  on  the  Son 
of  man  himself;  the  last  seal  upon  the  mysterious  roll  of  Providence 
shall  be  broken,  and  the  pages  opened  to  the  gaze  of  the  followers 
of  the  Lamb;  Messiali,  promised  from  remotest  ages,  shall  be 
crowned  as  supreme  and  everlasting  King  of  men  and  angels ;  the 
hidden  purposes  of  Jehovah,  inscrutable  though  they  have  been 
to  all  the  generations  of  the  past,  shall  all  be  opened,  and  beheld 
in  their  infinite  magnificence;  the  mysteries  of  redemption  too  high 
and  dazzlingly  bright  for  the  comprehension  of  human  intelligence 
shall  be  opened,  and  read  in  tlie  milder  light  of  the  sardine  throne; 
the  elect  shall  be  gathered  into  that  celestial  temple  from  which 
they  shall  go  no  more  out;  the  sublime  curiosity  of  the  angels, 
desiring  to  look  into  the  glad  tidings  communicated  by  the  Holy 
Ghost,  shall  be  gratified  by  the  sight  of  celestial  wonders  which 
even  the  prophets  declaring  them  did  not  understand ;  angels  and 
cherubim,  though  evermore  standing  near  to  the  Great  White  Throne, 
shall  behold  new  marvels  breaking  out  from  the  light  of  the  glory 
of  God  which  created  eye  could  never  before  endure;  and  above 
all,  and  as  the  sum  of  all,  Immanuel,  who  ascending,  by  the  cross, 
"  far  above  all  principality  and  power,  and  might,  and  dominion, 
and  every  name  that  is  named,"  in  the  highest  and  holiest  and 
most  sublime  sense,  "shall  see  of  the  travail  of  his  soul,  and  be 
satisfied." 

These,  and  such  as  these,  are  scenes  of  the  great  Day  of  his 
coming  which  will  "be  witnessed  by  saints  and  angels.  They  will 
be  seen  by  every  one  of  us  whose  name  shall  be  found  written  in 
the  Lamb's  book  of  life.  They  will  be  tlie  realities  of  that  great 
Day  of  the  Lord,  towards  which  all  creatures  in  the  universe  are 
looking  forward.  We  may  not  drop  any  one  of  them  from  the 
list  of  the  events  which  we  are  taught  to  expect  on  that  momentous 
day  when  our  Lord  shall  come  again  to  his  waiting  Church.  We 
may  pass  tliem  over  in  review,  one  after  another,  and  we  shall 
still  find  that  they  have  all  been  ordained  or  predicted  as  accom- 
paniments of  the  return  to  his  people  of  Ilim  who  had  long  been 
absent  preparing  a  place  for  their  endless  habitation.  No  wonder 
that  at  the  l)eginning  of  the  revelation  there  should  sound  out  to  all 
creatures  the  earnest  call,  ^^  Behold,  he  cometh!''''  '■^  BeJtold,  he 
comelh  ivilh  cIoihU!''''  Coming  in  comi)any  with  such  grand 
events  as  these,  it  is  no  wonder  that  holy  curiosity  should  prompt 
the  angels  to  look  into  such  celestial  glories !  No  wonder  they  are 
represented  as  gazing  with  earnest  eyes  upon  the  mercy-seat,  the 
great  marvels  of  whij;h  their  divine  Lord  was  coming  from  the 


KEY-NOTE  OF  THE  APOCALYPSE.  G55 

realms  of  glory  to  open  and  make  plain  to  the  highest  and  holiest 
of  creatures.  How  they,  as  well  as  all  other  creatures,  would 
thrill  with  amazement  and  joy,  as  mystery  after  mystery  would  be 
unfolded  by  the  Lion  of  the  tribe  of  Judah,  who  had  come  to  open 
the  sealed  book  of  Providence. 

No  wonder  if  all  creatures  should  stand  adoring  as  scene  after 
scene  of  that  day  of  his  glorious  coming  shall  be  made  to  pass  before 
them  !  What  shall  we  say  now  as  we  look  forward  to  them,  guided 
by  the  sure  word  of  prophecy?  Oh,  grandest  thought  of  mortal!— 
most  exalted  intellect  of  archangel! — most  rapturous  imagination 
of  the  ransomed  multitude! — how  can  all  united  give  us  any 
adequate  concei)tion  of  the  amazing  glory  of  that  Day  M'hen  our 
majestic  King  shall  come  to  be  glorified  in  his  saints,  and  admired 
in  all  them  that  believe !  Blessed  be  the  name  of  our  cel*estial  Lord, 
that  day  is  approaching!  He  is  coming!  He  is  coming,  ye  people 
of  God !  He  is  coming,  ye  toiling,  striving  watcliers!  He  is  com- 
ing, and  will  very  soon  appear,  ye  patient  ones  who  have  waited 

so  long! 

RESULTS  OF  THAT  DAY. 

.Just  as  all  the  ages  which  went  before  were  filled  with  prepara- 
tion for  his  coming,  so  all  the  ages  which  follow  after  tlie  advent 
of  our  Lord  will  be  the  carrying  out  of  the  sul)linie  Issues  of  which 
that  great  Day  will  be  the  beginning.  It  will  be  the  dividing- 
I)oint  between  the  glories  coming  down  from  an  eternity  past  and 
those  sweeping  onward  into  the  eternal  ages  to  come.  Sublime 
changes  will  be  made  in  the  administration  of  the  affliirs  of  the 
world.  As  to  our  Lord,  he  will  then  lake  the  throne  on  which, 
with  the  Father,  he  will  reign  evermore  in  supreme  power.  Then 
will  a  peculiar  homage  of  the  universe  be  rendered  him,  involving 
a  glory  which  will  never  end.  Every  seal  of  the  divine  decrees  will 
be  broken,  every  mystery  made  plain,  and  every  line  of  prophecy 
shall  be  fulfilled  in  the  infinite,  supreme,  and  all-comprehending 
glory  of  the  Redeemer  of  men. 

As  to  the  saints  of  the  Lord,  alhtheir  sin  shall  be  over  for  ever, 
all  their  sufibring  gone,  and  all  their  evils  of  every  kind  brought 
to  an  end.  They  shall  then  be  fully  released  from  their  cruel 
and  degrading  slavery  to  sin  and  Satan,  their  subjection  to  death, 
and  their  thraldom  to  all  that  is  low  and  vile.  Free!- -the  freedom 
of  the  Lord  shall  then  be  their  exaltation  and  their  immortal  bliss. 
Ransomed  by  the  blood  of  Christ  from  death  and  hell,  they  shall 
enter  upon  an  immortal  career  of  liberty  and  blessedness.  As 
conquerors,  and  more  than  conquerors,  through  Him  that  loved 


656  INAUGUEAL  OF  THE   ENTIIEONED  KING. 

them,  they  sliall  never  more  be  in  shwery  to  their  lusts,  or  to 
any  foe  that  would  oppress  or  degrade.  Washed  from  all  their 
sins  in  the  blood  of  Inmianuel,  purified,  exalted,  redeemed,  they 
shall  never  be  suffered  to  fall  from  the  i)ath  of  "glory  and  honor 
and  immortality."  Such  honor  will  then  be  theirs  as  no  other 
creatures  ever  knew — even  the  honor  described  by  their  Lord 
himself:  "Ye  are*  a  chosen  generation,  a  royal  ijriesthood,  an 
holy  nation,  a  peculiar  people."  Coming  from  the  lips  of  their 
loving  Lord  himself,  who  could  imagine  or  ask  for  any  more? 
Marvelous  shall  then  be  their  destiny  of  glory  and  bliss,  and  un- 
speakable the  honor  by  which  they  shall  be  crowned,  as  through 
the  ranks  of  the  blessed  shall  spread  the  wonder:  "What  are 
these  which  are  arrayed  in  white  robes,  and  whence  came  they?" 
and  the  an'fewer  shall  come  back  from  the  throne  to  their  immortal 
honor:  "These  are  they  which  came  out  of  great  tribulation,  and 
have  washed  their  robes,  and  made  them  white  in  the  blood  of 
the  Lamb."  And  then,  more  amazing  still  is  the  destiny  of  bliss 
which  is  laid  open  before  them — before  theni^  most  exalted  of 
the  rapturous  multitude  who  stand  before  the  King  of  kings 
and  Lord  of  lords! — "Therefore  are  they  before  the  throne  of 
God,  and  serve  him  day  and  night  in  his  temple;  and  he  that 
sitteth  on  the  throne  shall  dwell  among  them.  They  shall  hun- 
ger no  more,  neither  thirst  any  more,  neither  shall  the  sun  light 
on  them,  nor  any  heat." 

Thus  shall  his  ransomed  followers  be  honored  by  the  glorified 
Lord,  on  that  great  Day  of  his  coming.  Their  names  shall  be 
proclaimed  as  trophies  of  his  mediatorial  achievements  amid  the 
glorified  assembly— for  to  each  of  them  our  Lord  has  engaged: 
"  I  will  confess  his  name  before  my  Father  and  before  his  angels." 
And  they  shall  be  crowned  with  glory,  and  honor,  and  immortality. 
Every  splendid  emblem  is  used  by  which  to  describe  the  glories 
which  shall  thenceforth  be  imparted  to  them.  In  splendid  vision 
it  is  revealed:  "I  saw  four-and-twcnty  elders  sitting,  clothed  in 
white  raiment;  and  they  had.  on  their  heads  crowns  of  gold." 
Even  though  we  may  not  be  able  to  interpret  the  meaning  of 
all  amid  this  blaze  of  glory  awaiting  the  ransomed  on  that  Day 
when  their  Lord  shall  appear  again,  yet  can  we  see  enough  of 
it  to  be  filled  with  wonder  and  gratitude  at  the  thought  of  what 
we  shall  bo.  Though  the  promises  may  create  but  an  indistinct 
haze,  yet  even  that,  awakening  the  thought  of  the  saints  taking 
their  place  as  pillars  in  the  heavenly  temi)le,  of  their  wandering 
amid  the  the  groves  of  the  heavenly  paradise,  and  by  the  rivers 


KEY-NOTE  OF  THE   APOCALYPSE.  657 

of  pleasure  in  tlie  heavenly  city,  and  wearing  the  white  robes 
of  purity  and  joy, — all  this  must  fill  the  soul  with  rapturous 
expectation. 

On  that  glorious  Day  the  ransomed  of  the  Lord  shall  enter 
into,  as  their  eternal  residence,  the  regions  of  the  blessed,  where 
sorrow  will  never  be  known,  and  sin  never  curse,  and  tears  never 
flow.  They  shall  be  admitted  to  tlie  effulgence  of  the  light  of 
the  glory  of  God,  into  which  no  darkness  of  any  night  shall  ever 
be  permitted  to  intrude,  and  where  no  glare  of  brightness  sliall 
ever  dazzle!  On  that  great  Day  shall  be  realized  to  the  full  the 
engagement  our  Lord  made  with  his  discijiles  on  the  night  before 
he  left  them  for  a  long  season :  "I  go  to  jirepare  a  place  for  you. 
And  if  I  go  and  prepare  a  place  for  you,  I  will  come  again,  and 
receive  you  unto  myself,  that  where  I  am  there  ye  may  be  also." 
He  would  come  again  to  them,  and  then  they  would  never  more 
be  separated ;  never  again  would  be  leave  his  Church.  Their 
union,  when  he  would  come  again,  would  be  sealed  by  an  ever- 
lasting covenant,  well  ordered  and  sure;  and  the  endless  ages, 
as  they  would  roll  on,  would  only  cement  them  into  dearer,  closer, 
and  more  inseparable  bond  for  ever.  As  was  confidently  asserted 
by  the  blessed  Apostle  of  the  Gentiles,  so  might  it  be  repeated  by 
all  the  true  followers  of  the  Lord  on  that  great  Day  when  he 
would  return  to  them  in  his  glory:  "In  all  these  things  we  are 
more  than  conquerors  through  him  that  loved  us.  For  I  am 
persuaded  that  neither  death,  nor  life,  nor  angels,  nor  princi- 
palities, nor  powers,  nor  things  present,  nor  things  to  come,  nor 
height,  nor  depth,  nor  any  other  creature,  shall  be  able  to  sepa- 
rate us  from  the  love  of  God,  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord." 
Oh,  blessed  coming  of  our  Lord!  It  will  be  the  commencement 
of  an  everlasting  union.  .Nothing  in  the  wide  universe  can  ever 
again  separate  the  Lord  from  those  precious  saints  whom  he  pur- 
chased with  his  own  blood  !  Neither  length  of  ages,  nor  cunning 
of  enemies,  nor  force  of  powers  massed  together,  ever  can  weaken 
the  bonds  which  will  then  and  for  evermore  bind  together  the 
Son  of  God  and  those  beloved  followers  whom  he  will  receive 
into  everlasting  habitations.  That  Day  of  marvelous  bliss  from 
which  all  the  ransomed  of  the  Lord  shall  date  their  everlasting 
blessedness!— the  Day  towards  which  all  the  plans  of  redemption 
looked  intently  forward  from  the  sad  hour  when  the  race  Mas  first 
banished  out  of  Eden,  and  from  which  the  rivers  of  sacred  pleasure 
shall  flow  on  and  on  while  immortality  endures !  The  Lord  hasten 
it  in  his  own  time! 

42 


658  INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 


ASCEND  THE  WATCH-TOWEE. 

"Behold,  he  cometh  with  clouds ;  and  every  eye  shall  see  him." 
Tliis  is  the  stirring  call  by  which  the  sublime  events  of  the  last  great 
Day  are  to  be  heralded  ;  well  may  it  also  be  the  cry  with  which  they 
close.  "He  cometh!"  Up!  to  the  watch-tower  to  catch  the  first 
glimpse  of  his  appearing!  Up!  in  each  glorious  mov^ement  of  the 
predicted  day  the  call  is  reiterated.  Higher!  He  is  at  hand!  At 
the  instant  of  his  departure  from  earth  the  assurance  was  given, 
"He  shall  so  come  in  like  manner  as  ye  have  seen  him  go  into 
heaven,"  and  in  all  the  ages  since,  every  eye  of  the  faithful  has 
been  turned  upward  for  his  first  appearing.  It  must  be  now  very 
near:  up,  ye  true  and  loving  hearts,  to  obtain  the  first  view  of  hin) ! 
With  multitudes  of  others  you  have  been  appealing  to  his  loving 
heart,  "How  long,  O  Lord,  how  long?"  Your  prayer  is  on  the 
eve  of  fulfillment.  Up,  up,  to  obtain  the  first  ecstatic  view !  The 
world  is  moving  at  his  appearing,  and  the  instant  at  hand  when 
"  every  eye  shall  see  him."  Up,  that  he  may  be  gh)rified,  as  the 
world  beholds  your  irrepressible  love!  Up,  the  time  is— it  nmst  be 
— at  hand!  He  is  coming! — ye  blood-bought  men  on  earth,  ye 
saints  in  glory,  ye  bright  angels  on  ten  thousand  sparkling  wings, 
ye  cherubs  flaming  in  light  around  the  throne,  awake  to  more 
rapturous  joys!  He  is  coming,  and  the  greatest  and  grandest  event 
of  the  universe  is  at  hand ! 

Ascend  on  high  and  watch,  for,  "Behold,  he  cometh!"  As  a 
devout  author  has  expressed  the  joyous  thought:  "Six  thousand 
years  this  world  has  rolled  on,  getting  hoary  with  age  and 
wrinkled  with  sins  and  sorrows.  Awaiting  Church  sees  the  long- 
drawn  shadows  announcing,  'The  Lord  is  at  hand.'  Stand  often- 
times on  the  watch-tower  to  catch  the  first  streak  of  thai  com- 
ing brightness,  the  first  murmur  of  those  chariot-wheels.  The 
world  is  now  in  preparation.  It  is  rocking  on  its  worn-out 
axle.  There  are  voices  on  every  side  proclaiming,  He  cometh! 
He  cometh!"  He  is  at  the  door!  He  is  knocking  with  nail- 
pierced  hands!  "He  stands  at  the  door,  with  his  wounds  open, 
his  blood  streaming,  and  his  garments  dyed  with  blood.  What 
a  sight — what  a  wondrous  sight,  on  that  great  Day,  in  the  midst 
of  the  radiant  throne,  of  glorious  cherubim,  and  ransomed  men, 
shall  be  seen  :  "  A  Lamb  as  it  had  been  slain  !  "  Watch,  therefore, 
most  earnestly,  for  the  Lord  is  coming  in  power  and  great  glory. 
Gaze  afar,  over  the  wide  seas  of  time  and  over  the  fields  of 
providence;   and  behold  the  Heaven-erected  Beacon  of  the  ages, 


KEY-NOTE  OF  THE  APOCALYPSE.  659 

that  you  may  catch  the  first  glhiipse  of  the  Son  of  man  as  he 
drag's  near.    Watch  each  sign  of  his  api)earing. 

But  watching  is  not  all ;  for  we  are  also  to  pray  and  prepare. 
We  must  be  men  of  prayer  as  the  hour  of  our  Lord's  appearing 
draws  nigh.  The  days  are  becoming  fewer — they  should  therefore 
be  the  more  diligently  improved.  As  the  time  of  his  coming  draws 
nigher,  more  impressive  grows  the  assurance,  ^^  Blessed  is  he  that 
watchethy  This  is  to  be  awake  and  in  earnest.  It  is  to  have  the 
communication  ever  open  between  the  soul  and  its  God.  It  is 
to  have  the  aspect  ever  upward  and  ever  onward.  It  is  to  have 
Christ  ever  real  to  us,  and  the  Holy  Spirit  ever  present.  It  is  to 
rejoice  with  a  sincere  and  thankful  joy  in  every  victory  won  for 
Christ  in  the  world  or  in  a  soul.  It  is  to  use  the  world  as  a  trust, 
and  not  as  a  possession.  It  is  to  have  the  affection  set  on  things 
above,  and  not  on  things  on  the  earth ;  to  have  our  conversation, 
uur  citizenship,  already  in  heaven  ;  to  have  our  very  life,  the  life 
that  is  most  dear  and  most  real  and  niost  precious  to  us,  hidden 
even  now  with  Christ  in  God.  So,  when  Christ,  who  is  our  life, 
shall  appear,  then  shall  we  also  appear  with  him  in  glory. 

BE  HEADY! 

Most  appropriately,  we  may  draw  to  a  close  these  earnest  words 
concerning  the  return  of  our  Lord  by  his  own  most  solemn  admoni- 
tion :  "  Be  ye  therefore  ready  also ;  for  the  Son  of  man  cometh  at  an 
hour  when  ye  think  not."  Be  ready  !  is  the  earnest  call  which 
comes  to  us  from  the  lips  of  our  loving  Lord,  and  from  every  page 
of  his  inspired  ^Wjrd ;  from  earth  and  heaven,  from  time  and  eter- 
nity. Be  ready!  is  the  admonition  from  every  ray  of  the  Beacon 
of  the  ages;  from  the  warning  that  the  coming  of  our  glorious 
Ijord  is  at  hand,  and  from  the  fathomless  love  of  our  blessed  Be- 
deemer  who  will  soon  take  us  to  himself,  to  be  separated  from  us 
no  more.  There  can  scarcely  be  a  question  but  that  the  great  ulti- 
mate design  of  all  these  messages  to  the  churches,  with  their  words 
of  practical  wisdom,  their  varied  admonitions,  and  their  earnest 
calls,  was  to  summon  men  to  the  solemn  work  of  preparing  to 
meet  that  Judge  who  was  so  soon  to  summon  them  before  him. 
As  if,  just  before  closing  the  sacred  volume,  he  would  gather  up 
ill  into  one  final  appeal,  whose  accents  of  warning  would  ever 
ring  in  their  ears,  with  the  reiterated  call.  Be  readjM  be  ready! 
This  was  the  great  burden  of  tlie  messages — the  signal  of  the 
Beacon  to  be  seen  by  every  eye,  of  every  age.  How  this  thought 
brings  the  message  home !    Behold  the  heavenly  Watcher ;  he  sees 


660       INAUGURAL  OF  THE  ENTHRONED  KING. 

your  condition.  The  attributes  of  the  great  King;  they  are  all 
interested.  Hear  the  words  of  rebuke;  they  are  to  rescue  from 
eternal  death.  The  approvals;  they  would  lead  to  glory  and 
immortality.  The  warnings  and  promises;  they  are  the  motives 
which  God  himself  is  using.  The  earnest  call,  "  He  that  hath 
an  ear,  let  him  hear  what  the  Spirit  saith  to  the  churches;"  they 
are  Heaven's  own  final  words. 

All  are  designed  to  move  us  to  the  solemn  work  of  getting 
ready.  How  impressive  then  is  the  summons  that  comes  to  every 
soul:  Awake,  the  Lord  is  coming;  his  chariot-wheels  may  be 
heard!  He  is  coming:  this  is  the  only  absolutely  certain  event 
in  the  kingdom.  It  will  not  be  long  until  he  appears,  looked 
at  in  any  light  the  event  may  be.  He  is  coming:  let  us  bend 
down  to  it  every  power  of  our  mind.  Oh  that  we  could,  or 
would,  realize  the  deeply-solenni  fact ! 

May  preparation  for  this  coming  be  the  one  great  business  of 
all  our  lives!  To  get  ready  for  it  is  the  most  solemn  of  all 
motives  that  could  be  urged  upon  a  mortal  man.  All  our  present 
cares,  and  purposes,  and  efforts  should  centre  on  this.  The  great- 
est Day  of  the  world  will  be  this:  what  does  the  certainty  of  its 
coming  demand  of  us  now  ?  If  we  have  prepared  for  this,  what 
need  we  dread?  if  it  has  been  neglected,  for  what  can  we  hope? 
Our  only  safety  is  in  being  ready — ready  every  day,  every  hour. 
Ready  for  Christ's  coming  again:  it  is  wisdom  infinitely  higher 
than  that  of  insuring  the  richest  treasures  against  the  flames.  It 
is  putting  on  the  wedding  garment,  which  will  open  the  door 
to  the  marriage  of  the  Lamb.  If  ready,  then  there  will  be  no 
awful  surprise  when  the  great  Day  shall  come.  Then  the  cry, 
"Behold,  he  cometh  !"  will  be  the  rapture  of  the  soul.  But,  if 
not  ready,  it  will  be  a  cry  of  terror,  of  woe,  and  of  endless 
misery. 

It  was  a  blessed  sight,  a  sound  never  to  be  forgotten,  as  the 
aged  saint,  admonished  that  his  last  hour  on  earth  had  come, 
with  his  expiring  strength  arose  and  said  sweetly:  "I  shall 
neither  eat  nor  drink  until  I  go  home."  And  he  did  not;  for 
in  a  few  minutes  he  was  at  home  with  his  Lord  for  ever.  So 
will  it  be  with  every  ready,  waiting  saint,  when  his  Lord  appears. 
When  that  last  day  will  be,  is  now  hidden  froin  the  ken  of  every 
creature;  but,  if  ready,  no  matter— all  is  well,  for  it  will  only 
be  the  moment  of  i:)assing  into  the  everlasting  rest— the  moment 
for  the  full  realization  of  the  thrilling  benediction,  ^'■Blessed  are 
they  toJiich  are  called  unto  the  marriage  supper  of  the  Lamb.^^ 


TOPICAL   INDEX. 


A. 

Ahab,  i-epentance  of,  304. 

Ahaziah,  fall  and  suffering  of,  306;  pun- 
ishment of,  for  his  mother's  crimes, 
306. 

Alexander,  Archibald,  on  Apocalypse, 
611. 

Alexander  the  Great  at  Ephesus,  161. 

Alford  on  Christ's  coniino:,  637. 

All-seeing  eye  of  God,  496. 

Amen  of  Christ's  kingdom,  483. 

Anatolia  selected  by  Providence.  9. 

Angels,  important  symbol,  104 ;  of  the 
churches,  various  views  on,  105;  real 
apostles,  106;  genius  of  the  churches, 
107;  celestial  angels,  107;  deputies  of 
the  churches,  108:  an  officer  taken 
from  the  synagogue,  108 ;  moderators 
of  presbyteries,  109;  diocesan  bishops, 
109;  true  meaning  of,  112;  first 
process  of  interpretation,  112 ;  the 
ministry  in  aggregate,  113;  as  one 
mystical  person,  114;  the  spiritual 
authority,  114  ;  second  process  of  inter- 
pretation, 115;  precise  meaning,  115; 
full  description,  117;  third  process  of 
interpretation,  118;  whole  argument, 
119;  appropriate  description  of  church 
authority,  119;  "before  his,"  365; 
gazing   at   mercy-seat,  635. 

Antinomians,  of  the  early  Church,  178; 
errors  of,  274 ;  the  first  heresy  of 
cai'ly  Cliurch,  275  ;  always  appearing, 
275 ;  lewdness  of  church  of  Thyatira, 
303;  root  of,  500;  abominable  elements 
of,  318;  "gross  heresies  of,  516;  love 
turned  into  lust,  517;  masterpiece  of 
devil,  517;  believe  tliat  sin  is  impossi- 
ble to  believers,  518;  first  and  worst 
heresy,  518;  always  appearing,  518; 
always  ready  for  evil,  518;  its  power, 
518;    never  shows  true  colors.  518. 

Antipas,  who  and  what,  262;  burnt  in  a 
cage,  263  ;  honor  of  divine  notice,  263  ; 
witness  he  bore,  263 ;  who  was  he  ?  535. 

"  Ape  of  God,"  the  devil  the,  500. 

Apocalypse  acknowledged  in  second  cen- 
tury, 352. 

Apollo,  god  of  Thyatira,  246. 

Appeals  of  God  to  sinners,  456. 

Approvals,  before  rebukes,  ,521. 

Aquila  and  Priscilla  at  Ephesus,  172. 

Artificial  lake  in  Pergamos,  245. 

Arundell,  on  mountains  at  Sardis,  340; 
on  desolation  of  Sardis,  350. 

Asia  Minor,  suited  for  planting  the  gospel, 
9;  country  described,  15,  16;  valleys, 


plains,  and  table-lands,  18;  climate, 
21 :  productions,  forests  and  mines,  22; 
cities,  24;  imaginary  picture  of,  26; 
original  population  of,  27;  like  Pales- 
tine, 29;  why  chosen  for  planting  the 
gospel,  29 ;  coasts  indented  by  bays,  30 ; 
idolatry  concentrated  in,  30 ;  history 
of,  32;  greatest  events  of  antiquity  in, 
34;  great  men  in,  36;  celebrated 
objects  in,  36;  Providence  fitted  it  for 
the  gospel,  38;  original  religious  state 
of,  42 ;  all  covered  by  idolatry,  44 ; 
planting  gospel  in,  greatest  work  of,  49 ; 
church's  rapid  growth  in,  49;  gospel's 
rapid  growth  in,  58;  bird's-eye  view 
of,  130;  best  place  for  testing  gospel, 
133. 

Asian  Meadows,  Valley  of.  Homer's,  421. 

Associates,  contamination  of  evil,  265. 

Asvlum,  right  of,  prolific  source  of  evil, 
i.58,  160. 

Asylums,  none  in  old  paganism,  342. 

Attains,  III.,  last  and  worst  of  the  line, 
248;  groat  importance  of  line  of,  248. 

Attains  Philadelphus,  380. 

Attention,  mortal,  summoned,  610;  all 
abruptness  at  every  point,  626. 

Attribute  of  Christ  in  message  to  Ephe- 
sus, 179. 

Ai/aaalook,  old  Ephesus,  149,  150,  151; 
from  John,  171 ;  wretched  hovels,  191. 

B. 

Baal-Peor,  idolatrous  feast  of,  516. 

Bacchus,  deity  of  Philadelphia,  383;  de- 
scription of,  383;  debasing  influence 
of  his  worship,  384. 

Backsliding,  in  secret  at  first,  506 ;  al- 
ways gradual,  506  ;  danger  of,  567. 

Bajazet,  the  Mussulman  conqueror,  381. 

Balaam,  strange  character,  265;  wiience 
his  power,  266  ;  learned  from  old  tradi- 
tions, 266;  where  he  came  from,  266; 
celebrated  soothsayer,  266 ;  an  able 
man,  267  ;  not  permitted  to  curse,  267; 
his  diabolic  scheme,  268;  type  of 
seducers,  268;  shameful  death  of,  268; 
Baal-Peor,  the  impostor,  268  ;  scenes  of 
his  history,  272  ;  the  necromancer,  515 ; 
covetousness  of,  515;  diabolic  plot,  515; 
doctrine  of,  516. 

Balaamites,  in   Pergamos,  2.59-263. 

Balak,  who  and  what,  266;  watching 
Israel,  267;  in  dilemma,  267. 

Barnes,  on  danger  of  wealth,  443;  on 
punishment  of  lewdness,  575. 

Beacon,  seven  churches  set  up  as  a,  20; 

661 


662 


TOPICAL  INDEX. 


on  tlie  shores,  123;  over  the  stormy 
waves,  130;  messages,  chief  design  of 
129, 130 ;  first  contact  of  the  gospel  was 
the,  131 ;  special  ]ir()vidence  in  provid- 
ing, 134;  priiici]il(s  leading  up  to,  135; 
adapted  to  immutaldlity  of  God  and 
man,  135  ;  made  conspicuous,  145  ;  les- 
sons of,  141 ;  of  Smyrna,  238 ;  Laodicea 
in,  469;  in  God's  omniscience,  494; 
on  worldliness,  513;  held  up,  618; 
Sardis  in,  366;    Philadelpliia   in,  413. 

Beatific  vision,  raptures  of,  279. 

Bed  of  torment  corresponds  with  hed  of 
fornication,  306. 

Beginning  of  creation,  Christ  the,  436. 

Belief  and  practice  always  alike,  502. 

Bible,  why  try  to  destroj^  615. 

Bishops,  diocesan,  the  angels  of  churches 
not,  109,  110,  119. 

Blakesley,  Dean,  on  Pergamos,  250. 

Blasphemy  of  Jews,  213,  214. 

Bliss,  heavenly,  increased  by  contact, 
.559;  dreams  of,  in  youth,  196. 

Blunt,  on  God  knowing,  456. 

Boatmea  carrying  gospel  up  to  Philadel- 
phia, 387. 

Book  of  remembrance,  erasing  from,  364, 
495. 

Bread,  the  heavenly,  279. 

Brevity  of  account  of  contact  with 
paganism,  140. 

Bribe,  Balak  ofl"ering  a,  267. 

Bridegroom,  coming  of  the,  653. 

Brotherly  love,  strong  words  about,  535; 
chief  of  all  graces,  536. 

Burden,  two  meanings  of,  312;  a  threat- 
ened judgment,  312;  obligation  to  law, 
312;  on  Thyatira,  315. 

Buying  only  from  God,  447. 

o. 

Calamities,  on  church  of  Smyrna,  225, 
227;  God  overrules,  to  his  people,  227. 

Calendar  reformed,  334. 

Calls  of  God,  456. 

Candlesticks,  removal  of,  .566,  567;  re- 
moved and  not  extinguished,  186, 187; 
the  seven,  113;  God  in  the,  479. 

Canon  of  Bible,  first,  352,  4.30. 

Celerity  of  Christ  as  King,  481. 

Censures  on  all  the  churches  save  two, 
499. 

Central  points,  all  else  around,  103;  list 
of,  in  messasjes,  103;  meaning  of,  174; 
to  Ephesus,'l74;  to  Thyatira,  298  ;  to 
Sardis,  354;  to  Philadelphia,  390;  to 
Laodicea,   442. 

Chandler  on  Laodicea,  450. 

Charges,  none  against  Smyrna  and  Phila- 
delphia, 229.  ' 

Charity,  first  of  graces,  536. 

C'lart,  messages  intended  for  a,  130. 

Chastis(>nients  that  would  come,  362,  of 
God,  in  love,  455. 

Clirist,  Head  in  his  churches,  180;  grieved 
by  want  of  love,  180;  and  the  heart, 
183 ;  over  every  event,  208 ;  opprobious 


names  to,  214 ;  Son  of  God,  294 ;  op- 
position to,  root  of  all  heresy,  388  ;  All- 
true,  435;  Beginning  of  creation  of 
God,  435,  4.36;  All-in-all,  437,  609; 
qualifications  as  King,  481 ;  omnipo- 
tence of,  481 ;  drawing  near  to,  458 ; 
First  and  Last,  476;  Beginning  of 
creation,  476;  knowledge  of  all,  310; 
King  of  truth,  5.52;  our  example,  554; 
go  direct  to,  555;  Mediatorial  King, 
590;  "for  joy  set  before  him,''  599; 
Morning  Star,  603,  607,  609. 

Christianity,  first  efi'ects  on  natural 
heart,   132;    final   dominion  of.   321. 

Christians,  riches  of,  212 ;  opprobrious 
names  to,  214 ;    popular  to  be,  259. 

Churches  of  Asia  Minor,  planted  by  lead- 
ing apostles,  58;  rajjid  growth,  57; 
condition  when  Apocalypse  given,  57- 
60;  love  cooling  in,  176;  Christ  in 
midst  of,  180;  Christ  dearly  loves  the, 
180;  God  knows  all  the,  494;  work, 
specimen  of,  210;  God's  army,  478;  its 
future  safe,   554. 

Church  life,  all  forms  of,  in  the  messages, 
135. 

Church  work,  fruit  of  the  Spirit,  488. 

Cities,  of  the  seven  churches,  24  ;  located 
by  circumstances,  372;  gospel  at  first 
in  the  chief,  432. 

Co-heirs,  believers,  with  Christ,  212. 

Coldness  of  heart,  what  do  for,  184;  con- 
trasted with  lukewarmness,  442. 

Columns  of  Cybele's  temple,  341,  342. 

Colossians,  conflict  in  planting  their 
church,    433. 

Cogamus,  stream  of  Philadeljihia,  379. 

Comfort,  God  ready  with,  212. 

Coming  of  Christ,  as  a  thief,  570;  key  of 
Apocalypse,  630,  630,  658 ;  importance 
of,  630;  most  momentous,  631,  633;  (1) 
at  Pentecost,  633;  (2)  providential  vis- 
itations, 634;  (3)  at  death,  634;  (4)  at 
destruction  of  Jerusalem,  634;  (5)  in 
conversion  of  the  world,  634;  (6)  in 
judgment,  635;  six  diflerent  events 
indicated,  635;  what  event  precisely, 
635;  not  any  isolated  event,  636; 
whole  accumulated  mass,  636  ;  not  one 
event,  637;  totality  of  events,  637; 
connection  with  messages,  637;  key- 
note of  Revelation.  638;  in  triumph, 
638;  beginning,  course,  and  end,  638  ; 
stages  of,  640;  footsteps  of  prepara- 
tion for,  641;  crisis  of,  641;  sublim- 
ities of  crisis,  641 ;  Church  watching 
for,  642  ;  announcements,  642  ;  process 
of  preparation,  642;  glory  of,  642;  as 
thief  in  night,  642;  time  of,  hidden, 
643;  suddenness  of,  644;  solemn,  646, 
647;  quickly,  647;  precursory  move- 
ments, 647,  648;  designs  of,  649:  unin- 
ner  of,  651  ;  day  of  days,  6.52;  taking 
throne,  652;  awful  events  at,  653,  654; 
glory  of,  655. 

Conunendations,  always  before  censure, 
209;  of  church  of  Ejdiesus,  181;  why 
need  them,  183 ;  of  Thyatira,  296. 


TOPICAL   INDEX. 


663 


Communion  of  Christ  and  his  people,  459. 

Companions,  evil,  dangerous,  268;  five 
warnings  about,  50:2 ;  evil  of  bad,  502. 

Compassions,  God's,  in  knocking,  457; 
of  the  messages,  101,  102. 

Confession  of  his  followers  by  Christ, 
364,  594. 

Conflicts,  guidance  for,  548. 

Conqueror,  crowned,  230 ;  believer,  in 
the  end,  194. 

Conquest  and  safety,  231. 

Conscience,  tortures  of,  574 ;  in  Ti- 
berius, 575  ;  refuge  of  all  errorists,  302. 

Consideration,  God's,  for  his  people,  212. 

Contact  of  Christianity  with  paganism, 
626,  131. 

C'ontamination  of  evil,  265,  502. 

Contempt,  sliame  and,  573. 

Contest  with  last  enemy,  319 ;  with 
pagan   seductions,    319. 

Continuance  in  well-doing,  528. 

Contrivances,  evil  of  human,  623. 

Conversion,  joy  of,  277;  rapture  of,  283. 

Cooling  of  first  love,  176;  in  the  Church, 
176;  connected  with  beginning  of 
errors,  177;  resulting  evils,  177. 

Corruption  to  be  shunned,  533. 

Council  of  Ephesus,  164 ;  robbers',  164. 

Councils,  ecclesiastical,  in  Asia  Minor,  35. 

Counsels  (Chapter  XIX.),  543;  analyzed 
ajid  classified,  513;  together,  a  body  of 
practical  wisdom,  545 ;  results  of  ex- 
perience, 546;  no  mere  theorizing,  but 
practical,  546 ;  from  Father's  heart, 
546;  aids  in  gospel  work,  547;  helps  in 

•  saving  others,  547;  obey,  whether 
understood  or  not,  547;  best  guide  for 
us,  548;  adapted  to  real  conflicts,  548; 
to  Thyatira,  314;  to  Philadelphia,  403. 

Country  of  Asia  Minor,  29. 

Covetousness,  greatest  enemy  of  re- 
ligion, 508. 

Craven,  Dr.,  on  Eev.  2 :  18,  401 ;  on  good 
work.s,  311. 

Creatures,  God  reigns  through,  478. 

Crisis  in  the  Church,  621 ;  of  Sardis,  335 ; 
present  one,  621. 

Crcesus,  Sardis  in  its  glory  under,  335; 
his  sad  downfall,  335  ;  immense  wealth 
of,  337;  last,  days  of,  338. 

Crosby,  on  worldliness,  513. 

Cross,  enduring  tlie,  559.    , 

Crowds  attracted  by  worship  of  Diana, 
160. 

Crown  of  life  given,  225,  229;  of  life,  of 
glory,  of  righteousness — diadem  of 
beauty,  231 ;  fitting  for  Smyrna,  231; 
take  thy.  401;  how  hold  "fast,  402; 
victory  of  the  saints,  404  ;  only  to  poor, 
414. 

Curse,  turned  into  blessing,  504  ;  on  im- 
penitent terrible,  307. 

Cvhele,  pillars  of,  340;  ruins  of  temple, 
340,  341 ;  the  deity  of  Sardis,  343,  344. 

D. 

Danger  of  delay,  305. 

Dark  spots,  499  ;    list  of,  520. 


Date  of  Apocalypse,  and  condition  of 
Church  then,  preface. 

David,  Christ  the  true,  390;  key  of,  477. 

Deadness,  danger  of  spiritual,  366  ;  origin 
of,  367. 

Death,  our  Forerunner  in,  208, 209 :  glory 
in,  283;  beatific  vision,  283;  the  last 
enemy,  319  ;  spiritual,  356  ;  the  second, 
232;  of  saint,  283. 

Deceitfulness  of  sin,  565. 

Defiance  of  devil  and  his  angels,  227. 

Degrees  of  promised  bliss — (1)  immor- 
tality, 585;  (2)  exemption  from  second 
death,  586;  (3)  inviolable  friendship, 
588;  (4)  ruling  the  nations,  589 ;  (5) 
trophies  of  Christ,  593;  (6)  pillars  in 
temple,  595;  (7)  seat  on  heavenly 
throne,  597. 

Deities  of  the  seven  cities,  43. 

Delay,  sin  and  danger  of,  305. 

Demetrius  the  silversmith,  speech  of,  53. 

Denizli.near  Laodicea,  466,467;  utterly 
deserted,  468. 

Depths  of  Satan,  317. 

Devil,  author  of  all  persecutions,  205 ; 
cause  of  all  its  cruelties,  205 ;  imprison- 
ing his  victims,  2U(; ;  worsliipped  in 
Pergamos,  252 ;  serpent  the  emblem 
of,  252;  mimics  God,  253;  his  throne 
in  Pergamos,  2,53;  the  Wicked  one, 
258;  outwitting,  317;  world,  flesh  and, 
.363;  apes  God,  500. 

Diana,  trade  in  her  shrines,  53  ;  Ephesus 
her  home,  154;  filled  all  Ephesus,  155; 
crowds  attracted  by,  160;  revenues 
from  her  worship,  159  ;  attractions  of 
her  temple,  160;  world's  fair,  assizes, 
games,  market-day,  worship,  161; 
temple,  191 ;  site  of,  191 ;  temple  at 
Sardis,   347. 

Diocletian,  worst  persecutor,  207. 

Dionysus,  corrupt  worship  of,  333. 

Discipline  by  God,  320. 

Doctrine  and  practice  go  together,  502. 

Doing,  not  feeling,  184. 

Doing  good,  specimens  of,  210;  to  each 
other,  210;  God  notices  little  acts  of, 
298. 

Dominion,  over  nations  by  believers, 
.592,  .593;  is  Christ's,  477. 

Domitian,  persecutions  of,  398. 

Doom,  words  of  (Chapter  XX.),  561-580. 

Door,  an  open,  390;  open  the  barred, 
458  ;  what  bai-s,  4.58. 

Dyeing,  business  of  Philadelphia,  379. 

E. 

Earnestness  that  should  be  shown,  439; 
cause  demands,  .528;  now  sorely 
needed,  5.57;  cry  for,  .559;  life  vain 
without,  .560;  Lord  give  me,  560;  in 
religion,  618,  619,  623. 

Ears  to  hear,  610. 

"  Earth  and  man,"  by  Guyot,  424. 

Earthquakes,  jieculiarity  in  Asia  Minor, 
31;  in  region  of  Pliiladelphia,  394; 
shaped  the  message  to    Philadelphia, 


664 


TOPICAL   INDEX. 


376;  kept  Philadelphia  small,  376; 
influenced  message  to  Pliiladelphia, 
377 ;  and  religion  of  Philadelphia,  387 ; 
shaped  whole  message  to  Philadelphia, 
391 ;  open  doors  of,  391 ;  worst  of  Asia 
Minor,  398. 

Edwards,  on  God's  knocking,  457. 

Egotism  of  scientists,  310. 

Elders,  stars  in  God's  right  hand,  479. 

Eleusinian  mysteries,  what,  343. 

Emerson,  on  ruins  of  Sardis,  347;  on 
ruined  Laodicea,  451. 

Encouragements  to  the  persecuted,  226, 
227. 

Enemies,  of  Christ  and  truth,  239 ;  good 
for  a  church,  469. 

Enmity  to  Christ,  deadly,  .534. 

Enthronemeut  of  believers,  601. 

Enthusiasm,  religion  must  have,  527, 
528. 

Ephesians,  type  of  lewdness,  179 ;  atti- 
tude of  Christ  towards,  129 ;  com- 
mendations of  its  church,  181 ;  patience 
of,  181 ;  toil  of,  181. 

Ephesian  church,  crisis  in,  186;  punish- 
ment of,  187;  Ephesus,  downfall  of, 
189;  present  desolations,  189;  doomed 
to  ruin,  189;  causes  of  its  ruin,  189; 
ramble  through  its  ruins,  189,  190; 
panorama  of  all  its  ruins,  192. 

Ephesian  letters,  158. 

Ephesus,  vile  idolatry  of,  44 ;  first  mis- 
sionary field,  rendezvous  of  all  ad- 
venturers, 144;  light  of  Asia,  144;  an- 
cient great  renown,  144  ;  metropolis  of 
the  gospel  in  its  day,  144  ;  Marseilles  of 
the  yEgean,  145;  scenes  in,  145;  first 
greatness  of,  144  ;  gospel  to  pagans  first 
there,  145 ;  greatness  at  the  first,  146 ; 
form,  147 ;  memorable  events,  147 ; 
name  dear  to  Cliristians,  147;  study 
of,  147;  conspicuous  of  old,  147;  out- 
lines of  its  history,  148;  great  men 
and  events,  148;  scenes  in,  of  old,  149; 
as  it  is  now,  149 ;  struggle  with  the  sea, 
149;  ruins  of,  152;  its  commerce,  152; 
trade  with  the  interior,  1.53;  influence 
on  other  lands,  153 ;  right  of  asylum 
its  bane,  1.53;  worship  of  Diana,  153; 
centre  of  light  and  truth,  154;  its 
marbles  in  modern  buildings,  162: 
Seven  Sleepers  of,  163  ;  Epistle  to,  163; 
sacked  by  the  Goths,  164.  262;  two 
councils  in,  164;  utter  waste  of,  165; 
sea  encroaching  on,  165;  silting  up  of 
its  harbor,  165,  16();  plundered,  166; 
filling  up  its  harbor,  16(>;  doomed,  166. 
167;  embodiment  ()f  idolatry,  1(57; 
l)lanting  of  its  cliurcli  by  Timothy  and 
others,  172;  many  members  in  its 
church,  173;  minister  of  its  church, 
173;  blessed  work  at  first,  173;  menioi'- 
able  things  in,  Kil ;  Alexander  in,  161 ; 
last  hours  of  .John,  162. 
Errors,  spring  from  loss  of  first  love,  177; 
noxious  effects  of,  367;  in  doctrine  and 
practice  go  together,  502;  corrupting 
in  very  nature,  502. 


Eumenes,  line  of  kings,  248;  the  Second, 
248;  beautifies  Pergamos,  248. 

Europe,  gospel  first  preached  in,  45,  291. 

Evidences  of  religion  stored  away,  139; 
John  as  an  evidence  in  Ephesus,  171. 

Evil,  avoid  as  Satan,  533;  experimenting 
with,  318;  speak  plainly  about,  532; 
fear  none,  226;  princijjles,  analysis,  500. 

Exaltation  of  Christ,  463. 

Example,  influence  of  Cliristian,  397. 

Excuses  of  all  errorists,  .302. 

Experience,  with  all  classes,  136;  ignor- 
ing all,  625. 

Experiments,  first,  of  Christianity  with 
paganism,  131;  dangerous,  315,  623. 

Eyesalve,  anoint  with,  449. 


Falsehood,  of  all  idolatry,  309;  corrupt- 
ing, .502. 

Farming,  the  one  industry  of  Philadel- 
phia, 378. 

Farrar,  Canon,  on  Roman  calamities,  390. 

Fault-finding,  wretched,  524. 

Fear  no  evil,  226. 

Feast,  God  willing  to,  with  sinners,  458. 

Feasts  of  paganism,  270. 

Feeling,  not,  but  doing,  184. 

Feelings,  God  notices  our,  175. 

Feet  as  fine  brass,  481. 

Fellowship,  none,  with  sinners,  271 ; 
with  unbelievers  a  sin,  264;  of  bad 
men    in  the  church,  265. 

Few,  still  cared  for,  359 ;    very  precious 
to   God,   .359;    always    some,    367;    in. 
Sardis,  367;    duty  of  the,  367;    God's 
pledge  to,  368;  have  the  promise,  415. 

Fidelity  and  reward,  229;  of  church  of 
Pergamos,  262. 

Figures,  promi-ses  in,  582. 

First  love,  careful  of,  523;  cooling  of, 
176. 

Fisk,  Pliny,  on  Thyatira,  288. 

Flesh,  depraving  influence  of,  514;  in- 
dulging, without  sin  absurd,  318; 
enemy  to  the  soul,   363. 

Footsteps  of  Christ,  events  of  the  ages 
the,  639. 

Forbearance,  God's  wonderful,  458. 

Fornication,  matter  of  iiidiflerence,  269; 
awful  evil  of  i)aganism,  270;  impure 
women  in  the  temples,  271  ;  and  idol 
meats,  270. 

Foundations  of  the  Church  in  blood,  535  ; 
cflorts  to  destroy,  615. 

Four,  the  number,  100. 

Freedom  while  (Jod  still  rules,  489. 

Friendship  inviolable,  588. 

Fruits  of  the  Spirit,  .521;  list  of,  ,522; 
embodied   in  one  Christian,  522. 

Future  events,  why  all  known,  489. 

G. 

Games,  rewards  in,  230. 
General  assembly  of  the  ransomed,  .594. 
Germs,    each   word    a   germ  of  thought, 
102;   of  church  life  alone  given,  137. 


TOPICAL  INDEX. 


665 


Gerusia,  342,  347. 

Gift,  {frant  a  throne,  461 ;   salvation  all 

a,  556. 
Gifts,  to  be  improved,  524. 
Given  up  of  God,  568. 
Glory  to  be  revealed,  278;   of  saints  as 

tropliies,  595. 
Gods,  temples  to  all   the.  Nicepliorum, 

251. 
Gold  tried  in  the  fire,  448. 
Golden  milestone  in  Rome,  26. 
Golden  sands  of  Sardis,  337. 
Good  works,  specimens,  210;  God  notices 

minute,  298;  five  benefits  of,  487. 
Grace,   grow  in,  .540;    specimen  of,  541; 

under,  and  not  law,  313,  501. 
Gradation  in  elements  of  each  message, 

554. 
Grand  Monarque,  Louis  XIV.,  512. 
Gray,  death  of  Dr.,  660. 
Great  events  in  Asia  Minor,  34. 
Great  men  of  Asia  Minor,  36. 
Great  white   throne,  ransomed   around, 

594. 
Greece,  identified  with  Asia  Minor,  32. 
Greek  Church,  ignorance  in,  413. 
(Growth  in  grace,  541. 
Guide  for  all  church  life,  140. 
Guyot,  Prof.,  424. 
Gygaeau  lake  at  Sardis,  346. 

H. 

Half-heartedness,  bane  of   the  Church, 

.528,  .557. 
Hall,  Robert,  on  omniscience  of  God,  494. 
Halyattes  mausoleum  at  Sardis,  346. 
Harlot,  Jezebel  forerunner  of  the  great, 

303. 
Hartley,  on  columns  of  Cybele's  temple, 

341. 
Hatred,   natural,  of  the  gospel,  211 ;  of 

sin    502. 
Head  of  all  things,  Christ  the,  4.37. 
Heart,  Christ  knows  it  all,  183;  God  the 

whole  or  none,  .563. 
Heaven,  the  beautiful,  409. 
Help,  God  gives,  363. 
Helping  each  other,  210. 
Heresy,   root  of  all  opposition    to   God, 

388;  generally  perverted  truth,  .501. 
Hermus,  river  at  Sardis,  346;    373,  374; 

trip  up,  386;    and   Meander,  421. 
Hodge,  on  Paul  at  Ephesus,  170. 
Holiness,  of  Christ's  Kingdom,  483. 
Holy  and  true,  Christ  tlie,  388. 
Holy  One  of  Israel,  .389. 
Holy  Spirit,  Seven  Spirits  of  God,  .3.53; 

appropriate  to  Sardis,  3.53;  in  Christ's 

liands,  353 ;  messages  by,  613. 
Homer,  was  deified,  204 ;  born  in  Smyrna, 

204;    places   claiming   his   birth,  204; 

influence  on  world's  literature,  35. 
Holy  Theologian,  John  the,  413;  church 

of  the.  413. 
Hour   of  temptation    for    Philadelphia, 

400. 
Human  agency,  appointed    for    conver- 


sion of  the  world,  526;  needs  the 
Spirit,  526. 

Humbling  the  proud,  572. 

Humility  for  leaving  first  love,  184;  im- 
portance, from  place  in  the  Beacon, 
529  ;  God  exalts,  530. 

Hurt  not  by  second  death,  587. 

Hypocrites  in  Ephesus,  182. 

Hvpocrisy,  of  Jews,  214;  in  Thyatira, 
309. 


Idolatry,  embodied  in  Ephesus,  167; 
temples  of  all  gods  in  Pergamos,  253 ; 
and  lewdness,  274. 

Idol  meats,  sin  of  eating,  271. 

Immorality,  greatest  lieresy  of  early 
Church,  179;  perversion  of  true  love, 
179  ;  of  Pergamos,  253 ;  sin  of  the  early 
Cliurch,  514 ;  Pergamos  essentially, 
514;  of  paganism,  274. 

Impenitent,  curse  on  the,  307. 

Imprisonment,  persecution  by,  206. 

Improvements  in  theology,  624;  danger- 
ous, 315. 

Impurity  and  heresy  always  go  together, 
502. 

Inaugural   of  ascending  King,  475,  477. 

Indifference,  how  to  be  met,  616,  618,  659  ; 
none  in  God  to  us,  213 ;  awful  sin, 
439;  torrent  of  evils,  519. 

Infection  of  lasciviousness,  514. 

Ingratitude,  horrible,  524. 

Inspiration  pi-oved  by  all-prevalent  order, 
35. 

Intolerance  of  evil,  532. 


Jehu,  ferocity  of,  307. 

Jerusalem,  the  New,  408;  metropolis  of 
heaven,  408 ;  hoiTors  of  its  destruction, 
565. 

Jesus  of  Nazareth  sneered  at,  389. 

Jews,  blasphemy  of,  213  ;  always  oppose 
the  gospel,  213;  many  in  Smyrna,  213; 
hypocrisy  of,  214  ;  synagogue  of  Satan, 
214  ;  worst  of  persecutors,  216 ;  colony 
in  Philadelphia,  381 ;  carrying  gospel 
to  Philadelphia,  387;  constant  hos- 
tility to  Christ,  388;  humbled  to  be- 
lievers, 396,  397. 

Jezebel,  three  opinions  about,  299;  first 
opinion — wife  of  bishop,  299;  objec- 
tions to  this,  299;  second  opinion — a 
certain  sibyl,  .300;  objections  to  this, 
300;  third  opinion — real  Jezebel  of  the 
Jews,  300,  301 ;  symbol  of  seduction, 
301 ;  forerunner  of  the  great  Harlot, 
303;  fearful  punishment  of,  .306.  307; 
the  unclean  priestess,  514  ;  depraving 
influence  of,  515;   punishment  of,  574. 

John,  work  of,  in  Asia  Minor,  76  ;  sketch, 
79;  last  days  in  Ephesus,  162;  work 
in  Ephesus,  171 ;  as  an  example,  171 ; 
sufferings  for  cause  of  Christ,  171  ; 
named  "  Ayasaluk,"  171 ;  in  Philadel- 
phia, 386  ;  h^s  "  Love  one  another,"  413. 


666 


TOPICAL  INDEX. 


Joy  of  conversion,  278,  283. 

Judaism  ended,  131. 

Jud.tjment,  saints  in  the,  593 ;  awfulness 

of,  649;    scenes    of    the,   643;     awful 

events  of,  653. 

K. 

Key  of  David,  388,  390  ;  supreme  author- 
ity, 477;  of  death  with  Christ,  475. 

Key-note,  "  Behold  He  Cometh,"  638. 

King,  Christ  the  true,  390. 

King  of  kings  (Chapter  XV.\  472,  591. 

Kingdom,  Christ's  spiritual,  481,  482; 
God  rules  all,  489,  490. 

Knocking  of  God's  love,  455,  457. 

Knowledge,  Christ's,  of  all  our  interests, 
310;  God's,  of  the  churches,  493. 

L. 

Laodicea,  planting  of  its  church,  48, 
417;  the  wretched  one,  417;  message 
to,  419;  EsIH-Hissar— Old  Ciiiitle,  419; 
alone  in  not  heiug  praised,  419;  in- 
delihle  brand  upon,  419;  no  seducers 
in,  420  ;  location  of,  421 ;  lines  of  mer- 
chandise through,  421;  site  of,  422; 
great  local  advantages,  422,  424;  great 
money  centre  of  the  land,  423;  moun- 
tains around  it,  423;  its  many  advan- 
tages, 424;  the  city  then,  424;  dense 
population  about  it,  425;  market  for 
wool,  425  ;  tanning  a  leading  industry, 
425;  dyeing  a  leading  industry,  425; 
money  market  its  leading  business 
feature,  425;  exchange  of  Asia,  426; 
its  temple  going  up  as  that  of  Jeru- 
salem going  down.  426;  ruins  seen  at 
426;  towns  around  it,  426;  rich  and 
proud,  427;  worldliness  of,  427; 
wretched  moral  condition,  427;  brutal 
amusements,  427;  Anthony  and  Cleo- 
patra, 428;  Philip  crucified  at,  428; 
distinguished  for  three  things,  429; 
awful  fall  of,  429;  planting  of  church 
in,  432;  title  of  Christ  in  message  to, 
433;  title  of  Son  of  man,  433;  three 
titles  by  tliree  expressions  (Eev.  3:  7), 
434  ;  the  Amen,  4.34  ;  church  rebuked, 
438;  central  point  of  message,  442; 
most  sevei'ely  censured,  443;  the  mes- 
sage adapted  to  the  present  time,  443  ; 
warning  to,  450;  parks  all  around, 
450;  grottoes  under,  451  ;  opening  to 
hell,  451  ;  Christianity  utterly  gone, 
451 ;  tlireatening  against,  fulfilled, 
451  ;  desolation  of,  451  ;  ruins  of,  452; 
overcoming  of,  4.52;  no  earnestness  to 
make  any  enemies,  452;  the  city  now, 
465  ;  now  called  Lad'ik,  also  Eski-IIissar, 
"Old  Castle,"  466;  "wilderness  of 
desolation,"  466,  467;  warning  of,  469. 

Lasciviousness,  infliction  of,  514;  fatliom- 
less,  514. 

Law,  not,  but  grace,  .500 ;  freedom  from 
the,  616. 

Lessons  of  the  Beacon,  141. 

Let  alone  of  God,  568. 


Lethargy  creeping  over  a  church,  448. 

Lewdness,  leads  to  all  evils,  138;  great 
sin  of  early  Church,  178;  three  forms 
of  worsl)ip,  171 ;  and  idolatry,  274  ;  first 
crinje  of  early  Church,  274,  302;  a 
religious  system,  303;  awful  punish- 
ments of,  309,  575;  punished  in  this 
world,  575. 

Libertine  sects  of  Thyatira,  .303. 

Liberty,  cloak  of,  271. 

Library,  great,  of  Pergamos,  254 ;  re- 
moved to  Alexandria,  2.56;   burnt,  256. 

Licentiousness  followed  by  suflering, 
306. 

Life,  contrasted  with  second  death,  586; 
pictures  in  the  various  churches,  137. 

"Light  of  Asia,"  Ephesus,  144. 

Light  of  gospel's  morning,  323. 

Lightfoot,  on  fall  of  Laodicea,  429. 

Little  opportunities,  improving,  552; 
things,  importance  of,  .524,  .525. 

Location,  of  the  churches  of  the  messages 
in  Apocalypse,  64. 

Love,  chief  of  graces,  516 ;  always  founded 
on  truth,  518  ;  cooling  of  first,  at  Ephe- 
sus, 174,  175;  cooling,  a  great  sin,  175; 
of  his  people  dear  to  God,  175;  per- 
verted into  lust,  179,318;  first,  lost, 
505 ;  turned  to  lust,  516. 

Louis  XIV.,  512. 

Loyalty  to  Christ,  master  passion,  542, 
497,  541,  542. 

Luke,  grave  of,  191. 

Lukewarmness,  loathsomeness  of,  438, 
439,  440;  evil  of  its  exani))le,  440;  says 
religion  a  lie,  441 ;  blights  a  commu- 
nity, 441  ;  Adam  Clarke  on,  441 ;  how 
God  loathes,  441  ;  as  contrasted  with 
cold,  442;  great  sin  of  this  age,  443; 
conquest  of,  glorious,  453;  can  be  con- 
quered, 453 ;  so  common  that  Bible 
makes  conspicuous,  454  ;  great  evil  of, 
470;  at  present,  471 ;  evils  it  involves, 
520 ;  brings  utter  rejection  by  God, 
577,  578. 

Luxury,  danger  of,  512. 

Lydia,  first  convert  in  Europe,  46;  in- 
troduced gospel  into  Europfe,  291. 

M. 

Magic  at  Ephesus,  51 ;  at  temple  of  Diana, 

1.57. 
Mammon,  and  love  to  God,  507. 
Manna,  the  hidden,  275,  276,  277;    the 

heavenly,  279. 
Marble  of  Diana's  temple  still  existing, 

162. 
Marriage  of  the  Lamb,  450. 
Martyrdom,  builds  up  the  Church,  198; 

devil    the   cause  of  its  cruelties,  205; 

of  Polycarp,  215. 
Martyrs,  presence  of  God  with,  217;  of 

Smyrna,  228;  pain  taken   away,  228. 
McGarvey,  description  of  Sardis,  339. 
Meander,  the  river,  373;    valley  of,  421 ; 

and  Hermus,  421. 
Meats  oflTered  to  idols,  270,  271. 


TOPICAL  INDEX. 


G67 


Mediatorial    King,   right    and    appoint- 
ment,  47iJ ;    four  of  the  fifteen  titles 
concerned  with  Christ's  qualifications 
for,  480  ;  Clirist's  titles  as,  484. 
Mediatorial    kingdom  all    planned  out, 

491  ;    throne,   glorious  views  of,  599. 
Melito,  of  Sardis,  352. 
Messages,  system  of  seven,  chapter  (IV.) 

on,  82. 
Messages,  purpose  of,  125 ;  to  be  a 
beacon,  l:2(i ;  contain  the  principles 
developed  in  the  Apocalypse,  126  ;  his- 
torical i)urpose,  127;  efl'ects  of  Christ- 
ianity when  first  brought  into  contact 
with  simple  paganism,  127;  propheti- 
cal purpose,  128 ;  their  i)lau  propheti- 
cal, 129  ;  tendencies  which  produced 
the  Apocalypse,  128  ;  events  propheti- 
cal, 128,  12i) ;  chiefly  a  beacon,  129, 
130;  intended  as  a  chart,  1.30;  location 
in  the  Apocalypse,  141 ;  special  gift 
from  God,  142 ;  to  bu  very  carefully 
studied,  142  :  panacea  for  present  evils, 
143;  to  be  followed,  143;  for  one  defi- 
nite thing,  each  one  central  point,  174; 
prophetic  of  all  churches,  213 ;  duties 
the  seven  cover,  531 :  specimens  of 
God's  government,  544;  God's  opinion 
of  all,  611 ;  purpose  to  make  emphatic, 
612;  repeated  seven  times  to  make 
more  emphatic,  612,  613;  emphasis  they 
deserve,  615 ;  panacea  for  existing 
evils,  615;  to  be  closely  studied,  615; 
how  God  presses  them,  626 ;  importance 
to  ministers,  627;  results  if  heeded, 
627 ;  value  of  their  promises,  627 ;  frona 
God !  627 ;  charges  they  give,  627 ; 
heed  them,  628. 
Messiah,  the  true,  .339. 
Ministry,  care  for,  first  duty  of  Presby- 
tery, 539  ;  admit  none  doubtful,  shun  | 
the  disqualified,  540;  carefully  guard 
the  entrance,  540 ;  of  the '  church  ; 
described,  116;  dignity  of,  120;  respon-  ! 
sibility  of,  120;  holiness  in  the,  120 ;  j 
should  be  earnestly  heard,  121 ;  evil  I 
of  ridiculing,  121;  responsibility  of  j 
inducting,  121  ;  wliat  it  will  soon  make  I 
the  church,  122 ;  mission  of  the  Ephe-  | 
sian  church,  173.  i 

Missionary  work,   Paul  began  the  work  ] 
in  Asia  Minor,  51 ;  missionary  journev 
of  Paul,  386. 
Moab  and  Balaam,  268. 
Moderators,  angels  were,  109. 
Morning  Star,   very  rich    promise,   321 ; 
various  interpretations  of,  322;    what 
it    was,    .322,    323;     analysis    of,  323; 
promises  pre-eminent  glory,  324  ;  study 
embl^'m  in  connection  with  its  church, 
324;    the   promises   all    combined    in, 
325,603;    Christ  the,   603;    Christ   for 
all    ages,  past   and   future,  605;    hope 
and  joy  of,  605;    Christ  gives  zest  to 
whole  Bible,  606 ;  Christ  imparts  fresh 
zest  throughout  eternity,  606  ;    Christ, 
source    of    motives,   609;    preparation 
for  coming  of  Christ,  639. 


Mountains  of  Asia  Minor,  17. 
Mj'steriousness  of  God's  ways,  497. 
Mysteries  yet  to  be  revealed,  277. 
Mj-stery  of  the  promises,  601. 

N. 

Name,  signifies  person  himself,  282; 
loyalty  to  Christ's,  295 ;  divine  name 
repeated,  407;  of  God,  saints  ever  bear 
the,  408. 

"Names  in  the  book  of  life,"  364;  upon 
the  pillai's  of  temple,  407 ;  "  undesigned 
coincidence,"  407  ;  upon  the  only  pillar 
of  Philadelphia  still  standing,  407;  of 
God  upon  the  believer,  408;  of  Christ 
as  a  testimony,  409,  410. 

Nations,  power  over  the,  320;  all  given 
to  Christ,  321. 

Naumachia  in  Pergamos,  244,  245.* 

Nazarene,  Christ  and  CHiristians,  214. 

"New,"  a  key  word,  282;  "and  white," 
very  important,  282. 

New  heaven,  why  so  called,  408. 

New  nfime,  very  significeut,  282;  what 
is  the?  282. 

Nicephorium  of  Pergamos,  246, 249 ;  grove 
of  temples  to  all  the  gods,  251. 

Nicolaitans,  who  and  what?  263;  of  early 
Church,  178;  evil  in  them,  265;  who 
and  what  ?  269 ;  always  spring  up  when 
gospel  planted,  269;  worst  of  antino- 
miaiis,  269:  vile  creed  of,  269;  ignored 
the  law,  269;  tolerating,  270  ;  "deeds" 
of,  516 ;  hated,  5.32. 

Novelties    in    religion    dangerous,    315. 

Numbers,  the  sacred,  99. 

O. 

Old  age,  doing  good  in,  297. 
Old-fogyism,  folly  of  condemning,  625. 
Old  ways  the  best,  315. 
Omnipresence  of  Christ,  480. 
Omniscience  of  Christ,  208,  310,  480,  486, 

494,  496. 
Opposition   helps   a   church,  421 ;    much 

good  for  a  church,  469,  503. 
Openeth,  and  none  shutteth,  .388. 
Open  door  of  opportunity,  391 ;  of  escape, 

391;  escape,  burden  of  all,  391. 
Opportunities,  improving,  529. 
Opposition   to  ministers,  punished  here, 

575  ;  to  religion,  how  meet  it !  616. 
Overcometh,  in  the  seven  messages,  192, 

232,  274,  319,  362,  403,  452,  548. 

P. 

Pactolus,  river,  and  Sardis,  331,  337,  347. 

Paganism,  Pergamos  given  to,  7()0;  im- 
morality of,  514  ;  concentrated  against 
Christ,  225 ;  first  contact  with  Christi- 
anity, 131. 

Papyrus,  first  used,  255. 

Paradise,  home  of  bli.ss,  195  ;  what  was 
it!    196;    dream  of  youth,  196. 

Parchment,  discovery  of,  255. 


668 


TOPICAL  INDEX. 


Patience,  word  of  my,  394 ;  God's  tender- 
ness regarding,  531. 

Patmos,  general  description  and  birds- 
eye  view,  73. 

Paul,  daily  work  in  Epbesus,  170;  work- 
ing with  his  hands,  170;  some  of  bis 
work  in  Ephesus,  170,  171;  missionary 
trip,  386;  in  Smyrna,  205;  in  Perga- 
mos,  256. 

Pentecost,  strangers  converted  on,  45; 
planting  gospel  in  Ephesus,  198;  in- 
fluence on  Pergamos,  256  ;  influence  on 
Philadelphia,  38.5. 

Pergamos,  chapter  (X.)  on,  241-284  ;  very 
celebrated  city,  241 :  location  of,  242  ; 
royal  residence,  university  town,  and 
cathedral  city,  241 ;  situation  of,  241 ; 
present  description,  244;  splendid 
view^  from,  244 ;  modern  improve- 
ments in,  244;  vast  ruins  of,  245; 
marble  ruins  in,  245;  healing  grove  in, 
246;  Acropolis  of,  246;  Nicephorium, 
of,  246;  splendor  of  its  lemains,  247 ; 
had  the  right  of  asylum,  247;  in- 
fluences around  its  churcli,  247;  a«  a 
royal  residence,  247 ;  f(junding  of  the 
city,  247;  founding  of  its  library,  249; 
seat  of  literature  and  art,  248;  its 
rulers  extraordinary  men,  249;  gor- 
geous city,  249;  arts,  literature  and  in- 
ventions, 249;  most  wonderful  city  in 
its  day,  249;  Prof.  Plumptre  on,  249; 
glory  of  the  city,  250;  Satan's  seat, 
252;  why  called  Satan's  seat?  252; 
pre-eminent  wickedness  of,  252;  home 
of  devil-worship,  2.52;  on  its  coins,  252; 
persecution  in,  2.53;  persecution  began 
and  continued  in  Pergamos,  2.53 ;  Per- 
gamos its  home,  253;  of  Philadelphia, 
393;  Domitian's,  393;  concentrated 
depravity  of,  254 ;  its  great  library  and 
parchment,  254 ;  for  what  founded, 
254  ;  causes  of  its  renown,  254 ;  library 
of,  254;  home  of  medical  science,  254; 
origin  of  name,  Pergamos,  255  ;  plant- 
ing of  its  church,  2.56;  church  of,  lived 
on,  257;  ruined,  2.57;  character  of  its 
church,  2.58;  the  message  of  its  church, 
259;  Balaam  and  Nicolaitans  there, 
259;  trials  and  steadfastness,  259; 
league  in,  against  Christ,  259;  fidelity 
of  its  church,  260  ;  its  gaiety,  260;  sen- 
suality of,  261;  temptations  of,  261; 
persecutions  of,  261 ;  awful  severity  of 
its  persecutions,  261. 

Perfection,  aim  i«or,  .504  ;  all  short  of,  is 
sin,  504,  553;  perfect  Christian,  .522. 

Persecution,  at  time  of  A])ocalypse,  sure 
to  come.  193;  all  from  the  devil,  205; 
in  Smyrna.  205;  worst  under  Dio- 
cletian, 207;  Christ  control.s,  208 ;  of 
Jews  and  ])opery, 214;  the  "ten  days," 
217;  concentrated  on  Smyrna,  225; 
how  inflicted  now,  239;  good  for  a 
cliurch,    503,   .535. 

Persecutions  in  Asia  Minor,  398. 

Perverting  the  trutli,  270. 

Perverted  truth,  all  error  is,  501. 


Pethor,  where  and  what?  267. 

Phases  of  Church  life,  138. 

Philadelphia,  City  of  God,  371 ;  gospel 
first  in,  371 ;  message  to,  371 ;  greatly 
beloved,  371  ;  small  and  weak,  371; 
no  censure  on,  371  ;  name  very  sig- 
nificant, 371;  various  names,  372;  Ala- 
Shehr,  the  Beautiful  City,  372;  name 
to  city  of  William  Peiin,  372;  lasted 
longest  of  the  seven,  372;  geographic 
location,  372;  splendid  location,  373; 
great  local  advantages,  373,  374  ;  land 
of  earthquakes,  374 ;  fertility  from 
volcanoes,  374;  earthquakes  retarded 
growth  of  city,  374  ;  burnt  region,  374  ; 
Kntakekaumene,  375;  flame- destroyed 
country,  375  ;  earthquakes  influenced 
the  messages,  376,  377;  city  as  it  is, 
377;  comparatively  insignificant,  377; 
its  destruction,  377;  site  well  chosen, 
377;  centre  of  agricultural  country, 
378;  farming  its  chief  industry,  378; 
local  advantages.  378;  its  industry  of 
dyeing,  379;  wine  trade  of,  379;  high 
moral  tone,  379  :  celebrated  for  courage, 
379;  history  of,  380;  foujided  by 
Attalus  Philadelphus,  from  aflection 
to  his  brother.  380;  leading  events  of 
its  history,  380;  heroic  struggle  when 
it  fell,  381;  last  city  taken  l)v  the 
Turks,  381;  Jewish  colony  in,  381; 
Macedonians  originally,  379;  Tiberius 
rebuilt,  after  earthquake,  380  ;  Bacchus 
its  deity,  383;  origin  of  its  church, 
384;  its  "  overcometh,"  384:  four 
causes  of  its  growth,  485:  (1)  Pente- 
costal origin,  385;  (2)  Paul's  work  in 
fouTiding  it,  386  ;  (3)  conversions,  386  ; 
(4)  boatmen  going  up  the  river,  .387; 
travellers  on  their  trips,  387;  Jewish 
merchants,  387:  by  terrors  of  earth- 
quakes, 387 ;  titles  of  Christ  in  mes- 
sage to,  388;  central  point  of  message, 
390 ;  its  open  door,  391,  392  ;  bravery 
at  the  last,  393;  all  centres  in  "open 
door,"  39,3;  approbation  of  its  church, 
393;  cliurch  of  few,  weak,  poor,  394  ; 
three  promises  to,  396 ;  honorable 
titles  of,  397;  some  appalling  events, 
397;  trials  of,  .398;  promises  to,  403; 
pillar  in  temple  of  God,  404  ;  of  Phila- 
delphia remaining  still,  405  ;  Gibbon's 
confession  about,  405  :  "  no  more  out," 
406  ;  and  history  of,  410  ;  message  in 
the  Beacon,  413. 

Philip  crucified  in  Hierapolis,  428,  433. 

Philip])i,  gospel  first  preached  in,  46. 

Points,  great  number  of,  vi.,  102;  seen 
in  each  message,  472;  classified,  472. 

Polvcar]),  martyrdom  of,  214-217  l  tomb 
of,  23(i. 

Poor,  early  Christians,  209;  churches 
always  to  be,  414,  needed  in  divine 
ecdnomy,  414. 

Po])uhiti()n,  original,  of  Asia  Minor,  cos- 
mo]iolitan,  :2S ;  ot^  Hebrews,  206;  of 
Smyrna's  church,  209  ;  causes  of  great 
numbers,  209. 


TOPICAL  INDEX. 


669 


Power  over  nations,  to  believers,  590. 

Practical  life,  aim  of  Beacon,  142. 

Predictions  often  refer  to  several  events, 
633. 

Presence,  God's,  with  martyrs,  328. 

Present,  God  calls  men,  (j22;  evils, 
nostrnms   for,  623,  624. 

Preparation  for  coming  of  Christ,  572, 
639,  640;  the  first  coming,  659;  then 
come  as  Lord  to  judge,  660. 

Pretensions  of  all  errorists,  302;  all, 
were    in   Thyatira,  304. 

Pride  and  conceit  of  Laodicea.  danger  of, 
470;  great  evil  of,  509;  various  kinds 
of,  509  ;  sorely  abused,  573. 

Principles  of  interpretation,  iii. ;  general, 
embrace  all  particuhirs,  101;  the  great 
thing  involved,  140 ;  prevailing  ones, 
580. 

Privileges  abused  are  removed,  568. 

Process,  'of  evil,  gradual,  503 ;  of  back- 
sliding, ,506. 

Progress  in  good  works,  297 ;  in  grace, 
540. 

Promises,  sum  of,  627;  in  form  of  re- 
proach, 583;  lists  of,  597,  581,  554; 
marvelous  j)lan,  602;  embodied  in  one 
saint,  6U3;  glorious  ending,  608;  sub- 
lime charge  to.  609. 

Promises,  most  precious,  that  of  tessera 
ho'spHalis,  281 ;  to  Thyatira,  313 ;  God 
cheers  by,  .320  ;  to  Sardis,  363 ;  three  to 
Philadelpliia,  396;  clusters  to  Phila- 
delphia, 103,  415;  special  to  Laodicea, 
454  ;  last  of  the  seven,  460 ;  last  general, 
460;  seven  items,  464;  before  threaten- 
ing, 661 ;  in  tlie  messages,  581 ;  chapter 
(XXI.)  on,  581;  cords  of  love,  581; 
each  two  elements,  local  and  general, 
581;  germ  first,  full  afterwards,  582; 
by  emblems  found  in  the  place,  582; 
in  appropriate  figui-es,  582;  most  suit- 
able, .582;  given  as  rewards,  583;  like 
each  city,  .584;    progress  in  the,  554. 

Prophetical  purpose  of  the  messages,  128. 

Providence,  good  out  of  evil,  154 ;  God's 
over  all  things,  208,  437,  4S8,  489,  495; 
God's  calls  by  his,  437 ;  God's,  watching 
all,  493;  God's,  of  the  churches,  493; 
special,  in  the  Beacon,  134. 

Providences,  horror  of  sudden,  571 ; 
earthquake  (Lisbon),  Pompeii,  Vesuvi- 
us, Johnstown,  Laodicea,  570. 

Pull  down,  efibrt  of  guilt,  615. 

Purity  of  true  pietj-,  360. 

Q. 

Question,  always  one  special,  of  the  day, 

538. 
"  Quickly,"  Scripture  use  of,  187  ;   three 

principles,  646. 

R. 

Eaiment,  the  white,  449. 
Rainbow  about  the  throne,  599. 
Rebuke  of  Laodicea,  438. 


Rebukes,  classified,  505 ,  after  approvals, 

521. 
Record  the  .Sjiirit  made  at  first,  1.39. 
Religion  attacked  on  all  sides,  416;  how 

defended,  616-618. 
Religious,  original,  of  Asia,  615. 
Remedy,  none  but  gospel    needed,  618, 

619. 
Repentance,  first  gi-eat  duty,  549;  by  all, 

at  all  times,  549. 

s. 

Sabbath,  pledge  of  covenant  in  redemp- 
tion, 99 ;  various  days  of  week  observed 
as,  237. 

Sardis,  first  planting  gospel  in,  41  ; 
safety,  231 ;  peculiarities,  329 ;  and 
Laodicea,  only  two  in  utter  ruins,  329, 
330;  no  opposition  to  gospel,  329 ;  loca- 
tion, 330;  centre  of  civilization,  330; 
great,  330;  immense  commerce,  330, 
331;  beautiful  site,  330,  331,  332;  ele- 
ments of  its  beauty,  331 ;  produce  of 
surrounding  country,  331 ;  city  as  it 
was,  331 ;  chiefly  its  golden  sands,  331 ; 
as  it  was  then,  331;  at  zenith  of  its 
greatness,  332  ;  in  its  various  stages, 
332;  humanity  developed  in,  332; 
"beautiful  capital  of  Lydia,''  332; 
wonderful  views  from,  332;  panorama, 
333;  proverbially  corrupt,  333;  vicissi- 
tudes, 333;  Cybele  its  worshij),  3.33; 
declined,  but  revived  again,  333;  Ti- 
berius befriended  it,  333;  corrupt  wor- 
ship, 333;  history  of,  .'334 ;  length  of 
history  of,  214  ;  periods  of  its  history, 
334 ;  period  of  mytlis,  334  ;  first,  334  ; 
cotemporary  events,  .334 ;  sad  downfall 
of  all,  335;  Roman  period,  336;  final 
destruction,  336;  history,  a  picture  of 
human  greatness,  336 ;  golden  sands, 
337;  Crcesus,  3.37 ;  remarkal)le  objects 
in,  339;  grand  views,  339,  340;  mount- 
ain back  of,  340;  Gerusia,  342;  old 
man's  liome,  342;  fortunes  of  its  Ger- 
usia, 342  ;  condition  of  its  church, 344; 
in  richest  valley,  344;  views  from  its 
acropolis,  345  ;  only  church  building 
still  stands,  .345;  scenery  around, 
346  ;  onlj'  ruins  now,  347  ;  highway  of, 
347;  ruins,  ruins!  348;  sad  musings 
at,  349;  inhabitants  now,  349;  desola- 
tions of,  349;  Arundell's  description 
of,  349;  sad  vicissitudes  of,  ,350;  plant- 
ing its  church,  350  ;  first  ])reaching  in, 
351;  night  meditations  at,  350;  first 
piety  of,  .351;  backsliding,  3.51;  sad 
spiritual  condition,  351 ;  central  point 
in  message  to,  354;  hypocrites,  356; 
dreadful  state  of,  censured.  3.57  ;  armis- 
tice with  the  world,  357;  nothing  to 
persecute,  357  ;  one  of  the  two  not  per- 
secuted, 357;  a  few  witnesses  in,  .3.58; 
approbation  of,  363 ;  threatened,  361 ; 
overcoming,  362 ;  saints  manifested, 
.365  ;  piomises  to,  363 ;  in  the  Beacon, 
366. 


670 


TOPICAL  INDEX. 


Saints,  safety  from  second  death,  5S7; 
confessed  by  Christ,  594,  595,  596 ;  en- 
throned in  glory,  601 ;  Morning  Star, 
safety  from  that  name,  604 ;  saints 
glorified  at  the  judgment,  656;  names 
confessed,  656  ;  Uj) !  Christ  is  coming, 
658. 

Satan  —  synagogue,  throne,  depths  of, 
214;  seat  of,  622;  in  Pergamos,  252; 
316;  "as  they  speak,"  317. 

Schemes,  new,  folly  of,  625. 

Science,  egotism  of,  210. 

Scott,  Rev.  Dr.,  on  Jezebel,  301. 

Scripture,  "  It  is  written,"  258;  adapt- 
ability of,  258;  cutting  power,  272, 
273  ;  sword  with  two  edges,  273. 

Scriptures,  special  purpose  in  each  part, 
123;  how  to  discover  purport  of  each 
passage,  125. 

"Second  death,"  what;  horrors  of,  232; 
escape  from,  the  greatest  blessing,  233  ; 
what  is  ?  586  ;  safety  from,  587. 

Seduction,  Jezebel  its  symbol,  301 ;  of 
sin,  309. 

Self,  sin  of  resting  on,  564;  Henry 
Martin  on,  .564,  565;  sacrificing  of 
Pergamese   Christians,   262. 

Self-conceit  of  autinomianism,  519. 

Self-conquest,  453. 

Selfishness,  living  for  nothing,  547; 
wretchedness  of,  508. 

Self-rightousness,  boasting,  318. 

Serpent-worship  of  Jilsculapius,  251. 

Seven  the  number,  all-pervading  num- 
ber, 97;  prominence  of,  98;  meaning 
of,  98 ;  covenant  number  in  redemp- 
tion, 99;  symbol  of  God  and  man  rec- 
onciled, 100 ;  symbol  of  atonement,  100. 

Seven  churches,  each  represent  a  fruit 
of  the  Spirit,  .522  ;  specimens  of,  522. 

Seven  Sleepers  of  Asia,  163. 

Seven  Spirits,  481;  spiritual  kingdom,  481. 

Shrine-making  at  Diana's  temple,  l.'liQ. 

Similarity  of  curse  and  blessing,  105. 

Sin,  insidiousness  of.  305;  seductions  of, 
308;  self-propagation  of  sin,  308;  al- 
wnys  spreads,  308;  impossible  to  the 
renewed,  says  the  Antinomian,  518; 
deteriorating  influence  of,  562,  563; 
demands  pnnisliment,  563;  punish- 
ment just  like  the,  564;  on  our  own 
head,  564;  sometimes  punished  here, 
576. 

Singularity  of  manner  of  the  messages, 
64. 

Skepticism  aims  only  to  pull  down,  615. 

Smyrna,  first  planting  of  gospel,  40-46; 
a  notable  city,  198 ;  one  eye  of  Asia, 
198  ;  various  names  for,  198 ;  a  martyr 
city,  198;  importance  of  its  message, 
199;  mentioned  only  here,  199;  great 
infiuence  of,  1!)9  ;  splendid  site,  199; 
queen  of  the  Levant,  199,  200 ;  Light 
of  Asia,  199;  best  seaport  of  Jilgean, 
199;  connncrcial  city  of  the  world, 
200;  ac(H'ssil)]e  to  all  great  cities,  dis- 
tances to  all  great  cities,  201 ;  stirring 
Bcenes  in,  200  ;  its  perfect  location,  201 ; 


splendor  within  its  walls,  201 ;  birth- 
place of  Homer,  201,  202 ;  Homer  its 
glory,  204;  planting  its  church,  204, 
65;  persecutions  in,  205  ;  central  point 
of  its  message,  205;  history  of,  202; 
planting  church,  two  things,  205  ;  pov- 
erty, 206,  209  ;  poverty,  works,  sutfei'- 
ings,  209 ;  active  church,  211  ;  tribula- 
tions and  cause,  211  ;  its  riches,  211 
full  of  Jews,  213;  totality  of  its  tribu 
lations,  224;  church  always  blessed 
228  ;  most  suffering  and  most  blessed 
228;  with  Philadelphia,  no  charge 
against,  229 ;  infidel  Smyrna,  229 
fitting  that  it  be  crowned,  231 ;  as  it  is 
now,  233  ;  gulf  of,  234  ;  finest  harbor 
in  the  world,  234  ;  splendid  approach 
to,  235 ;  wretched  sewerage  of,  236  ; 
plague  in,  236;  heterogeneous  popula- 
tion, 237;  women  of,  237;  languages 
used  in,  237 ;  religious  state  of,  237, 
238;  warning  of  its  Beacon,  638. 

Solon  and  Croesus,  338. 

Son  of  God,  title,  294 ;  reasons  for  title, 
295  ;  divinity  of,  295  ;  burning  eyes  of, 
295;  majesty  of  his  motions,  295; 
wrath  of,  295,  296. 

Son  of  man,  title.  433  ;  in  Laodicea,  433; 
third  title  of  Christ,  477,  4.32. 

Sootlisaying  in  the  time  of  Balaam,  266. 

Spirit  essential,  526 ;  power  of,  527 ; 
given  up  of,  564  ;  of  the  age,  absorbed 
with  folly,  624,  625. 

State  of  world  at  time  of  messages,  68. 

Stability,  promise  to  Philadelphia,  404, 
40() ;  "of  future  glory,  40(). 

Stages  of  Christianity,  640,  642. 

Star  of  hope,  the  great,  325. 

Stars — angels,  chapter  (V.)  on,  104  ;  prin- 
ciples of  interpretation,  105;  difierent 
views,  104,  106;  ministry  as  lights, 
114  ;    in  God's  right  hand,  479. 

Steadfastness  in  the  faith,  5.37;  for  the 
truth,  438;  of  Philadelphia,  259. 

Striving,  of  God  with  sinners,  456;  for 
the  divine  blessing,  618. 

Structure  of  messages,  69. 

Struggles  awaiting  Christians,  193. 

Sublimity  of  Christ's  coming,  641. 

Substantialness  of  Christ's  kingdom,  433. 

Suddenness  of  divine  judgments,  362;  of 
Christ's  coming,  570,  644. 

Sufiering  for  Christ,  warning,  534  ;  doom 
of  the  Church,  534  ;  for  Christ's  sake, 
535. 

Surroundings  of  the  passages,  68. 

Sword  with  two  edges,  257;  how  to  use 
it,  2.58;  adaptability  of,  258;  of  the 
Spirit,  272. 

Symbols,  great  number,  design,  novelty 
'of, 

Synagogue,  office  borrowed  from,  109 ; 
of  Satan,  214. 


Tampering  with  evil,  danger  of,  503. 
Tapestry  invented  in  Pergamos,  249. 


TOPICAL   INDEX. 


671 


Teachers,  against  false,  539. 

Temples  of  all  idolatry  at  Pergamos, 
253. 

Temple  of  Diana,  building  of,  156 ; 
grandeur  of,  156 ;  described,  157 ; 
home  of  magic,  157  ;  repository  of  art, 
158 ;  great  ti'easurj^,  159 ;  shrine- 
malcing,  159 ;    revenue  attracted,    159. 

Temptation,  shunning,  551  ;  earnest 
warnings  against,  .551. 

Ten  days,  "  tribulation  for,"  217. 

Ten,  the  number,  224. 

Terrors  as  Christ  comes,  648. 

Tesselated  pavements  in  Pergamos,  244. 

Tessera  hospitalis,  described,  280,  281  ; 
most  blessed  engagement  of  Christ, 
281 ;  substance  of  divine  engagement, 
281,  588. 

Thief  in  the  night,  Cbrist  comes  as,  570. 

Titles  of  Christ,  reliable,  435;  the  full, 
437;  in  the  messages,  294;  all  adapted 
to  the  churches,  207  ;  to  Smyrna,  207  ; 
to  Pergamos,  257,  258  ;  to  '  Philadel- 
phia, 388  ;    analysis  of,  388. 

Throne,  the  white,  .365 ;  Christ  on  the 
Father's,  463 ;  the  great  white,  463 ; 
Christ  "  ill,"  not  on,  465 ;  Messiah 
taking  the,  473  ;  Christ's  right  to  the 
mediatorial,  475;  of  all  the  world, 
Christ's,  477  ;  all  glories  centre  in  the, 
598;    of  supreme   empire,  600. 

Thyatira,  an  earthly  paradise,  288  ;  loca- 
tion, 288  ;  inside  the  city,  288  ;  present 
miserable  state  of,  289  ;  picture  of  God 
in,  289  ;  Arundell  on,  290;  history  of 
its  church,  290 ;  heterogeneous  popu- 
lation, 291  ;  gospel's  first  introduction, 
291 ;  founding  of  city,  and  industries, 
292;  gross  superstitions  in,  292  ;  Greek 
colony,  292;  Apollo  its  deity,  293; 
Sambethe's  temple,  293  ;  present  con- 
dition, 294  ;  central  point.  298  ;  corrup- 
tions of  its  churcli,  318  ;  surroundings 
of  its  church,  322  ;  Tiberius  friend  of 
Sardis,  346;  first  preaching  in,  48; 
name  of,  287  ;  commendations  of,  296  ; 
curse  on,  307. 

Timothy,  plantinat  gospel  in  Asia  Minor, 
384;  in  Philadelphia,  .386;  first  epistle 
to,  from  Laodicea,  429 ;  woi'king  iu 
Ephesus,  172. 

Titles  of  the  Mediatorial  King,  473,  484; 
Mediator,  473;  together  they  show 
glories  of  Christ,  474,  475. 

Tmolus,  the  mountain,  340. 

Tolerating  evils,  263,  269,  270,  299,  532. 

Topography  of  Asia  Minor,  18. 

Tree  of  life,  Christ  will  give,  194;  lost 
and  recovered,  195  ;  "leaves  for  heal- 
ing of  the  nations,"  196;  and  immor- 
tality, 585. 

Trench,  on  Christ's  coming,  647;  on 
antinomianism,  313 ;  on  lukewarm- 
ness,   442. 

Trials,  by  persecutions,  206 ;  for  tests, 
207;  of  Pergamos,  259. 

Tristram,  Canon,  on  stability  of  glory, 


406 ;  on  Laodicea,  420,  468  ;  on  the  last 
promise,  460. 

True,  Jesus  the,  389;  the  real  Messiah, 
389. 

Truth,  steadfast  for,  538  ;  sacredly  guard, 
551 ;  is  health,  552  ;  Christ  king  of, 
552. 

Truthfulness  concerning  divine  king- 
dom, 483. 

Turks,  brutal  sack  of  Laodicea  by,  429. 

Two-edged  sword.  Word  of  God  the,  569. 

u. 

Uncleauness  punished  on  earth,  .573. 
Unexpectedness  of  Christ's  coming,  644, 
645. 

V. 

"  Valley  of  Sweets,"  at  Sardis,  346. 
Vanity  of  all  earthly  things,  336,  337. 
Variety  of  church  life,  137. 
Victory    and     reward    connected,    232; 

final  victory  of  Christ,  321. 
Virtues,  the  various,  produced    by   the 

gospel,  138. 

W. 

Walking  in  white,  366. 

Warning,  words  of,  225 ;  to  Laodicea,  450 ; 
faithful,  by  Christ,  534;  God's  solemn 
warnings,  571. 

Watch  for  coming  of  Christ,  658. 

Watcher,  the  celestial,  486. 

Watchfulness  demanded,  361,  529,  549, 
550,  663. 

Weakness,  perfected  by  strength,  415. 

Wealth,  not  friendly  to  grace,  .329,  443; 
causes  lukewarmuess,  443  ;  makes  men 
feel  independent,  444 ;  five  terms  to 
show  wretcliedness  of,  444  ;  danger  of, 
470  ;  a  great  blessing,  .508,  .509. 

Well-doing,  continuance  in,  528. 

White,  emblem  often  used,  282 ;  sig- 
nificance of,  282 ;  emblem  of  purity, 
360;  livery  of  heaven,  365;  white 
throne,  365;  white  stone  and  new 
name,  279,  280,  283;  white  raiment  of 
righteousness,  449  ;  saints  in,  594. 

Wisdom,  Christ's  unerring,  481. 

Witnesses,  some,  at  all  times,  358  ;  now, 
judges  then,  592. 

Witness,  Christ  the  true,  434  ;  faithful 
and  true,  4.34,  435 ;  also  competent, 
435 ;  qualified  also,  436 ;  witness  of 
Spirit,  282. 

Word,  in  Scripture,  258. 

Word  of  God,  cutting  power  of,  272,  273; 
svvord,  568  ;  name  on  vesture  of  Jesus, 
591. 

Words,  each  significent,  104  ;  of  Christ 
are  his  will,  480. 

Work,  in  the  early  church,  526  ;  of  God, 
by  human  agency,  526  ;  needs  aid  of 
the  spirit,  526 ;  without  spirit  vain, 
526. 


672 


TOPICAL  INDEX. 


Working  for  Christ,  525,  526. 

Works  of  prime  importance,  185  ;  of  Per- 
gamos,  262 ;  good,  of  Thyatira,  296  ; 
God  notices,  29(5 ;  God  does  according 
to,  .310,  311  ;  of  Clirist,  488;  of  Cliurch, 
488  ;  God  knows  all  our,  488,  489  ;  pun- 
ishment according  to,  562. 

World,  foe  to  soul,  363;  deploi'able  in- 
fluence of,  507. 

Worldly  conformity  censured,  357,  507. 


Worldliness  and  its  effects,  367;  of 
Laodicea,  427;  its  malign  features 
always  ihe  same,  506,  507 ;  siu  of  the 
age,  513. 

World's  fair  at  Ephesus,  160. 


Zeal:  "  Be  zealous  !"  446; 
at  present  time,  557. 


soi-ely  needed 


SCRIPTURE  INDEX. 


GENESIS. 
Ch.  &  Ver.  page 

2  :  17 585 

3:5 318 

3  :  24 585 

EXODUS. 
16  :  33 277 

NUMBERS. 

22  :  2 267 

22  :  5 266,515 

22  :  7 267 

23  :  8 615 

25  :  9 273 

24  :  17 323 

22  :  23 272 

DEUTERONOMY. 
6:5 578 

I.  SAMUEL. 

14:  6 415 

I.  KINGS. 

10  :  7 606 

21  :  27 304 

22  :  29 304 

II.  KINGS. 

1:2 306 

9  :  26 312 

9  :  33 307 

10:7 308 

10  :  11 308 

PSALMS. 

1:1 271,  553 

2:1 225 

2:2 555 

2:4 480 

2:4 493 

2:6 477,  590 

2:8 478 

7  :  15 564 

7  :  15, 16 564 

in  :  10 389 

17  :  8 180 

23  :  4 227 

25  :  14 278 

45  :  2 176 

45  :  3, 4 530 

43 


Ch.  &  Ver.  page 

46  :  1 481 

50  :  10 212 

62  :  12 312 

72  :  6 634 

72  :  16    .    .    .        .  525,  553 

76  :  9 530 

76  :  10 320 

90  :  4 187 

103  :  14 476 

105  :  15 479 

106  :  43 573 

119  :  126 623 

147  :  6 533 

149  :  5 591 

PROVERBS. 

6  :  10 .    .363 

8  :  27 437 

16  :  18 512 

24  :  12 311 

29  :  23 511 

ECCLESIASTES. 
8  :  11 304,576 

SONG  OF  SOLOMON. 

5:2-6 457 

5  :  10 278 

ISAIAH. 

1  :  5,  6 512 

2  :  17 511,573 

9:5 482 

24  :  23 652 

28  :  5 231 

28  :  21 561 

41  :  10 228 

41  :  14 389 

49  :  15,  16 589 

49  :  23 397 

49  :  16 180 

53  :  2    ....  278,525,553 

53  :  11 654 

55  :  1 447,  555 

55  :  2 276 

60  :  1 627 

60  :  13 397 

63  :  9 238 

JEREMIAH. 
2:2 176,  523 

17  :  6 441 

17  :  9 512 


Ch.  &  Ver.          page 
17  :  10 563 

22  :  24 180 

49  :  16 511 

LAMENTATIONS. 

I  :  12 622 

3  :  33 561 

EZEKIEL. 

23  :  45-48 309 

27  :  27 165 

33  :  11 561 

33  :  32 •     440 

DANIEL. 

1:2 34 

3  :  25 587 

4:  30 512 

4  :  34 489 

7  :  23 100 

7  :  14 •     .652 

7  :  27 590 

12  :  2 573,579 

12  :  3 325 

HOSEA. 

2:15 523-561 

4  :  17 441 

6:4 441 

6:5 272 

II  :  8 450 

AMOS. 
8  :  11 566 

HABAKKUK. 
3:2 625 

ZECHARIAH. 

2:8 180,589 

3:8 366 

4:6    ....  482,  525.  526 
4  :  10 553 

13  :  6 436 

13  :  8 278 

MALACHI. 

2:7 105 

3  :  10 626 

3  :  16 495 

673 


674 


SCRIPTUKE  INDEX, 


MATTHEW. 

Ch.  &  Ver.  page 

4:4 258 

4  :  10 533 

5:3 510,  622 

5:6 530 

5  :  48  .  .  .  .  205,  504,  554 

6  :  33 439 

6  :  13 533 

10  :  28 586 

10  :  29 495 

10  :  34 211 

11  :  28 313,314 

11  :  29 510 

11  :  30 314 

12  :  20 358 

12  :  34 487 

12  :  37 563 

12  :  45 440 

13  :  22 573 

13  :  43 324 

16  :  19 118 

16  :  18  .  .  .  .  187,490,491 
16  :  24 238 

16  :  27 311 

17  :  4 278 

18  :  10 107 

19  :  24 507 

19  :  26 508 

19  :  28 591,692 

20  :  3 652 

21  :  16 524 

23  :  12  .  .  .  .  470,511,573 

24  :  2 427 

24  :  1 6  .  .   427 

24  :  27 634,  644 

24  :  29-31 648 

24  :  36 643 

24  :  44 634 

25:6 638,  653 

26  :  21 183 

26  :  31 594 

25  :  32 636,  652 

25  :  35 583 

26  :  29 276,278 

26  :  38 208 

26  :  40 403,  529 

26  :  41 529 

27  :  25 665 

28  :  18  .  .  .  .  390,  590,  651 
28  :  20 489 

MARK. 

3  :  28,  29 576 

10  :  23 470,507 

13  :  37 650,627 

13  :  35 644 

LUKE. 

12  :  8 364 

12  :  19  .  .  344,470,508,509 
12  :  20 510 

15  :  16 184 

16  :  13 507 

18  :  11 610 

18:  13 510 

28  :  24 210 


Ch  &Ver. 

20  :  46  .  . 

21  :  11  .  . 
23  :  21  .  . 


PAGE 

.  366 
.  648 
.  665 


JOHN. 

4  :  32 278 

5  :  39 623 

6  :35 279 

6  :  50 279 

7  :  24 494 

10  :  27,28 359 

13  :  34 536 

13  :35 516 

14  :  2  ...  .  684,592,650 

14  :  3 632 

14  :  18 632,633 

16  :  16 632,633 

18  :  37 652 

20  :  21 547 

21  :  22 632 

ACTS. 

5  :  41 228 

0  :  38 488 

4  :  22  .  .  193,  238,  470,  534 

5  :  29 269,274 

6  :  28 313 

6  :  29 314,315 

6  :  14 291 

9:1 7 

9:8 10 

9  :  10 173,386 

9  :  10-34 63,54 

9  :  34 165,190 

9  :  35 40 

20  :  18 170 

20  :  28 110 

ROMANS. 

1:18 269 

6  :  14  .  .178,269,313,600, 
516,  617 
:  17 212,692 


8  :  31 


453 


11  :  36 476 

12  :  1 504,627 

14  :  10 563 

I.  CORINTHIANS. 

1:27 209,  526 

2:9 277,465 

3  :  21-23  ....  212,448 
9  :  25 231 

10  :  11 129,554 

10  :  13 587 

11:12 576 

11  :  26 6.32 

12  :  28 479 

13  :  13 616-536 

15  :  26 319 

16  :  32 171 

15  :  56 588 

15  :  32 649 

II.  CORINTHIANS. 

4  :  17 555 

5  :  17 282 


Ch.  &  Vkr.  page 

6  :  16-18 264 

12  :  19 524 

GALATIANS. 

6  :  19 614 

5  :  22,  23      521 


1  :  15 


19 
19 
21 
2  . 
4  . 
10 
13 
6  :  12 
6  :  17 


-22 


EPHESIANS. 

174,175 

594 

.  590,  600 
.  .  463,  654 
.  .  181,363 
....  297 
....  504 
....  192 
.  .  205,320 
.    .  258,272 


PHILLIPIANS. 

2  :  7,8 511 

2:9-11 600 

3  :  7,  8 448 

3  :  12 553 

3  :  13 527,540 

4:6 630 

COLOSSIANS. 

1  :  16 99 

1  :  16-18 437 

2:1 433 

4  :  16 433 

I.  THESSALONIANS. 
4  :  15-17 660 

4  :  16 249 

5  :  23 604 

5  :  22  . 533 

5:3 572 

5:4... 646 


II.  THESSALONIANS. 

2:6 612 

2:8 268 

1  :  10 632 


I.  TIMOTHY. 

6  :  22 540 

6:18 210 

6  :  22 429 

6  :  17 443 

II.  TIMOTHY. 

3  :  16, 17 123 


4:  8 


PHILEMON. 


230 


439 


HEBREWS. 

2  :  10 238,566 

4  :  12  .  .  .  .  258,273,568 

9:15 643 

in  :  34 206 

10  :  37 633 

12  :  2  .  .  654,  559, 584,  599 


SCRIPTURE  INDEX. 


675 


JAMES. 
Ch.  &  Vee.  page 

1  :  27 ;-io9 

2:5 209 

2:7 214 

4:8 359 

I.  PETER. 

2  :  23 214 

2:9 656 

5:5 510 

II.  PETER. 

1:5-7 228 

2:1 178 

2  :  18 178 

2  :  15 268 

2  :  13, 14 513 

3:9 305 

3  :  18 540 

3  :  10 644 

3:4 645 

5:7 554 

I.  JOHN. 
3:2 277,279,607 

JUDE. 

4 178 

12 178 

23 502,  533 

REVELATION. 

1:3 611 

1:5 629 

1:5,  6 614 

1:7..  629,  630,  631,  635 

638,  652 

1:7,8 638 

1  :  11 437,  642 

1:  15 480 

1  :  16 118,  257 

1  :  17  .  .  .  .  207,  208,  639 
1:18  .  .  207,208,267,473, 

475 


Ch. 

AVer 

PAGE 

1 

19  . 

489 

1 

20  . 

112 

2: 

1  . 

119,175, 

180 

479 

2 

2  . 

182,487, 

488, 

489, 

490,  491, 

493, 

494,  497 

2 

3  . 

181,  184 

528 

541 

2 

4  . 

173,174, 
505 

177, 

183, 

2 

5  . 

166,177, 

185, 

186, 

566,  634 

2 

6  . 

.  .  .  . 

502 

516 

2 

7  . 

141,582 

585, 

586, 

611.  624 

2 

8  . 

.  .  207 

476 

482 

2 

9  . 

209,210, 

211, 

212, 

213,  214,  238 

2 

10  . 

198,  205, 

206, 

211, 

224, 

226, 

228, 

229, 

234, 

235 

2 

11  . 

198,229 

232, 

233, 

582,  587,  660 

2 

12  . 

257 

480 

2 

13  . 

252,253 

259, 

262, 

535,  541 

9 

14  . 

263,  264 

268 

516 

2 

15  . 

.  263,  269 

265,270, 

523 

2 

:16  . 

.  270,271 

272,273, 

549,  568 

2 

:17  . 

.  274,275 

280 

283, 

410,  582 

2 

:18  . 

.  293,  294 

295 

309, 

477.  480 

2 

•19  . 

.  .  .  296 

535 

541 

2 

20  . 

298 

309 

2 

21  . 

303 

305 

2 

23  . 

.  .  .  306 

307 

312 

2 

24  . 

.  312,  313 

,316 

.317 

9 

25 

313 

9 

26 

319 
321 

■iSP 

2 

28  . 

324 

3 

1  . 

344, 348 

353. 

354, 

356.  358,  507 

3 

2  . 

351,356, 

357, 

358, 

361,  349,  553 

3 

3  . 

351,361, 
636 

362, 

523, 

Ch.  &  Ver.         page 

3:4  .  .  333,351,358,359, 

360,  365,  366, 

367,  497 

3:5..  362,363,364,365, 

582,  593,  594, 

656 

3:7....  388,  390,  477 

3:8  .  .  371,377,394,398, 

403 
3:9....  396,  572,  573 
3:10   .  377,394,395,398, 

400 

3:11  .  .  377,392,400,401, 

403,  440,  550, 

644,  645,  647 

3:  12  .  .  384,397,404,406, 

407,  408,  595, 

596 

3:14  .  .  434,435,436,476, 

483 
3:15  .  .  438,440,442,577, 

579 
3:  16  .  .  450,  468,511,568 
3:  17  .  .  443,  444,445,512 

3:  18 448,  449 

3:19 446,  455 

3  :  20 455,  458 

3:21  .  .  453,460,461,465, 
591,  597,  598, 
601,  639 

3  :  22 322 

4:4 656 

4:6 599 

4:  10,11 599 

4:8 599,  608 

5:6  ...  .  590,659,  688 

6:16 547,  572 

7:14 365,  656 

7:  15 656 

14:13 687 

18 147 

19:7-9 650 

19:  18 320 

20  :  13   563 

22:2 196 

22  :  12 312 

22  :  16 324 

22  :  20 644,  647 


Date  Due 


■f^- 


BS2825.IVI978 

The  messages  to  the  seven  churches  of 

lmj"nir°"  ^^^°'°9":al  Seminary-Speer  Library 


1    1012  00014   1319 


